Lemon Cinnamon Cookies

I love looking through cook books at book sales.  I picked up a Christmas cook book in the summer at a sale and left it alone for a few months but decided to look through it last month.  There are several recipe in it that I plan on trying but this one really jumped out at me because it met the dietary requirements for some of my family members who struggle to find treats they can eat with all the baking that is done during the holiday season.
I made a batch of these and took some to my sister and her husband.  The first thing they said after their first bite was how moist and chewy they were.  The texture was a welcome change to many of the gluten-free options she is used to.  The others I have shared these cookies with have had similar reactions.  It is even a cookie everyone can enjoy!
The recipe is quite simple and I am sure you could easily substitute the lemon for any citrus fruit you enjoy.  I have included the recipe for the glaze as well but I don't think the cookies need it.

Lemon Cinnamon Stars

2 lemons

2 1/2 cups powder sugar

3 cups ground almonds

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 eggs

Glaze

1/4 cup powder sugar

1 1/2 table spoons lemon juice

1. Grate the zest from the lemons.
2. Sift the powdered sugar into a late bowl.  Mix it with the lemon zest, ground almonds and cinnamon.
3. Separate the eggs (you will not need the yolks) and beat the whites until they are stiff and forming peaks.
4. Gently fold the almond mixture into the egg whites to make a stiff dough.  If it's too sticky, add more sound almonds.
5. Put the dough onto a work surface and roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough out and place on a cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 400 for 5-6 minutes.  Leave them on the tray for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
7. If using the glaze, combine the lemon juice and powder sugar and spread onto the cookies.  Decorate with additional zest if desired.

Salmon Berry Orange Muffins

For me, the first signs of summer have always been the arrival of salmon berries.  I love them and my kids do too!  I only wish it was easier to freeze these berries to enjoy them throughout the year.
It is the tail end of Salmon Berry season where I am but I thought I would post this awesome new recipe I have been using this year for Salmon Berry Muffins.  My family can't seem to get enough of them.  I love the hint from the orange zest in these.

Salmon Berry Orange Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup oil

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

zest of 2 oranges

1 1/2 cups salmon berries

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and line or oil your muffin tins.
2. Combine the dry ingredients (first five) together and make sure they are really blended.
3. Whisk together the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla and orange zest.
4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Mix only enough for all the dry ingredients to be moist.
5. Fold in the salmon berries.
6. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 of the way full and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Use the toothpick test to ensure they are cooked all of the way through.

White Cake

It is cake season at our house in the spring because we have so many reasons to celebrate with cake during the spring months.  While I have many recipes I commonly use for cakes, I decided it was time to give a new recipe a try and I am sure glad I did because this is a wonderful and moist cake.
I really like that it uses whole eggs because I hate separating eggs and I don't have to find a use for the yolks afterwards.

White Cake

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3 cups granulated sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans or line 24 muffin tins.
2. Cream together the butter and shortening with a stand or electric mixer until it is light and fluffy.  Slowly add the sugar one cup at a time, making sure it is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the eggs one at a time, in the same manner.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. 
4. Whisk the buttermilk and vanilla.
5. On a low speed, alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with  the dry ingredients.  Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down as you are adding the ingredients.
6. Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans or muffin tins (3/4 full for 24 cupcakes or 1/2 full for 36).  The cakes should bake between 25-30 minutes and the cupcakes for approximately 18 minutes.  Use the toothpick test to ensure they are cooked through.
7. Ice and enjoy!

Cauliflower Ranch Chips

With the prices on cauliflower these days I like to get it when it is on special.  I was at my favourite Farm market and they had some on clearance for 99 cents a head so I grabbed a couple because I had a few recipes I wanted to try (but not on a $5.00 a head cauliflower).
I am always looking for ways to have a healthish but different snack and I think this falls into the healthy category.  Everyone enjoyed it so I will be making them again and playing with different herb/spice combinations, especially when the herbs in my garden are ready.
They are the perfect snack size so I know they will make it into the lunch box if there are any left by Monday.
My first attempt I made them about 1/4 of an inch thick, they are very nice but if you would like a crispier version I would make them fairly thin.

