Zucchini Cake

Even though Mr. E. and I share a full farm share with one other couple, we find that we still have trouble finishing the bounty from the farm each week. Thankfully, the woman who coordinates the farm share sends out recipes each week specific to the veggies we have received. Usually these recipes us the veggies in stews or stir-fry but last week she sent us a recipe for zucchini cake. Lo and behold we also had cream cheese in the refrigerator and eggs from the farm share that I needed to put to good use!

FANCY ZUCCHINI CAKE
We can’t let carrots be the only vegetable for desert!
If you don’t want to do layers this is good in a simple 9 x 13 pan!

The Cake
3 cups all-purpose fl our
3 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini

The Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Lightly grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans.

In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, white sugar, and salt. Mix well.

In another bowl beat eggs, vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together. Pour into egg mixture into the fl our mixture and mix well. Stir in the shredded zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Allow cakes to cool in pans.

Stack and frost into a 3 layer cake using Cream Cheese Frosting.

To Make Frosting: Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the confectioner’s sugar, a little at a time. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and mix well.

Spread on cool cake layers.

Three Cheese Mac 'N Cheese

One of my pregnant friends from high school has posted on facebook that she was planning to make homemade mac 'n cheese this past weekend... This was around 5pm on Friday and the idea of homemade macaroni and cheese made my mouth water. I quickly found a three cheese recipe and sent Mr. E. to the store to stock up on the ingredients. Alongside an argula salad from our farm share, this hit the spot on a cold October evening!


Mac 'N Cheese


Ingredients

* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
* 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), coarsely chopped
* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup all purpose flour
* 3 1/2 cups (or more) whole milk
* 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
* 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 8- to 8.8-ounce container mascarpone cheese*
* 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)**
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
* 1 pound orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) or large elbow macaroni

Preparation

*
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté until crisp, about 6 minutes. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add crushed red pepper and garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in 3 tablespoons butter; allow to melt, then add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 3 1/2 cups milk; simmer until thick enough to coat spoon thickly, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cheeses. Whisk in more milk by 1/4 cupfuls until sauce is thick but pourable. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool; cover and chill. Rewarm, stirring over medium heat.
*
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko and stir until very light golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
*
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Return pasta to pot. Add warm cheese sauce; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over. Bake mac and cheese until heated through and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

From Bon Appetit, September 2008

Homegrown Salsa

My good friend in town had me over for chili this week at her urban sophisticate apartment and she happened to have some homemade salsa leftover from dinner the night before. She had used the bounty from that weeks farm share. Mr. E and I also had a bounty of veggies from our farm share and from our garden so I decided to make a catch for our beach weekend. Delicious!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (any color)
2 cups cilantro
1 yellow onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapenos (seeded) and minced
juice of 1 lime
salt and peper to taste

Mix together and enjoy immediately!

Strawberry Salad... aka my famous family recipe

Strawberry Salad is something that has been a part of every family holiday on my mom's side since I was born. Thanksgiving, Christmas or simply a drive to Grandma's house or a visit from my mom in college always necessitates this dish. I have made this dish for friends and new family members in the last few years and I always get requests to make it again. This weekend at the beach, my brother-in-law requested "that strawberry stuff" and his daughter (my niece) helped me whip up a batch for our honor evening together before the official summer season concludes.

Strawberry Salad

Ingredients
* 2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
* 3/4 cup melted butter
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 cups whipped topping (small container)
* 1 lg or 2 small pkg (6 ounces) strawberry flavored gelatin
* 2 cups boiling water
* 1 (16oz) bagfrozen strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Mix the pretzels, sugar and butter and put in a layer in a 9x13x2-inch pan. Bake 8 minutes and then remove to cool.

2. Beat sugar and cream cheese together and stir in whipped topping. Spread over cooled pretzels.

3. Mix strawberry jello, boiling water and strawberries together and set aside for 10 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture; chill thoroughly.

Vegetable Lasagna

With the bounty of fresh vegetables from our farm share and our garden, Mr. E. decided that it was time to revive his Sunday evening cooking ritual and make a vegetable lasagna. Lasagna is known as one of those dishes that is easy to prepare... we have yet to create a lasagna that takes less than an hour to prep. However, this one (courtesy of Mr. E's favorite celebrity chef, Giada) was yummy and BIG... aka lots of leftovers!

Individual Vegetable Lasagnas

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (modified by E)

Serves:
6 servings (we thought it was closer to 8 or 10)

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
* 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
* 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
* 1 medium summer squash, finely chopped
* 8 asparagus spears, cut into 1/4-inch slices (or spinach!)
* 1 pound fresh plain lasagna sheets
* 2 jars tomato sauce
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 3 cups shredded mozzarella
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, halved
* Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and squash cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat when all vegetables are completely cooked but still have a good crunch. Allow to cool.

Coat the bottom of a 13x9 dish with tomato sauce. Place pasta on the bottom of the dish. Next, a layer of the veggies. Place a second layer of pasta on top and gently press down. Add another layer of sauteed vegetables and top with tomato sauce. Place the third layer of pasta in each ramekin and coat with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and top each with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Bake in oven for 50 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Ease of Preparation: Easy

The Fruits of our Labors...

The vegetables Mr. E. planted earlier this summer are finally starting to reward us with their fine fruits... and that yellow tomato was oh, so delicious!

Monkey Bread

After swim meets in college, the parents would often provide the swimmers with home-baked treats. During my sophomore year of college I lived with 5 other swimmers which meant that on swim meet weekends we were bombarded with sweet treats from our well meaning parents. I was first introduced to Monkey Bread (or as we called it “Monkey Balls”) when one of the other mothers left it at our apartment post meet. Although I have never made this myself until now (for a boating weekend with friends), I still have fond memories of that gooey goodness consumed over a good game of post-swim meet game of tetris with the roommates.

MONKEY BREAD

Ingredients:

* 4 cans refrigerated biscuits
* 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar, packed

Pre-heat oven to 350. Pull your biscuits apart and rip into smaller pieces (roughly 4 per biscuit). Try not to eat too much of the raw biscuit dough, like I always do! Mix your biscuit bits with the cinnamon and white sugar and pack into a buttered bundt pan. In the meantime, heat the brown sugar and butter together until melted, and pour over the top of the biscuit mix in the pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, let cool, and invert onto plate. Enjoy!

Reference: www.brokeassbride.com