Cooking and Baking Archives - Page 11 of 52

Pina Colada Fruit Salad

October 13, 2011 jennifer Sides and Salads

This salad is a family favorite year-round. It has only a few ingredients in it, most of which I always have on hand. My family has loved it for years.

Pina Colada Fruit Salad Ingredients:
1 can (20 oz) chunk pineapple 1 can (any size) mandarin oranges 1 small container (the individual serving size) pina colada flavored yogurt 1-2 bananas, sliced 1/4 cup shredded coconut Drain pineapple and mandarin oranges, placing fruit in a medium serving bowl. Slice banana and add to fruit. Add yogurt, stirring to coat all fruit. Add coconut last. You can stir it up, or leave it on top. Serve and enjoy!

I store pineapple, mandarin oranges and coconut in my food storage. This means that I only need to buy a banana and a container of yogurt to make this salad, making it an easy salad to add to any menu. It can also be a nice fruit salad to add to a breakfast menu. It doesn’t make a great leftover, as the bananas eventually brown, but we usually don’t have leftovers anyway.

Enjoy, Jennifer

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Lemon Zucchini Bread

October 11, 2011 jennifer Breads and Rolls

Last year a dear friend shared a loaf of this bread with me and I loved its light, lemony flavor. She shared the recipe with me last week, and I’ve already made several batches.

The color of the bread is gorgeous, a beautiful golden brown on the outside and a light, creamy yellow with tiny green flecks when you cut into it.

My family has fallen in love with this bread. They especially love it when I bake mini-loaves and meet them at school with a tiny warm loaf all their own. I’ve done it twice now, and I love the “Yes!” I hear when they see it in the car. So, here’s the recipe…

Lemon Zucchini Bread Ingredients:
2 cups cubed zucchini, with peel 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup applesauce 3 eggs 2 Tb. lemon zest 4 Tb. lemon juice 1 Tb. vanilla 3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt Preparation:
In a blender or food processor, combine zucchini, oil, applesauce, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Blend for 30 seconds.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour zucchini mixture into dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Coat two loaf pans with non-stick spray and divide batter between pans. Bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes (in my oven it has only needed 50 minutes). Let bread cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans. Cool on cooling rack, then serve and enjoy!

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Best Chocolate Frosting

October 7, 2011 jennifer Desserts

I have a dear friend, a neighbor of ours. His name is Bob and he’s a widower in his nineties. Visiting him is like having an extra grandpa, and I treasure our friendship with him. For years now we’ve been having neighborhood birthday parties for Bob, and we only serve one thing: chocolate cake. That man LOVES chocolate. His kitchen counter ALWAYS has a box of See’s chocolates on it, and he opens the box to offer a chocolate to all his visitors. It’s very sweet. All these years later, Bob and chocolate cake sort of go together. But no chocolate cake is complete without the best chocolate frosting.

This is our family’s favorite go-to chocolate frosting recipe. Quick, simple, yummy every time. It’s great on cookies, cakes, or whatever you need chocolate frosting for.

Best Chocolate Frosting

1 pound powdered sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

1/4-1/2 cup cocoa (I usually use closer to 1/2 cup)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup milk

In a bowl, whip butter for 4-5 minutes. Add vanilla and milk and beat until light. Add cocoa, then add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well. Frost and enjoy!

{frosting shown here on my chocolate zucchini cake }

Enjoy!