Cauliflower Ranch Chips

1 head of cauliflower

3 cups grated romano cheese

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp dill

1 1/2 tsp parsley

1 1/2 tsp chives

1 1/2 tsp basil

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

freshly ground black pepper

1. Use a food processor to turn the cauliflower into a coarse crumble (grating it would also work).
2. Mix together the herbs and spices in a large bowl.
3. Toss the cauliflower crumble and cheese in with the herb mixture.
4. Beat the eggs and add to the cauliflower mixture.  You don't want this mixture to be wet, just moist enough so it stays together.
5. On a parchment lined baking sheet place a heaping 1 tbsp of the mixture and flatten with a fork.  Have them spaced about 1 inch apart.  Bake a 450 for 7-10 minutes and then flip them over and return them to the oven for another 7-10 minutes (or until they have reached your desired crispness).

Lemon Feta Roasted Asparagus

There are so many things I love about the spring but one of them is how garden's start to come back to life.  Asparagus season will be upon us soon so I thought I would post a great recipe my family enjoys.
With this recipe, you can either put the lemon feta on the asparagus part way through roasting so that it melts and gets a little crisp or you can sprinkle it on right before serving.  It tastes great both ways.  If you like a little spice, you can add about a 1/4 tsp of pepper flakes to the feta mix.

A fun fact: Asparagus is one of the few food you can eat with your fingers in front of the Queen.

Lemon Feta Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and halved

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup feta cheese

finely grated zest and juice of one lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Then toss the asparagus in with it.
3. Spread the asparagus on a tray and roast for 15 minutes.
4. Toss the lemon juice, zest child pepper flakes (optional) and feta together.  Sprinkle on top of the asparagus before serving.

Cilantro Lime Rice

I love the recipes you can find when you type random ingredients into a search engine.  This recipe is the result of one of those searches.  I had a couple of limes in my fruit bowl that were begging to be used and a bunch of cilantro that my Mom brought for me to use up because she was going away.  I was looking for inspiration for dinner so I thought I might as well try a search to see what would turn up.  I had seen this recipe before, most likely on Pinterest, and tonight was the night I was finally going to make it.

I love how simple it was to add a little extra flavour to a rice dish.  It turned the bland carb staple in to a lovely side dish.  I am sure I will be using this recipe lots in the future!

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked rice

1 cup water

1 cup broth

pinch of salt

juice of one lime

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. In a sauce pan, combine the rice, water, broth, lime juice and salt.  Cook according to cooking instructions on the package (most rice cooks for different times).
2. Once the rice has cooked, add the minced garlic and cilantro and toss with a fork before serving.

Sweet and Savoury Spiced Nuts

I loved this recipe for spiced nuts.  You can use any combination of nuts with this recipe.  I will often use walnuts, pecans and almonds.  They are great to eat by the handful or to be used as a garnish for salads and side dishes.  Be careful because it can be hard to control how many you eat!

Sweet and Savoury Spiced Nuts

2 cups of nuts 

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp all spice

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp oil

1. Heat the oven to 350.  Spread the nuts on the backing sheet and toast until they are fragrant (about 6 minutes).
2. Stir together the spices and salt in a bowl.
3. In a saucepan, combine the water, brown sugar, vanilla and oil.  Bring this to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.
4. Stir in the nuts and continue to stir until all the nuts are shiny and the liquid is gone.
5. Move the glazed nuts to a mixing bowl and sprinkle on the spice mix.  Toss the nuts to ensure they are coated in the spice mixture.
6. Spread the coated nuts on a cookie sheet and return to the oven for another 4 minutes.  Be sure to check regularly to make sure they do not burn.
7. Remove and let cool.

