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If it’s made with veggies, does it count as dessert?

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zucchini 1Come the end of summer, there is the annual question – What to do with the zucchini that seems to be never ending.  At times it seems that a single squash plant well fed, watered and cared for could feed the entire continent of Africa in one summer.  If only my money tree was so prolific!

Here is one of our favorite uses for that amazing squash.  It is a fabulously moist, rich, decadent cake, that is not overly sweet.  If you are a dark chocolate lover, it will be oh so easy going down!  The fact that it contains so much squash, removes any doubt that it qualifies as a vegetable dish!

Enjoy,

Kathy

 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Ganache Frosting

Moist, decadent, almost brownie-like.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter – room temperature 8 ounces
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa Dutch-process works well with this recipe
  • 3 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ganache Frosting

  • 7 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
 

The Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  • Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.
  • Grate the fresh zucchini - until you have 3 cups. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until smooth.
  • Beat in the eggs, adding one at a time.
  • Stir in the sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt.
  • Measure out 1 cup flour and set aside.
  • Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour and the baking cocoa.
  • Add the flour/cocoa mix to the wet ingredients, beating together until well incorporated.
  • Drain any accumulated moisture from the shredded zucchini. If your squash is exceptionally moist, gently squeeze the squash to remove excess liquid.
  • Combine the drained squash with the reserved 1 cup of flour (this will help suspend the squash throughout the batter).
  • Add the squash and the chocolate chips to the batter, stirring gently to combine.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan,
  • Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when gently touched, and the cake looks set.
  • Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting with Ganache Frosting

Ganache Frosting

  • In a small saucepan, combine 7 Tablespoons heavy cream or half and half with 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  • Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted.
  • Pour the melted chocolate/cream mixture onto the cooled cake.
  • Spread over the top of the cake.

Notes

If you don't have buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt on hand, you can sour milk by adding 1 Tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk - and letting it sour for 5 minutes before using.

 

Homestead Potato Salad

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Homestead Potato Salad

It wouldn't be a picnic at the Homestead without potato salad. . . Dave's favorite. This is my basic recipe. It's just the starting place. Add-ins; celery, pickles, cucumber, carrots, radishes, etc. may all be used – or not. Feel free to add or eliminate as your taste directs. This is also great with chunks of summer sausage, chopped olives, capers . . . let your taste be your guide. It's best when it has been chilled several hours - or overnight - and seasonings adjusted before serving.
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lbs potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold, or a combination) cooked to ‘fork-tender’ *
  • 7-8 hard boiled eggs
  • 1/2 cup diced dill pickles
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (white and green portions)
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup julienned or grated carrot
  • 4-5 radishes thinly sliced

Dressing

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed (or more to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Instructions
 

  • Scrub the potatoes until clean.
  • *Boil/cook potatoes until fork tender. Drain and let cool – (overnight is best).
  • When the potatoes are cool, peel and dice into ½ - 1 inch chunks. Set aside or cover and refrigerate.
  • Chop 5 of the boiled eggs and place on top of the diced potatoes.
  • Chop the dill pickles.
  • Slice the green onion, celery, radishes and grate or julienne the carrots.
  • Place the veggies and pickles on top of the potatoes and eggs, reserving a few radish and green onion slices for garnish.

For the dressing.

  • Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine well.
  • Pour onto the salad ingredients. Gently stir to combine and coat the salad ingredients.
  • Taste to adjust seasonings. The salad may seem a little salty to begin with, but the potatoes will absorb the salt.
  • Allow the salad to chill, covered in the refrigerator for at least several hours.
  • When ready to serve, taste the salad and adjust seasonings as needed. When the taste meets your approval, place the salad into a serving bowl. Slice the remaining boiled eggs and place them on the top of the salad. Add the reserved radish and green onion slices. Lightly sprinkle paprika on top of the salad.
  • Enjoy.

