Zucchini-Carrot Bread

From Betty Crocker:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (2 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (3 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I omitted this)

Method:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans or 1 (9x5-inch) loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, mix zucchini, carrots, sugar, oil and eggs with wire whisk. Stir in remaining bread ingredients. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake 8-inch loaves 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, 9-inch loaf 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Original recipe along with a recipe for honey spread can be found here.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

The copycat recipe for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana can be found all over the internet and for the most part, they are all the same. I followed this recipe pretty close making only a few changes. It turned out tasting identical to what I've had in Olive Garden... And it's easy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 2 large Russet baking potatoes, sliced in half and then 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large (very large!) onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup bacon bits (Or Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits and more than 1/4 cup!!!)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups Kale or Swiss Chard, chopped (Swiss Chard is so much better)
• 16 ounces chicken broth
• 1 quart water (Or, what I learned is... make this 1 quart chicken broth, too)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Method:

Brown sausage in a soup pot, breaking it up into large, bite-size pieces. Add chicken broth and water (or all broth!) to pot and deglaze. Place onions, potato and garlic in pot. Cook on medium, simmering, until potatoes are done. Add bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer another 10 minutes. Turn heat to low. Add Kale/Swiss Chard and cream. Heat through and serve... With salad!!!

Grilled Chicken & Eggplant in Tomato Dill Sauce

Here's another recipe adapted from feast from the Mideast 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible by Faye Levy. Once again, this has been modified to make it easier and for more flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 - 2 teaspoons Penzeys Turkish Seasoning
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 - 1.5 pounds chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 - 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• a few sprigs fresh dill, chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a stew pan and fry onion until golden. Add in garlic and chicken, with some salt and pepper and fry until chicken is white. Add canned tomatoes, Turkish seasoning, chicken broth, and eggplant. Simmer, covered, over medium heat until eggplant is soft. Add dill and lemon juice and simmer five more minutes. Serve with a side of flavored couscous.

Chicken & Chickpea Stew

I got the original recipe for this from feast from the Mideast 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible by Faye Levy but the recipes can be quite time consuming and containing too many steps for my liking, so I tend to modify them quite a bit. I also like to use different vegetables than what is listed, and a bit more of the spices.

Ingredients:

• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 pounds chicken, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 cups cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 green pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 3 carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces

Method:

Heat oil in a stew pan and add onion, frying until golden. Add in garlic and chicken, along with some salt and pepper. Fry until chicken turns white. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on low until sweet potato's are tender. That's it!

I honestly give up on bloggers text sizing. Whatever I try to do, blogger will choose what size to make my text. I'm seriously thinking of switching to Wordpress but that feels like a lot of work :/ Anybody who has made the switch... does Wordpress import from blogger?

Blessed

Yesterday, while driving to the store, I saw this kid sitting on the side of the road with a sign. Before I could get close enough, I assumed the sign said "homeless." Instead, it said "Blessed." I had to turn around and go back. He told me he's 19, homeless, and trying to sell his artwork to make enough money for a train ticket to California. He had a lot to say about spirituality, God and life and I realized he had more sense than a lot of people I know who, on the outside, seem to have their lives together. He's not a beggar, he's not lazy, he's not stupid or uneducated or on drugs. He's simply taking an unconventional approach to life that, so far, seems to have worked on his character better than the conventional approach I see working in others.