Poulet Dijonnaise

This is a fantastic recipe my mom has been making for years and I have always enjoyed it.  I love the richness of the flavour and how easy it is to prepare. It is wonderful because you can make full size portions or appetizer size portions.  This is a great one to make in advance to freeze in whatever portion size you need.  If you are going to freeze them, wrap them individually and freeze them before baking them in the phyllo dough. When you take it out of the freezer, reheat frozen at 425 for 25 minutes.
The recipe below is how to make it in an oven but I have also done this in a crockpot by putting the chicken, dijon, whipping cream, salt and pepper in.  I cooked it on high for about 4 hours and then pulled the chicken breasts apart with forks.

Poulet Dijonnaise

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts1/4 cup Dijon mustardpan juices from cooked chicken2 cups whipping cream salt and white pepper16 sheets of phyllo dough, defrosted1 cup butter1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1. Season chicken breasts. Place in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes (or until just cooked).  
2. Remove meat, cool, skin and cut into small pieces. 
3. Remove excess fat from pan juices, add mustard and deglaze over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. 
4. Gradually stir in light cream, salt and pepper. 
5. Lower heat and cook slowly until the liquid is reduce by one-quarter. 
6. Add chicken to sauce. Set aside and cool.  (I take out the phyllo pastry at this point)

Rectangular Single Servings

Butter one layer of phyllo, top with a second layer. Butter second layer. and sprinkle with a few bread crumbs. Place one-eighth of filling in rectangle about two inches from the narrow end of phyllo closest to you.  Fold two-inch end over the chicken filling. Smooth right and left-end edges down. Then fold left and right sides up to centre of the rectangle of filling. Butter the new unbuttered sides you have exposed. Sprinkle the same with bread crumbs.  Then finish rolling the individual serving up ensuring that the last edge is placed face down on the cooking sheet. Brush with butter. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes.  

Triangles

Butter one sheet of phyllo and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Envision vertical lines at the 1/3 and 2/3 marks of a vertical sheet of phyllo.  Fold left third over the centre third, then fold the right third, over the centre. Place a spoon full of filling into the bottom corner of the new three-layer piece of phyllo.  Fold diagonally, triangle over triangle, as if folding a flag. Place seam side down (Cut off any extra left after the last fold)

Sugar Cookies

Decorating sugar cookies has always been one of the exciting Christmas time activities for me. I remember growing up having so much fun making them every year.  It is a good thing I enjoy making them because my family eats them very quickly.  I remember one year, I made a double batch of sugar cookies and they only lasted a day. Even though we are adults now, my siblings still seem to expect for me to make them some sugar cookies each year. This year I am in charge of bringing dessert for Christmas dinner and as I was telling my sister what I was planning on making, she interrupted me sentence to make sure I was going to be bringing sugar cookies. I really like this recipe, the cookies always turn out so nicely.  I usually make a triple batch and the measurements seem to lend themselves to a triple batch easily. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. 
2.  Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. 
3. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla until combined. 
4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with a mixer and then stir in the rest by hand. 
5. Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes or until it is easy to work with. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough so it is about 1/8 of an inch thick and cut into desired shapes. 
6. Bake at 375 for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and the bottoms are very lightly browned.

Turkey Tetrazzini

We love turkey season in our house because we are able to get several meals out of one bird.  We will often purposely make a bird much larger than we need to feed everyone just so we have lots of leftovers for various leftover turkey recipes.
I think this is one of my favourite recipes to use up the extra meat.  I will sometimes make this a gluten free recipe by using cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce, leave out the bread crumbs and use spaghetti squash in lieu of the noodles.  Regardless of what I use, this casserole gets eaten up quickly without complaints.

