Mock Apple Pie

In a side by side taste test, I'm not sure if I could identify the zucchini! It's THAT good!

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 large zucchini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions
1.Peel the zucchini. Cut into quarters lengthwise, then remove seeds and cut crosswise (as you would cut apples for apple pie). Toss together 4 cups chopped zucchini, lemon juice and salt. Place mixture into frying pan and cook until tender-crisp.
2.In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, cream of tartar, nutmeg and flour. Add the cooked zucchini to sugar mixture and mix well. It will be a little runny, but that's OK.
3.Place filling into a 9 inch pie crust, dot with butter, and place top crust on.

Bake in oven at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

First Garden Tomato

Now, what to do with it? I'm thinking of eating it like an apple...
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Pickles

Fresh zucchini and cucumbers from the garden with some hot peppers thrown in for fun. 7 out of the 8 jars I processed were successfully sealed. Plus, made 3 containers for the fridge! Stay tuned for taste-test.
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Caprese Salad

With homegrown basil
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No Bake Cookies

I've tasted these cookies, but never made them myself. Recipe looks easy enough and Todd put in a special request, so number one on my to-do list tomorrow:


Ingredients
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1.In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

Dump Cake

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Here's the BFF's birthday cake!

Recipe (easiest thing EVER)

white cake mix
can cherry pie filling
lg can crushed pineapple
1 stick butter
1 cup walnuts

open cans, dump both in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish
sprinkle dry cake mix on top
slice butter into pats and place all over top of cake
sprinkle with walnuts

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until brown and bubbly

Enjoy!

Scotch Eggs

This morning's culinary adventure was a success with a classic British pub food, Scotch Eggs. Of course, I put my own spin on the recipe.....hot Italian sausage and melted cheese on top (at Todd's request because "you gotta have cheese on Sunday").
Here's the recipe:

hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Bulk sausage, any kind, 1/4 pound per egg

Divide sausage into 1/4 pound balls and flatten into 5" circles. Holding the circle of sausage in the palm of one hand, place the egg in the middle and wrap the sausage around the egg and seal the edges. Place in a baking dish and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

*Note: I am a stickler for properly cooked hardboiled eggs. First, I place the raw eggs in a pot, then cover with COLD water. Next, bring the water to a FULL BOIL. Finally, turn off the heat and put the cover on the pot and set the timer for between 15 and 20 minutes. Sometimes I want the yolk extra firm, especially for dishes like macaroni salad, so I let them go the full 20 minutes. For this application and for things like devilled eggs, I only set the timer for 15 minutes. 18 minutes seems to be perfect for simple eating eggs. Finally, when the desired amount of cooking time has passed, pour off the hot water and let cold water run into the pot to stop the cooking process (and to make the eggs safe to handle).
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