Our Favorite Cornbread

Mom gave me this recipe last year and we all love it! I have to search for it in my email every time I want to make it, so I figured I would type it up and put it on the blog so its easier to find next time! And what else do I have to do during a pandemic?!?

My kids LOVE this recipe and could easily eat an entire 9x13 pan in one sitting if I let them. We had it tonight with chili, but its a great side to lots of dishes.

Our Favorite Cornbread

1 Cup Cornmeal
3 Cups Flour, all purpose
1 Cup Sugar
2 TBSP Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/3 Cup Butter, melted & slightly cooled
2 TBSP Honey
4 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl,

Pour the vegetable oil, butter, honey, beaten eggs, and milk into the dry mixture and stir to combine, until just moistened.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for about 35-45 minutes. I start checking it around the 35 minute mark. You want it to be golden and have little cracks form on the top.

Remove from oven, serve warm! Delicious with honey and butter.

7-Up Biscuits

These biscuits are quiet possibly the easiest bread side dish I have ever made. In fact, they are so easy, I feel like they are cheating. 4 ingredients. Thats it! And to make them even easier... I don't cut them out! I just put the dough in the prepared pan and let them do their thing.

We think they are best fresh out of the oven... smothered in real butter and honey!

7-Up Biscuits

2 Cups Bisquick Mix
1/2 Cup 7-Up {or Sprite}
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
4 TBSP Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9 inch baking dish {or put the butter in the dish, and stick it in the oven for a few minutes. Just don't let it burn!}

Put Bisquick and sour cream in a bowl. Gently cut the sour cream into the powdered mix. Slowly add 7-up and mix until just moist. You can either spread the entire amount of batter into butter filled pan at this point, or roll it out on a lightly floured surface and cut into biscuits. I've only ever gone the easy route!

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Bran Muffins

Before you think I'm crazy for posting a recipe for Bran Muffins, just trust me that they are actually really good! I've had bran muffins in the past and never been a big fan, but these are so tasty, my 5 year old actually thought they were cupcakes. Being the true sweets connoisseur that I am, I wouldn't go that far... but these really are very good!! 

BRAN MUFFINS

1 1/2 Cups Wheat Bran

1 Cup Buttermilk

1/3 Cup  Applesauce

1 Egg

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1 Cup Flour (I always use whole wheat)

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 Cup Raisins (*optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Spray muffin tins with non stick cooking spray. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

*You can also easily add nuts, or even chocolate chips. My kids (and husband) loved them plain! Also yummy with a little honey drizzled on top!

Recipe Courtesy: my good friend Becca T.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Lemon French Toast

So, I guess its been a while since I have posted any recipes on this here blog. My how time flies when you are pregnant and not cooking real meals! :)  But now that I am well into my second trimester and feeling better, I have actually been cooking/baking a ton. So apparently I am just super lazy and never post anything. Oops!

But... this was one recipe I just couldn't keep to myself. I saw it on a cooking blog a while ago and thought "I really need to give that one a try." Boy howdy am I ever glad I did. It was AMAZING. We actually had it for dinner and had plenty of leftovers for breakfast the next day. I can guarantee I will be making this again and again!

Cream Cheese Stuffed Lemon French Toast 
with Strawberry Syrup

6 *Large, stale Butter Croissants
1 {8 oz.} package Cream Cheese
1 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar, divided
2 Lemons
1 1/4 tsp. Lemon Extract
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Milk
Fresh Strawberries, cleaned and sliced

Slice croissants in half lengthwise and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and 3/4 cups powdered sugar. Beat on high speed until smooth. Add in 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and the zest of one lemon. Combine until light and fluffy.

Spread a generous amount of cream cheese mixture on the bottom of each croissant and replace top. Press down to flatten slightly. You will need to cut the croissants in half at this point to get them all to fit in your pan. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and place croissants in the pan, filling in all the little nooks {you may need to cut your croissants in smaller pieces to fill all the gaps}.

In small bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk, lemon extract, the zest of the 2nd lemon, and remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Pour evenly over the croissants. Cover your pan and refrigerate for 8-10 hours, or until it looks like the moisture has been absorbed.

When you are ready to bake them, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cover pan with aluminum foil. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 18-25 minutes, or until tops are a golden brown color and you do not see any more liquid. Remove and allow to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Cut into square portions and serve with fresh strawberries and strawberry syrup.