Notes

*The potatoes should be cooked with the peel on to keep them from becoming slimy or mushy. If you use a pressure cooker to cook the potatoes, my method of choice, they can be peeled before cooking. To facilitate the even cooking of the potatoes, they should be a uniform size, cutting the larger ones if necessary. Over-cooking will result in a mushy end product.
Depending on the potatoes you use, the salad may require more dressing. Russets will absorb more of the dressing than Yukon Gold. It may be necessary to mix up more. Keeping the proportions the same, mix a smaller amount of dressing and add it to the salad.

A Dinner Under the Trees

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What began as a simple autumn day, turned into an enchanted autumn evening ending in this dinner, under the trees.  It was truly enchanting.  So much so that it is being featured in the upcoming issue of Mingle Magazine.  The Autumn 2015 issue will hit the stands on October 1st.

Although the pictures are wonderful, they cannot come close to capturing the magic of the evening.

Let’s do this again!

 

 

Buttermilk Belgian Waffles

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Buttermilk Belgian Waffles

These waffles are so light and delicious. They are our go-to recipe for our Belgian waffle maker. Served warm with butter and maple syrup or fruit and whipped cream - heaven! These can be made with an all-purpose Gluten Free Flour mix - and they turn out just great.
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Servings 7 Belgian Waffles

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Heat the waffle iron. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir well. Create a depression in the middle of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  • Beat the eggs until frothy. Add the vanilla, cooled melted butter and buttermilk. Whisk together.
  • Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir rapidly until combined. Do not over mix. The batter will start out thin, and thicken as the chemical reaction between the leavening and buttermilk occurs.
  • Bake on a hot waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

For best results, start with all ingredients at room temperature.
*If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can use 1-1/2 cups of milk to which you have added 1-1/2 Tablespoons of either vinegar or lemon juice.
If there are any waffles leftover, freeze them in a single layer, using a cookie sheet or cooling rack. Pack into an air-tight container until you are ready to use them. These reheat very well - so close to freshly made, you won't believe it.
If you are on a gluten free diet, substitute your favorite gluten free flour mix for the all purpose flour.  Be aware that all flours are different.  It is best to substitute by weight.

Here’s what’s Happening on the Homestead

Spring.  Just the word congers up images of blossoms and bunnies, eggs and chicks. . . . and catalogs filled with tableware, linens and all the fresh spring color imaginable. . . . so when my spring edition of the Pier1 catalog arrived – I was immediately drawn to devour every page.  The dinnerware, table settings, linens were, in typical Pier1 form, a wonderful feast for the eyes. pier1-catalog-page

But, there was one thing that especially drew my attention. . .their adorable folded napkins – especially the little bunnies in the upper right corner of the page. The catalog directed readers to log on to their website for instructions  – which I immediately did.

Upon arriving at the page, I  searched for the Bunny Fold pier-one-bunny-ears-directionsand found this.   I grabbed some cloth napkins (which happened to be from Pier1) and, following their directions, began folding.  It only took me to the 4th step to figure out that there was a real problem with the directions – they were rolling from the wrong side of the napkin. . . and by the final step – it was unmistakable.

wrong-way-bunny-napkinI had created this.  I took an unfolded napkin and the directions to my husband – who, as a builder, reads instructions for a living  . . . and his response was immediate – these are not right.  They have rolled from the long side and not the point – and used directions for a granny knot.  It needs to be an ‘overhand’ knot.  (50 plus years of scouting – he should know his knots!)

After making a few simple changes – rolling from the point and using an overhand knot – the finished product looked like the one in the Pier1 picture.  Success!    folded-bunny-napkin-perfection

 And so, as much as I LOVE Pier1, no one is infallible.  I have done my own set of instructions, including pictorials, for your use should you be wanting to try these little treasures.  Such a simple way to dress up a spring  or Easter table.

Just Click Here to go to the instructions.  Happy Spring!

Enjoy,

Kathy

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