Oh My Zucchini Brownies!

These are the moist-est brownies you'll ever eat.  Seriously.
Umm... everyone wants this recipe. 

Zucchini Brownies
*3 heaping cups shredded Zucchini
*3 cups flour
*2 cups sugar (or 1 1/2)
*1/2 cup cocoa (I use 1/4 c. regular and 1/4 c. dutch cocoa)
*1 1/2 tsp. salt
*2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
*1 cup applesauce
*4 tsp. vanilla

*Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 27 minutes.  Bake on a large cookie sheet greased and floured.  Hint* use Baker's Joy Spray (get it at WalMart) instead.  Or bake on your stone.

*HINT HINT* If you let your zucchini get really big (it happens... just let it), then you need to scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Also, I will sometimes peel some of the skin off if it's really big.

*For fun you can sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips on the batter after pouring into the pan before baking.

Need Frosting???  We Do!
I use:
*1 cube of butter
* 3 Tbsp. milk (I'm guessing)
* 2 tsp. vanilla
* several cups of powder sugar
WHIPPED with the hand blender.  Spread this on your brownies only AFTER they have cooled.  Oh my. Sprinkle whatever you like on top of the frosting and serve to all of your friends.

New Website

Hey all you Good-Food-Finatics!  You'll be excited to note that I'm making a new website.  It is not currently online because I am working on it between vacations.  It'll be online in August.  You'll l-o-v-e it.  It will give you all the information you need on bottling, dehydrating, and preserving your yummy garden and orchard goods as well as other helpful hints and tips.  I wanted you to know that I'm still out here and wondering what kinds of recipes or great information you might be interested in.... yummy stuff, I'm sure.  It'll be under this address:  http://fullerdays.com/

Pecan Pear Bread

This is the yummiest, nummiest of them all!  My boys fight over this stuff.  It's so moist and full of goodness.  Do IT.

*Blend one quart jar of pears (I assume you still have some from last fall, yes?) with 4 tsp. soda.
add the following:
*2 cups white flour
*2 cups whole wheat flour
*1 cup sugar
*1 tsp. salt
*3 tsp. cinnamon
*1 tsp. nutmeg
*1 tsp. cloves
*1 Tbsp. poppyseeds
*1 cup applesauce (that's half a pint jar of last fall's goodness)
*Chopped Pecans (did your kids shell them for you?) 1/2 cup
* 1/2 cup raisins

I bake in clay  pans, but if you don't, spray your glass bread pans or giant muffin tins with BakersJoy first.  Or... you can grease and flour like normal.

Bake on 350 until fork comes clean. 

**note:  when I divide this recipe between three different bread pans, it takes about 45 minutes or so.  It just depends on how "wet" it was when it went into the oven.  Bigger loaves can take up to an hour and small ones or muffins take half the time.  Check it often.  Good Luck!  YUM

Indian Lentil Yum

*This is my fav served with Jasmin Rice.

* 1 Quart of Home-Canned Tomatoes
* 2 Cans of green chilies
* 1 Cup coconut milk
* 1 Tbsp. Cumin
* 1/2 Tsp. Turmeric
* 1 tsp. Garam Masala
* 2 Cups Dry Lentils
* Salt if you really need it

Put this all in your crockpot and let-er cook until it's all soft and good.  (2.5 hours on high in my big crockpot)

Yes, of course, you can used store-bought tomatoes in a can.  ... and I always use the whole can of coconut milk.  Sometimes when I don't have any little cans of chilies I use green bell peppers instead. 
You can't really mess this one up.  Seriously.

Bonnie's Rolls or Bread - My Famous "Square Rolls"

This is a super easy, super good recipe for white bread.  Although we usually eat Whole Wheat Breads only here at home, when it's time for some white bread or rolls, here's the recipe.

* 2 cups luke warm water
* 2 Tbsp. Yeast
* 1/4 cup shortening
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 Tbsp. salt
* 1 egg
* 3 cups flour and then slowly add up to 3 more.

*Let raise 40 minutes in warm place or place in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes. 

*Punch down and shape.

*Let raise a few more minutes and then bake in a 450 degree oven for 7 minutes (separated round rolls).  I usually take this pile of dough and spread it into a cookie stone (size of cookie sheet).  I then "cut" the rolls square with a pizza roller. These take more than 7 minutes for baking.  I always watch the color of the top of the rolls.  A darker "golden" means they are done.  (15 minutes for a cookie sheet of square rolls) This is the favorite "Square Rolls" I make when cousins come over. 

BYU Whole Wheat Bread

- This is my all time favorite recipe for bread.

* 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/3 cup gluten
*1 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast
*2 1/2 Cups steaming hot water - add all at once and mix 1 minute.  *
Rest 10 minutes.

Add:
*1 Tbsp. salt
*1/3 cup oil
*1/3 cup honey or 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice
-Beat one minute

Add 2 1/2 cups flour (white).  Add them one at a time.  Beat 6 - 10 minutes until a soft dough.

*Preheat oven for 1 minute and turn off.  turn dough onto oiled countertop and divide.  Shape into loaves and place in greased pans.  Let rise in oven for 15 minutes until dough reaches top of pan.  Do NOT remove from oven.  Turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Takes loaves out of pans and let cool on racks.

Oh my.  This is the best.  *I ALWAYS add stuff to this recipe.  Just after adding the steaming hot water and while it is mixing for 1 minute, I add sunflower seeds (1/3 cup), flax seeds (2 Tbsp), poppy seeds (1 tbsp.), Corn grits (1 tbsp), etc.  My kids LOVE it!  They call it the "Everything -Good -In -It -Bread".

Jan's Honey Wheat Bread

My friend Jan gave me this recipe a long time ago.  I've used it many, many times.

Mix and let sit for 3 minutes:
* 2 1/2 cups warm water
* 1 Tbsp. yeast
* 1/8 cup honey

Add:
* 1/8 cup oil (canola)
* 1/4 cup gluten
* 1/8 cup dough conditioner or 1 1/2 Tbsp. dough enhancer
* 1/2 Tbsp. salt
* 3 cups whole wheat flour
* 3 cups white flour - start with less than this and work up to it if needed.

*Knead for 8 - 10 minutes

*Let raise for 1 hour.  (I put it in a slightly warmed oven - covered with a dish towel)

* Shape into loaves.  Put in greased baking pans or stone baking dishes.

* Raise 1/2 hour more.  Bake in preheated oven 350 degrees.

-This bread is really, really yummy.  It's light, too.