Plain French Toast

With Syrup and Fruit

* I used small croissants. Forgot to get the big ones when I was at Costco! Since mine were so much smaller I ended up using 14 and only needed to cut 2 of them to fill in any gaps. I also didn't need to soak them as long because they were so small {5 hours}. I will try the big ones next time... much more cost effective {$5.99 at my Costco for 12 LARGE ones!}.

Strawberry Syrup

1 pint Fresh Strawberries, cleaned and stems removed
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 tsp. Almond Extract {or Vanilla if you prefer}

Roughly chop strawberries. Place in medium size pot and add sugar and extract. Cook over medium heat, stirring and smashing strawberries as you go. Cook for about 5 minutes on a low simmer. Remove from heat and let cool.

When mixture has cooled considerably, pulse in blender or food processor to desired consistency. I don't like chunks so I obliterated mine! Serve over French Toast and Enjoy!

And if you are feeling extra fancy, throw a little cream on top! :)

...annnddd with a little extra lovin'!

P.S. This would make a lovely Valentines Day breakfast... especially since all the work gets done the night before!



recipe source: Our Best Bites

French Peasant Bread

This is my new favorite dinner bread. I love the texture and it is perfect for eating Italian style, dipped in olive oil and Balsamic vinegar with a few seasonings. The texture is similar to the Rosemary bread we love so dearly. So the dough will be very sticky. Don't worry, you aren't doing anything wrong!
From "Favorites" Ivory cookbook.


1 pkg dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp. yeast)
2 cups warm water
1 TBsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4 rounded cups flour
oil
corn meal
melted butter

Place yeast, water, sugar, and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended (It will be pretty sticky). Do not knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Let rise an additional hour. Brush the top with melted butter and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce temp to 375 and cook an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush again with butter. Serve warm.

favorite Pizza Crust

This one comes from "Favorites, A Collection of Favorite Ivory Family Recipes" We are always looking for a good pizza crust recipe. This one is pretty good, although I am not sure yet if it is the one we are looking for. Maybve with a little tweeking. It was a little crispy after being baked the 2nd time with the pizza toppings, but was PERFECT after being reheated. I will have to make it again. And this time I will try making 1 large pizza crust. We like ours a little thicker.

1 pkg dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp or 1 TBsp)
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 TBsp olive oil
2 TBsp honey
3/4 cup cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, olive oil, honey, and cold water. Add yeast mixture and kneed with dough hook (or by hand) for 5 minutes. Form into a ball and place in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour.

Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 12" round. Prebake crusts for 10 minutes at 450 degrees before adding toppings. After topping pizzas, bake again for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 2, 12" pizzas.

Honey Butter

This is probably my very favorite Honey Butter recipe. I got it from my friend Heather, who is literally the master bread maker in these parts. She has this honey butter {or raspberry honey butter} on supply almost every time we are at their home. Make sure you are patient and really whip it for the full time. I promise, it makes all the difference! {ok, you don't HAVE to, but just trust me}. So delicious on a warm homemade roll... or the homemade bread I will post later this week month!

Honey Butter

1 Cup Honey

1 Cup Butter, slightly softened

7 oz. Marshmallow Cream

1 TBSP Powdered Sugar

Beat honey and butter together with electric mixer for 15 minutes. Scrap sides of bowl once or twice to make sure the ingredients are incorporated well. Stir the marshmallow cream and powdered sugar into the honey mixture until well combined. Store in airtight container in the fridge {will hold up nicely for a few weeks}.

**Side note, I was in a hurry once and wasn't paying attention... I threw all the ingredients in @ the same time. DON'T do that. You will have a mess of liquid-y honey butter. Not so great.

French Bread

This french bread recipe comes from a friend here in Chicago, and we have been fortunate enough to enjoy it on many occasions. This was my first attempt at making the bread, and although delicious... I have a long way to go in making it look more like french bread. But it wasn't too shabby for my first attempt!

{we used this french bread to dip in our cheese fondue on Christmas night. Delicious!!}

French Bread
{makes 3 loaves}


Mix:
2 Cups Hot Water
2 TBSP Butter
2 Heaping TBSP Sugar
3 tsp. Salt


Proof:
2 TBSP Yeast in
1 Cup Warm Water


When yeast mixture starts to bubble and get big, add to butter/sugar mixture.


Add:
4 Cups Flour and mix


Add:
another 4-5 Cups Flour and mix


Let rise in bowl for about 1 hour, covered. Punch down and divide into 3 balls. Shape into loaves and place on greased cookie sheets. Make small slits with a knife, and let raise 1 more hour, covered. Bake @ 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.