Turkey Tetrazzini

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, finely chopped

4 ribs of celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 cup sliced mushrooms

pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup flour

4 cups broth

1 cup parmesan cheese, divided

4 oz cream cheese

8 oz pasta of your choice (cooked)

2 cups diced turkey meat

1/2 bread crumbs

1. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms until they are tender.
2. Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are coated.  
3. Add the wine and stir until the flour has been absorbed
4. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce heat.  Frequently stir the mixture while it simmers for five minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and add the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese, stirring until they melt.
7. Add the peas, pasta and turkey.  Make sure you combine the new additions well.
8. Transfer the mixture to a oiled casserole dish.
9. Combine the remaining parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.
10. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know I have found a good recipe when it disappears quickly and everybody asks me for the recipe.  This is one of those recipes and a couple of people have reminded me they would like the recipe so I better post it.
These cookies are soft, lovely and moist.  I love the spice combination in them, I always add extra spice to cookies.  Please note that this recipe has the increased spice values in it so if you want a more subtle spice to the cookies I suggest you reduce the amount of spices you use. These cookies freeze well, but the trick is keeping them in there.  I hope you enjoy this twist on chocolate chip cookies.
*Note these cookies are chilled for 3 hours before they are baked so don't start by preheating the oven.

Pumpkin Chocolat Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar, plus 1/3 cup for coating

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tbsp molasses

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus 3/4 tsp for coating

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar.  
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla until they are light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the pumpkin and molasses.
4. Combine the remaining dry ingredients (sans the cinnamon and sugar needed for the coating) in a separate bowl.  I suggest giving this a smell to see if you want to alter the spices.
5. Gradually start adding the mixture to the wet and make sure it incorporates completely.  
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Form the dough into balls about the size of two table spoons and place them on a plate.  I suggest having some wax paper between the layers on the plate.  Chill for 3 hours,
8. Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
9. Combine the remaining cinnamon and sugar.  Roll the dough in the coating before placing them on the cookie sheets and lightly press them down with a fork.  Make sure there is good spacing between the cookies.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges and tops have started to set.  The cookies firm up as they cool.

Apple Cheddar Biscuits

I like to have some bread or a biscuit to enjoy soup with, especially when the soup is so tasty I want to mop up every last drop of it to be sure that none is wasted.  I don't have time to make a nice french loaf very often and getting all of us out of the house to go pick up a loaf from the local baker is sometimes a little daunting.  Especially on rainy days when every one is tired.
I have had a bunch of old magazines with recipes I have wanted to try piling up in my house over the years.  Recently I have decided to look through them and tear out the recipes I think I will actually try and then recycle the rest.  After I try the recipe, if I like it I will post it so I don't have to keep the loose recipe around and I know I will always be able to find it when I want it.  The other day I found this wonderful biscuit recipe in Canadian Living.  It is a perfect biscuit to enjoy with fall soups.  They were a hit in our house and one of my little ones kept sliding a chair to the counter so she could help herself to them.  The batch didn't even last 24 hours.  I am sure I will be making these again soon.

 Apple Cheddar Biscuits

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cold butter cubed

1 cup shredded extra-old Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated, cored and peeled baking apple

2 tbsp minced chives or green onions

3/4 cup milk

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
2. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse oatmeal with a few large pieces.
3. Stir in the cheddar, apple and chives.
4. Using a fork, stir in the milk to form a ragged dough.
5. Drop into roughly 1/3 cup mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes or until they are lightly browned.

Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

I know it has been a while my friends but life has been very busy with two little ones and lots more.  I have tried lots of recipes and I need to get better at posting my favourites.  Our garden was wonderful this year and I have been trying lots of new ways to use up the various squash and pumpkins we grew this year.  I have also found my new favourite type of pumpkin.  It's colour is amazing, I love it's shape, I love how easy it is to prepare for baking and most importantly it has a wonderful flavour!  For those of you who garden as well I got the seeds from Renee's Garden and they are called Cinderella's Carriage Antique French Pumpkins.

I had some leftover pumpkin puree from making some other delicious pumpkin recipes (I will try to post them soon) and needed to make dinner so I decided on a curried pumpkin soup I came across a while back.  This soup turned out amazing.  Everybody loved it. My husband even said he was sorry he didn't have to take lunch in to work tomorrow because he loves it when his coworkers comment on how wonderful his lunches smell when he heats them up in the office kitchen.

 Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 can coconut milk

1. In a heavy bottomed stock pan, melt the butter and sauté the onions until they begin to brown.  
2. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
3. Add the stock, salt and spices and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow this to simmer covered for 20 minutes to deepen the flavour of the broth.
4. Add the pumpkin and coconut milk and blend using an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.
5. Allow the soup to reach desired temperate before serving.

This soup goes well with a biscuit to help clean the bowl with.  I found a great Apple Cheddar biscuit recipe I made along with it.

Zucchini and Basil Frittata

When I have a rare spare moment to myself these days, I go to my cookbook library and flip through one of my cookbooks to try and find some inspiration for future meals.  The other day I picked up one that was given to my husband and I as an engagement gift.  I have tried a few recipes out of it but none recently.  As I was flipping though, I was only a few pages into the book when I found a zucchini recipe.  It is the perfect time of year to stumble across zucchini recipes (Right now I am harvesting between 4-8 from the garden a week!)  Not only did this recipe look tasty, but I had everything I needed for it on hand.  I actually made this recipe twice this week.  It is a great base recipe to use and it is one that is easy to change the basil for another herb or add different vegetables.
The recipe called for two medium zucchinis BUT this does not mean two medium zucchinis from your garden, it means a small one from your garden or two from the grocery store.  To try and save you from preparing too much zucchini and only realizing it afterwards, like I did, I have decided to give you an approximate measurement of how much to use.

Zucchini and Basil Frittata

5 eggs

3 cups zucchini, julienned/matchsticked 

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

15 fresh basil leaves, torn

salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in an ovenproof skillet.
2. Beat the eggs together and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper.  Sauté for a minute or two, until it is warmed through.
4. Stir in the basil and ricotta.  Add the egg and stir for a minute.
5. Place in an oven at 350.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, until it has risen and serve immediately.

Pizza Dough

In our neighbourhood there is a very fancy expensive pizza joint and their pizza is amazing.  They have pizza designed for a sophisticated palate and their creations are delicious.  I decided that I too can make fancy pizzas with what I have at home and cater it to my current cravings.
In order to do this, I could not use something store bought for the crust, I had to find a recipe I could put together without too much effort and that didn't take too much time to be ready to use.  After some searching, this is what I decide on using.  This recipe made a nice light crust.  The crust is fine as it is but if you want to add a little extra flavour you could always add a little seasoning to it.  

Pizza Dough

2 cups flour

2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp lukewarm water

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp yeast

1. Mix together 1 cup of the flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast (and any extra seasonings you may desire).
2. Gradually add the remaining cup of flour until it forms a ball.
3. Knead briefly on a floured surface.
4. Let the dough raise for 10-15 minutes in a bowl covered with a towel or plastic wrap.
5. Spread out onto a pan and cover with your favourite toppings.
6. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Rhubarb Jellies

A well established rhubarb crap can be daunting to some but exciting to others.  Right now ours are not too big and very easy for us to use up.  When I visited my Uncle's house recently he had plenty to spare and he kindly shared some with us.
There are so many things I enjoy doing with rhubarb, from muffins, to cakes and stewing it but I felt like trying something new.  I looked online and came across a rhubarb special from Chatelaine magazine and the Rhubarb Jellies recipe jumped out at me.  I love jellies and I had everything I needed on hand so I got to work.
These jellies are so easy to make and have a very impressive taste.  They are best fresh but fine kept in the fridge for a couple of days.  When you are slicing them, I suggest small slices because they are sweet and in my opinion it is better to grab a couple than have one that is too big for you to finish.
*These are what Europeans consider to be jellies, but most North Americans would probably call them gummies.

Rhubarb Jellies

1 1/4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 tbsp water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup granulated sugar

42.5 mL liquid pectin (half a package)

2 tbsp granulated sugar for dusting

1. Oil an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, combine the rhubarb, water and lemon juice.  Heat on medium-high until the rhubarb is tender.
3. Transfer the mix into a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Return to the heavy bottomed pot and stir in 1 cup of sugar.  Boil until a candy thermometer reaches 210 (about 2-3 minutes).
5. Stir in liquid pectin and boil for another 2 minutes.
6. Poor into the loaf pan and allow to cool and firm (about an hour).
7. Flip out onto a cutting board and cut into small pieces.  Dust the pieces with sugar.

