Baked Zucchini Fries

About 1 pound zucchini

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned panko bread cumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you'll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield "meatier" fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don't want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they'll soak up moisture from the egg and won'mt stick to the zucchini.

Place the coated strips of the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with pizza sauce or buttermilk ranch dressing. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Speedy Rolls

2 tablespoons dry yeast

2 cups warm water, divided

1 cup instant powdered milk

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

½ cup butter, softened

6 cups flour

Combine 1 cup of the warm water with the yeast; set aside. In mixing bowl, mix together the other cup of water with the powdered milk, sugar, eggs, salt, butter and 1 cup of the flour. Add the softened yeast and blend. Pour in remaining flour slowly while mixing and knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise until double in size (about an hour). Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll out each half into a large circle on a floured surface and cut with a pizza cutter or knife in to 12 segments. Roll up ‘croissant-style’ and place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise for 15 minutes, then bake @ 350 for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden.

Strawberry Bread

2 cups fresh strawberries

3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar + some for sweetening the strawberries

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

turbinado sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

Slice & chop the strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl; mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Divide batter between the two pans. Sprinkle desired amount of turbinado sugar on top.

Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Coconut Bread

Bread:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons coconut flavoring
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded coconut

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour (or use the baking Pam spray with flour in it) one regular (9"x5.25") loaf pan or two mini (about 8"x4") loaf pans

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, oil, and coconut flavoring and blend well. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet mixture. Fold in shredded coconut.

Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake larger pan for 1 1/4 hours. I haven't timed the smaller pans yet, but I'd start checking at about 50 minutes. I'll update this next time I make it. Or if you do, let me know.

Make syrup when the bread is about 10 minutes from being finished. In a small saucepan bring sugar, water, and butter to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut flavoring.

When bread is finished baking, move pan(s) immediately to a cooling rack. Pour syrup over the top of bread. Let stand at least an hour or two.

Arroz con Pollo y Frijoles

This recipe is easy, inexpensive, and our whole family loves it! I use a greater proportion of rice and beans to chicken than the original recipe calls for. My recipe below feeds our family dinner, with leftover rice and beans. But if you're serving more people (or your kids eat more than mine) go to this link for the original recipe that calls for 2½ pounds of chicken. Also, I substitute diced tomatoes for Rotel, since my kids are pretty sensitive to spicy foods.

1 pound chicken thighs
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup long-grain rice
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1½ cups chicken broth
1 16-ounce can refried beans
½ cup shredded Jack cheese

Season chicken with garlic salt and pepper. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Place chicken, skin side down, in skillet and brown over medium-high heat for 7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from skillet. Add rice and brown over medium heat for about 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and broth; blend well. Place chicken on top of rice. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

Drop beans by tablespoonfuls into the rice; sprinkle cheese onto rice and beans. Heat for 5 minutes, or until beans are hot and cheese has melted. Serve with chicken.

Mint Lemonade

1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 fresh lemon
1¼ cups white sugar
½ cup fresh mint leaves

Pour the lemonade concentrate into a large pitcher. Stir in enough water to make 1 gallon. Grate the zest from the lemon and add to the pitcher, then squeeze the lemon juice from the lemon into the pitcher. (Don't worry about keeping the seeds out. You'll be straining it all later.) In a small bowl, crush the mint leaves into the sugar using a muddler or a wooden spoon. Stir into the lemonade. Cover and chill for several hours, then strain to remove the leaves and zest before serving. Serve over ice and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Tuscan Tomato Soup

recipe from Chef's Table restaurant in Orem, UT

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 small-medium onions, small dice
5 cups diced & seeded tomatoes (or 3 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes, slightly drained)
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup basil pesto
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a medium large soup pot. Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely transluscent. Add tomatoes and warm to a simmer. Add chicken stock and bring to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes to allow for interchange of flavors.

Add whipping cream and pesto. Blend to desired consistency in food processor or blender, or with immersion blender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve with warm bread or grilled cheese sandwiches.

*Becca's notes: I use cans of fire-roasted tomatoes (Hunt's brand) when I make this soup. I like the depth of flavor they add, plus the little bits of black roasted tomatoes make the soup look more interesting.

*I’ve made this with homemade pesto, and also with a store-bought version from Sam’s Club. I’ve had good luck freezing pesto, so if I buy Sam’s 22-oz. jar I freeze the extra in 1 cup amounts for this soup and in ice cube trays for pasta sauce.

Raspberry Pie

4 cups raspberries
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon half 'n half
2 perpared pie crusts

Mix raspberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt until berries are well covered.
Pour into uncooked pie shell. Dot with butter. Top with uncooked crust. Make slits in the top crust and brush with cream. Bake in a preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes, then lower to 375 for 25 minutes.

Crust: (must double recipe for top and bottom)
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons COLD water

Sift flour and salt; add oil and mix. Add ice water and handle very little. Roll between waxed paper. For a pre-baked crust, bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, checking the last few minutes for doneness.