Zucchini Banana Bread

I got this yummy recipe from my friend Lisa! Thanks so much Lisa for sharing your recipe! This bread is so moist and you can't even tell that there's banana inside...or whole wheat flour. It is definitely going to be the only recipe I'll use for zucchini bread from now on. But don't take my word for it...

Zucchini Banana Bread
(taken from Lisa's blog with pictures by me)

Mix until creamy:
3 eggs
1/4 C. olive oil
1/2 C. apple sauce (trust me)
1/2 C. sour cream (trust me, this is the trick)
2t. vanilla
1 2/3 C. brown sugar

Add:
2 C. grated zucchini
2 smashed bananas

Mix and then add:
2 C. white wheat flour
1 1/2 C. white flour
1 T. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Makes 2 loaves. Spray pans and bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes.

Pretty healthy and the kids will love it!

Watermelon & Peach Salsa with Cayenne Chips

What?!! Watermelon and peaches in salsa? Oh believe me, it's really good! Serve with regular tortilla chips, or go the extra mile and make these homemade cayenne chips! The cayenne chips are what make this recipe so good. These chips and salsa are just the perfect pair! This recipe is from The Pampered Chef.

Chips

1 lime

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

8 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Salsa

1 jalepeno pepper (or to desired amount of spiceyness)

1/3 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

2-3 cups cubed watermelon

2 peaches

1 lime

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 F for the chips. Juice lime into a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine cayenne pepper and salt. Brush one side of each tortilla with lime juice (don't soak it though). Sprinkle cayenne mixture lightly over the top.

Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges using a pizza cutter. Arrange the tortillas onto a large baking sheet (or stone) in a single layer.

Bake 8-12 minutes, until edges are slightly browned and crisp. Repeat until all the tortillas are baked.

For the salsa, cut jalepeno in half and remove the white stem and seeds. Dice jalepeno and cilantro and place into a large bowl (holds 8 cups). Cut watermelon into small pieces and add to large bowl. Cut the peaches into small pieces, discarding the pits. Add peaches to the bowl. Juice the remaining lime into salsa. Add the salt. Mix well.

Serve with chips and ENJOY!

Yield: 16 servings (or consumed in 1 day for our household)

Pizza in 30 minutes!

I got this quick and easy pizza dough recipe from my friend Evelyn. We now make this recipe on a weekly basis. The girls love to help put the toppings on and to roll the dough.

Who doesn't love pizza?

Oh yeah, Raelyn doesn't...or at least she didn't until we started making our own. Now she gobbles up 3 pieces!

1 1/3 c. warm water

1 T yeast

1 tsp. salt

2 T oil

3 c. flour

1 can 15 oz. pizza sauce (I use Contadina brand, found by the tomato sauce)

16 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

Toppings of your choice

Preheat your oven to 425 F.

Mix all the ingredients together and knead for 5-7 minutes. (I usually just mix it in my bread mixer, then take it out after 7 minutes of kneading.)

Divide the dough in half. Roll out one of the dough halves onto a floured surface and shape onto a pizza pan to fit or in my case, pizza stone. We have a round one and a large cookie sheet size one.

Cook pizza crust in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and spread half of the pizza sauce over the crust. Spread evenly. Sprinkle cheese and then the toppings on top.

Return to oven to cook for another 11 minutes and it's done!!

Repeat the process for the 2nd pizza, using the remaining dough.

This is the adult favorite.

Pepperoni with green bell peppers and pineapple.

The kids' favorite.

Just cheese with Italian seasoning sprinkled on top.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

I LOVE these. They are pretty much my favorite cookie. Why didn't I ever make them from scratch before?!! I used the same dough from the chocolate chip recipe here, adding the white chocolate chips and the macademia nuts instead. Delicious!

2 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 2/3 c. white wheat flour (actually, remove about 2 tbsp from the 2 cups, because wheat flour absorbs more and you need to lessen the amount so the batter won't be too dry)
2 c. white flour
2 T. corn starch
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt

White chocolate chips, I used Trader Joe's brand

Macademia nuts (unsalted) got mine at Trader Joe's

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a small bowl, add dry ingredients and combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture. Hand stir in chocolate chips and nuts. The dough is kinda stiff, so I actually just used my hands to mix them in. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough before baking. You can do this while oven is preheating or refrigerate longer for an even better taste.

Using a 1.5" scoop, or a spoon, place cookie balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until dough looks cooked, but in between the cracks of dough, it still looks a little gooey. That's good for making the cookie chewy when completely cooled.

Yield: A ton. Enough to eat and give away to 2 more families as well. At least, that's what I do!