**As a totally random side note: I saw a commercial once for Panera Bread where they told you to spray the inside of your oven and the top of your loaf with water {just from a cheap spray bottle} before you put it in the oven. They said it would create a perfectly browned crust that has just the right crisp consistency. I have no idea if I got the outcome they were talking about, but I tried it and the bread was pretty darn beautiful!

Bread Sticks

We have been using this recipe for a couple of years now and love it. It is really easy too! The last time we made it, we added parm. cheese to the dough before twisting and it turned out delish!



1 1/2 cups warm water
2 TBsp sugar
1 TBSp yeast

Let sit for 5 minutes. Then add,

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Mix until smooth and let sit for 10 more minutes.
Roll out dough on a floured board. Make sure that you have a lot of space to work with when you are rolling these out, or just use half of the dough to start with (that's what I do).
Brush with melted butter and garlic and sprinkle with salt.
Fold in half and cut into 1 inch strips. Twist before placing on cookie sheet.
Let sit for 15 minutes.

Bake at 400* for 7-10 minutes (a few minutes longer if baking on a stone).
Immediately after baking, brush with more garlic butter and sprinkle with salt and grated parmesan cheese.

Rosemary Bread

This is Whitney Twede's family recipe. She brought it to a family dinner once and we all fell in love with it! I have made it three times in the last month and still have not taken any pictures of it yet. When I make it again I may add a touch more yeast than 1 1/4 tsp to help it rise just a teeny bit more.

1 pkg. dry yeast (1 1/4 tsp.)
2 C. warm water
1 TBsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 C. flour
2 TBsp. fresh chopped rosemary

Place yeast, water, sugar, & salt in bowl. Stir until dissolved. Add flour & rosemary. Stir until blended. Do not kneed. Cover and let rise 1 hour (double in size). Flour hands, divide dough into 2 rounds and place on oiled cookie sheet. (We use round cake pans).
Let rise another hour.
Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 375 and bake for 15 more minutes.
Remove from oven and pour melted butter over the top, while still in the pan. (1/4-1/2 Cup). You can skip the melted butter but It is of course most delicious with it poured over the top!

Honey Oatmeal Bread

This recipe comes from an old family friend, Nancy Clark, in California. I don't remember her well, but she was a good friend of Mom's. I do know however, that this bread is delicious! I have been making it for years, and I love it even more every time I smell it baking in my oven.

I also noticed that we certainly have a sweet tooth (or a few hundred teeth) in this family, and that the last 8 posts have been desserts... so I thought I would really mix things up by throwing a curve ball and giving you a bread recipe! The sweetness in this bread actually comes from the honey, which is a healthier alternative to sugar.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

2 Cups Boiling Water

1/2 Cup Honey

2 TBSP Butter

2 tsp. Salt

1 Cup Oatmeal {quick or regular}

1 TBSP Yeast, or 1 Packet

1/4 Cup Lukewarm Water

4-5 Cups Flour {I do half white, half wheat}

In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together boiling water, honey, butter, salt,and oats. Let stand 1 hour. About 45 minutes later, dissolve your yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water {you can put a drop of honey in to feed the yeast}. When yeast has bubbled and about doubled in size, add to oat mixture and gently stir.

Using dough hook, start adding your flour, one cup at a time. If dough is too sticky, add a little more flour and work in by hand. Pour a little vegetable oil over dough ball and turn to coat. Cover with towel and let rise until double in bulk - about 1 hour.

Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise to about double again. Bake for 40-50 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Tops should be browned and sound hollow when rapped with knuckle. Remove from pans to wire rack. Coat tops with a little butter and sprinkle a few oats on top, or brush with honey. Cool on racks... but also really yummy served warm!

{I love using this bread for toast and spreading a thin layer of peanut butter on it. Delish!}

Suiza Sammie Sandwich & MORE!

I recently found this sandwich recipe online while looking at some of Rachel Ray's recipes. I thought it sounded interesting and decided to give it a try. It calls for Creme Fraiche, which isn't always easy to find. I have made it in the past, but this time I just used a Trader Joe's variety to save time. Next time, I will use sour cream as a substitute. Creme Fraiche is very rich and tangy, and a bit too sweet for my liking. It has a higher fat content that regular sour cream, so it binds better and doesn't make for a "clumpy" sauce. I personally think that it would be better used in a sweet food, rather than a savory, but you be the judge. Next time, I will probably whip it up with some vanilla & powdered sugar and use it for crepes.

