Scrambled Eggs with Zucchini

This isn't really a recipe, I just wanted to pass this great idea along (which I sort of got from my mother-in-law).

grated zucchini, about 1 cup
diced onion, about 1/4 cup
1 fresh banana pepper, seeded and diced
Saute these together in some oil, and add a little salt and pepper.

When the vegetables have been cooking for several minutes, add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped tomato. Saute for another minute or so, then add 4 eggs, well beaten. Add a little more salt and pepper to the eggs. When the mixture is cooked to your liking, top with about 1/2 cup grated cheese.

It might not sound that great, but it was a lot tastier than it seems like it would be!

Kirk and I ate the whole thing for supper, so I guess it serves 2. Although, I eat for 2 right now, so maybe it serves 3. Anyway, I would add more zucchini next time; it just adds a great flavor to the whole thing.

Unbaked Lemon Slice

Melt together:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 250 g can sweetened condensed milk

Mix together:
1 cup coconut
250 g plain cookies, crushed (here I use something like digestive biscuits, you could probably use graham crackers or something with a matching flavour - lemon or coconut)
butter/milk mixture
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Press mixture into a 9" square pan and chill till firm.

Mix together:
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Spread over bars and cut into squares. Store in the fridge.

This is just a quick, easy recipe that's really tasty. Sorry about my bad mixture of metric and otherwise, but I got this recipe from an Australian website, and converted some stuff and didn't know the rest.

Rich Sweet Dough for Cinnamon Rolls

When Matthew and I got married Granny wrote out a little notebook of recipes for me. I treasure having those recipes in her handwriting and have used them often. For the life of me, I don't know why I haven't made a point to try every single one. For instance, one entitled "Rich Sweet Dough for Cinnamon Rolls." Cumbersome title, no? The line underneath reads "a no-knead refrig. dough that makes a rich, tender product." It doesn't lie. No kneading, and it makes some of the best rolls I've ever made. And don't even get me started on the part about the dough being in the fridge for up to three days! That means it's possible to have hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast without getting up before 3AM.

Here goes:

Scald 3/4 cup milk; stir in 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cup margarine. Cool to lukewarm. Measure 1/2 cup warm water into mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 2 Tblsp yeast; stir until dissolved. Stir in milk mixture and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in 2 cups of flour to make a stiff batter. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Dough may be kept in fridge 3 days. To use: cut off desired amount and shape into cinnamon rolls, buns or crescents. Let rise for 45-60 minutes and bake at 375*F till lightly browned.

Enjoy. I can tell you that I will make these for company breakfasts and most likely Christmas morning. Easy peasy. :D

Strawberry Cake

Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar together. Blend in 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt. Spread in lightly greased pie pan. Cover with sliced strawberries, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 350* for 45ish minutes. Eat warm...preferably with whipped cream. How easy is that??

Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar (don’t add this if you have sweetened peanut butter)
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil (I reduced this already, and might try to leave it out altogether next time)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (this amount just lets you know the red pepper is there, it’s not really spicy…of course, I think that I’ve had my red pepper since we got married. Hmmm.)
4 cups broccoli pieces

3 small onions cut into wedges
4 chicken breasts, cut into strips (or equal amount of deboned, cooked chicken)

Mix first 7 ingredients together until smooth. Set aside. Saute chicken in small amount of oil for a few minutes. Add broccoli, onions and ¼ cup water. Cover tightly and steam until broccoli is slightly tender and chicken is done. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and stir gently. Serve with rice.

Ok, I’m the only one in my family who liked this, but I really love it. I found it on a blog and made a few changes, but basically this is the way it was. I think I’ll add carrots next time. (Believe me, I will make this just for myself.)

Naan

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups flour
butter

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for about an hour.
When ready, punch down, and break off into small balls about 2" in diameter. Roll very thin, and cover the rolled ones with a towel. When they're all rolled out, you can start frying them (it's good to let them rise for a few minutes while you finish the others. No need to wait too long though).
Heat a skillet, just on medium heat. You can adjust the heat as you go. I like to use my cast iron. Put just a dab of butter in before you start frying, and every so often. You don't want them greasy, but just a bit is good. Fry until golden and puffy, then turn over.

*It's really good to have some cucumber/tomato/yogurt salad to dip these in.
*I forgot to count how many pieces this made, but it was plenty for our family.

Indian Butter Chicken

I don't know how proper it is to copy recipes off of another website, but I did anyway...This is from allrecipes.com, and credit goes to the original poster. It is SO good.
1)It's really rich, so I'd save it for a special occasion if I were you.
2)Don't think about substituting anything for the heavy cream. I and another friend have both tried substituting, and it didn't turn out right.
3)Make sure you serve it with some type of flatbread for dipping. Preferably naan.

1 cup butter, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tandoori masala

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in caramelized onions.
While the sauce is simmering, toss cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil until coated, then season with tandoori masala and spread out onto a baking sheet.
Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes. Once done, add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

Monkey Bread

Mix together:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp soda

Cut in:
1/3 cup margarine or Crisco

Mix in:
3/4 cup buttermilk (or a little more, make it a sticky dough that forms a ball)

Lightly grease a 8" cake pan and drop the dough into it by teaspoonful. Don't pack it in, drop it lightly. It will make more than one layer.

Mix together:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pour evenly over dough in pan.

Bake at 350 for about 20ish minutes, or until it's browned and the dough in the middle is done. Cool for a few minutes and then invert onto a plate. Enjoy.

I found this recipe online, but it called for 2 cans of refrigerated biscuits. This biscuit recipe is the one I always use, and it worked fine for this. If you like nuts, I'm sure they'd be a great addition.

Lisa’s Fruit Tea (or as Larissa calls it “Ice Fruit”)

Brew 8 tea bags in 4 cups boiling water. Discard tea bags and stir in 1 ½ -2 cups sugar. Add 1 litre orange juice, 1 litre pineapple juice and ½ cup fresh lemon juice. Add water to make one gallon (like how I’m switching from metric to imperial and back again?) Chill thoroughly.

I use sweetened orange and pineapple juices, so I only use 1 ½ cups sugar (or less, sometimes), but if you have unsweetened juices I’m pretty sure you’ll want more sugar.

This is a very refreshing drink for a hot day.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix the first three ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir in the zucchini and nuts. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 for 20ish minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Ice with the following:

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt the margarine and cocoa together. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.

I got this off of allrecipes.com, and it’s really rich. I already lowered the sugar in this version, but you might be able to lower it even more. The “batter” is really crumbly looking when it’s ready to bake, but it turns out fine. Also, the icing is so rich that I would probably only use half when I make them again.