Zucchini Oatmeal Spice Muffins

If you have looked through my blog, you will see I make a lot of muffins.  I find muffins to be a wonderful snack to have on hand.  I will often make a double or a triple batch so I can have some in the freezer to pull out as I need them.  Muffins are easy to grab as you are about to head out the door.  They are great for little ones to much on in the stroller.
Here is a lovely muffin recipe to use up zucchinis.  I will often add extra cinnamon, raisins and pecans.  I used a giant one and scraped out the seeds.

Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flax seeds

1/3 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup oats

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup mlk

4 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups peeled and shredded zucchini

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 pecans

1. Combine the first eight ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Make sure they are well blended together.
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients.
3. Pour the wet into the dry and stir until just blended.
4. Fold in the zucchini, raisins and pecans.
5. Bake at 400 for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Corn and Zucchini Saute

I guess this is my first zucchini post of the summer and I am sure it will be my first of many.  This year we have 4 plants in the garden.  I know you are probably thinking why on earth would you plant that many zucchini plants? We tend to have a bit of a problem with slugs in our garden so I always have to plant more than I think I will need so I can hope to have one or two plants survive.  If our garden was at our home, it would be a lot easier to deal with these pest but right now life is busy and we only get out to the garden once or twice a week.
My new vice is Pinterest and it is a great way to find new recipes (and waste time while your at it).  This is one I came across a while ago and decided to save it for the summer.  I think it is a perfect recipe to have in the summer, especially if you have corn and zucchini in your garden.  It does not take long to prepare and tastes wonderful.  It is one I will keep on hand to use in the future and use whatever I happen to have on hand in the fridge.

Corn and Zucchini Saute

1 medium zucchini, halved and cut into thin slices

corn cut off 3 ears of corn

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 cup torn basil leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok.
2. Saute the onion until it is translucent.
3. Add the zucchini slices and garlic.  Toss around in the pan for a couple of minutes, until the zucchini is bright green.
4. Add the corn and season with salt and pepper.  Stir the vegetables until the corn is heated.
5. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and basil before serving.

Creamy Rice Pudding

I have not mastered the art of making the perfect amount of rice to feed our family.  I usually make too much and have leftovers of rice but not what I was serving with it.  I don't like to eat day old, reheated rice so our dog will often get it.
Tonight I decided to try and turn the leftover rice in the fridge into a rice pudding for dessert.  It was easy enough to make and we all enjoyed it.  The only one who I am sure will be disappointed about me using this recipe more frequently is our dog.

Creamy Rice Pudding

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

2 cups milk divided

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/3 white sugar

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp butter

cinnamon to garnish

1. In a saucepan combine the rice, 1 1/2 cups of milk and the salt.  Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture is thick and creamy.  It should take about 15-20 minutes
2. Whisk together the egg, sugar and the remaining milk.  Pour it into the rice mixture and add the raisins if you are using them.  Stir the mixture continually until the egg has set (about 3 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.  

Blackberry Muffins

The fruit is ready early this year so not only are we frantically try to use up the berries from last year so we have room for this years lot! I find muffins so handy so I am turning most of the berries into muffins.  We love muffins in our house and I think they are the perfect gift for families with little ones.
These moist muffins are marvellous! I love how flavours of the cinnamon and blackberries blend so well together.  If you want to add a little extra sweetness to the muffins you could sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar.  This recipe would go well with any berries you have if you don't have blackberries at your disposal.

Blackberry Muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 rolled oats

1/4 flax seed

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup yogurt 

1 tbsp milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 cups blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Combine the flour, oats, flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. Whisk together the melted butter, yogurt, milk, vanilla sugar and eggs together.
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and stir until just blended.  Fold in the blackberries.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.