Anyway, here is the sandwich recipe. I served them on Brioche Buns, which were amazing! The original recipe says it will feed 4 people, but I easily had enough meat for 6 or 7 sandwiches. I served it with homemade cajun fries, but Miss Rachel Ray says to serve it with tortilla chips for dipping.

Suiza Sammie Sandwich

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Small Purple Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Lime, juiced

1 TBSP Honey

1 1/2 Cups Tomatillo Salsa or Salsa Verde

1/2 Cup Creme Fraiche (or sour cream)

1 Rotisserie-Style Chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded

4-6 Crusty Rolls (I used soft), lightly toasted under broiler

6 Slices Swiss Cheese

Chips for Serving

Pre-heat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic & cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the creme fraiche (or sour cream) until fully incorporated. Stir in the chicken and coat well. Pile chicken mixture on roll bottoms, and place a slice of cheese on top. Place under broiler so cheese will melt, remove from broiler and top with other half of bun. Serve warm.

***************************************************************************

Now, for the MORE!

My husband gave me this cute book for Easter, and I enjoyed it so much, I decided that I would like to give a copy of it away. Also, today is my wonderful Mother's birthday... AND my adorable Husbands! He has no excuse to forget his mother-in-laws birthday. So, since he doesn't want a cake (or any treat for that matter) for his birthday this year {???}, I can at least get some joy out of sharing some cake with you!

There are so many adorable ideas in here, and I just don't know where to start. Luckily, my 2 year old will be turning 3 soon enough, so I am contemplating trying to make one of these fun cupcake ideas for her. So, one lucky winner will receive a copy of this fabulous book full of fun ideas.

How to enter:

Leave a comment in this post & tell me the date of your birth.

Easy as pie... or cupcake in this case.

** {also, you need to leave a way to be contacted. If I know you, don't worry about leaving an email, but if I don't have a clue who you are... please leave a way to reach you. Either a blog address, or an email, or whatever works best for you. If there is no way for me to contact you, I WILL PICK ANOTHER WINNER {which always makes me feel bad!!} Thanks!}

If you want a second entry, just become a follower,

or tell me that you already follow.

Winner will be randomly chosen on April 11th.

Bread

This is the best bread recipe I have come across so far, amazing! It is delicious and so easy. 1 hour from start to finish! Also, it ends up being around 25 cents per loaf which could save you a lot of money. The secret ingredient is the liquid lecithin for sure.


Whole Wheat Bread
2 ¼ cups white bread flour (do not sift)
3 cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup quick oats
¼ cup brown sugar (you could also use white sugar or honey)
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ rounded Tbsp T Saf instant yeast
1 ½ Tbsp liquid lecithin (dough enhancer-- We bought it online)
2 cups hot tap water
½ cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
***I also add vital wheat gluten to help the bread bind so it doesn't crumble. This makes it great for making sandwiches.

White bread
5 ¼ cups white bread flour. Do not sift. (can buy it at lehi roller mills, costco or bosch. Bag with peacock)
¼ cup sugar (white brown, or honey)
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ rouded Saf-instant yeast (can buy it at Macey’s & keep it in the freezer after opening)
1 ½ Tbsp liquid lecithin (dough enhancer, I bought mine online)
2 cups hot tap water
***I also add vital wheat gluten to help the bread bind.

Instructions
Mix dry ingredients with regular hook to evenly mix yeast. Add lecithin, water and applesauce. Mix for 1 minute with a dough hook and check consistency, must be sticky. If dough is too dry, add more water. If dough is too moist, add flour. Mix white bread for 5 more minutes or whole wheat bread for 10 minutes. (Do not add flour or water to the dough after it has finished mixing).

Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel. Let rise for 25 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Yield= 2 loaves of bread

1 year supply
4 bottles of Lecithin
6 25 lb bags flou
6 pkg yeast

Banana Bread/Cake

I had this for the first time at Mandy Lloyd's (in the ward) at a superbowl party and fell in love! I'm always looking for a good banana bread recipe and definitely hit the jackpot when I scored this recipe. I made it one day last week and it was gone the very next day. Great way to use up your old bananas and I promise. . . you will LOVE it. Just beware. You can't walk by without taking a slice.

BANANA BREAD/CAKE

3/4 C butter, softened
2 1/4 C sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 C mashed bananas
1/3 C sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 C flour
1 1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
dash of cinnamon

To prepare the bundt cake pan, spray with a cooking spray, then coat the inner edges really well with sugar. This will make a really yummy, sugary, crispy thin outer layer.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes

Appetizer Wreath

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes + cooling

2 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I added more until I could taste it just a little bit because I think the dill weed overpowers it easily)1-1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
celery leaves

Remove crescent dough from packaging (do not unroll). Cute each tube into eight slices. Place on an ungreased pan and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before carefully moving to a serving platter; cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth. Spread over bread; top with broccoli, celery and red pepper. Arrange them in a circle to form a wreath on a platter. Form a bow garnish with celery leaves.

16 servings

(Nutrition info for 1 serving (1 slice): 125 calories, 9 g of fat (5 g saturated fat), 21 mg cholesterol, 166 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein)

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

I got this recipe from the McCormick Co. and made it on Christmas morning. It was so easy and delicious.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 cans (7.5 oz. each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Mix sugar and cinnamon in plastic bad. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake about 8 pieces at a time in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place biscuit pieces in greased 10-cup Bundt pan.

Mix leftover cinnamon sugar mixture with melted butter. Pour over biscuits.Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.Makes 16 servings.

Easter Breakfast Casserole

This is from a sweet little lady named Mazie Gray in South Carolina. She made it for a hoard of missionaries and its been made many times since! Its a great one to make the night before you have a large crowd.

Easter Breakfast Casserole

1 (12 oz.) package Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage Links
6 English Muffins, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 Cup Butter, melted
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Red Pepper, chopped
12-18 Eggs {depending on the size of your group}
2 Cups Milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 Cup Soft Bacon Bits

Cook sausage according to package directions. Cool slightly. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch greased baking dish with the cut up muffins. Pour melted butter on top. Layer with sausage, cheese's, onion, and red pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and beat. Pour egg mixture over bread/cheese mixture. sprinkle bacon on top. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator over night. remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. Remove foil, and bake @ 350 degrees fro 50-60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean and eggs are cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve plain or with salsa on the side. Makes 12 large servings, or more if smaller.

Buttermilk Muffins

I made these tasty little muffins a few weeks back and forgot to post the recipe! They were so easy & delicious. My 2 year old actually called them "cake"... fine with me as long as she will eat them! I made these with those new I can't Believe its Not Butter baking sticks, and they turned out awesome!

Buttermilk Muffins

1 Cup Sugar

4 TBSP Margarine, softened

1 Egg

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 TBSP Vanilla

2 Cups Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

Add all ingredients in order given and mix well. Line muffin tins with paper liners, or grease well. Fill about half- 2/3 full, and bake for 17-20 minutes @ 350 degrees. Enjoy warm out of the oven! Makes about 1 dozen muffins.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Another way to use up some of that Summer/Fall zucchini. These things are super tasty... in fact, they taste more like a cupcake then a zucchini filled muffin. I used some of my shredded zucchini that I had frozen... worked great!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Cocoa

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 Cup Butter, softened

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3/4 Cup Honey

3 Eggs

2 Cups Zucchini, grated

1 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips, separated

1/3 Cup Raw Sugar (turbinado works well)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly add in the honey and continue to mix until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. By hand, fold in the zucchini and 2/3 of the chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full, and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on the top of each muffin. Bake for 21-23 minutes, until firm. After about 15 minutes of baking time, sprinkle raw sugar on each muffin top and continue to cook for remainder of time.

I think they are best slightly warm, but they are also good cool.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

I Love Lemons... and I love using my microplane zester! So, this recipe was great on both accounts. This particular bread doesn't hold up super well when you are trying to slice it, so just make sure you use a good bread knife. I also used frozen blueberries, and they worked just fine.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

6 TBSP. Butter, softened

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

Zest of 1 Lemon

1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract

1/2 Cup Milk

1 Cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed & drained.

3 TBSP. Lemon Juice

1/3 Cup Sugar

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add lemon zest and extract & mix. Add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, alternating between the two, and starting & ending with flour. When well combined, fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into 3, medium sized, greased and floured loaf pans. Tap gently on counter to even out batter. Bake @ 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Place on wire rack to cool.

When bread comes out of the oven, mix the remaining sugar and lemon juice in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar has dissolved. When mixture is ready, poke holes in loaves of bread and spoon mixture over the top (I used a met skewer instead of a toothpick... that's why my holes look huge!). Let soak in pans for about 45 minutes before inverting onto wire rack or plate. Let cool completely before slicing (you can also freeze these. They are much easier to slice once they have been frozen. They will thaw out nicely after they've been cut).