Chocolate Waffles!

Greetings from Idaho! This is Becca again, just reporting on my latest cooking craze.  Living in Idaho can get... dull... sometimes, so you have to come up with crazy fun stuff to occupy your time.  Such as dying your hair, running through potato fields, or... turning everything you cook into chocolate!!!! So lately, I've been cooking a lot out of this cookbook, Chocolate Never Faileth.

It is really amazing, because anything you can think of is in there, chocolate style.  And who doesn’t love chocolate?  So yesterday morning, my husband and I made chocolate waffles together.  (And when I say we made them together, that basically means that I ordered him around the kitchen.  For example, “Don’t add too much salt dear,” “You have to spray the waffle iron with Pam first!” and “Don’t stick the batter up your nose honey.”  Ok, that one didn’t really happen. But you never know with Zach.)  And you know how when you make new recipes, they never really turn out how they look in the cookbook?  Well this one did!

And it tasted fabulous.  We drizzled some chocolate syrup over the top, but you could pile strawberries on top with some whipped cream, or some caramel topping would be good… the possibilities are endless!

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 c. milk

3 Tbsp. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. cocoa

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; set aside.  In a smaller bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add to wet ingredients and stir until blended.  Beat for about a minute to give the eggs a little loft.  pour the correct amount into your waffle maker and cook until the iron stops steaming.  Makes about 8 small waffles.  Note:  For a less intense chocolate flavor (more of a milk chocolate than a semisweet), decrease the cocoa to 1/4 C. and increase the sugar to 3 Tbsp. (This is what we did, and it turned out to have a really nice flavor.)

Zucchini Nut Loaf (from page 78 of mom’s Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book)

Last summer we had so many zucchini's from our garden that I was constantly searching for recipes to use them up. This has to be my favorite zucchini recipe. This summer we decided not to plant zucchini, because I was so sick of them. I thought I'd put this recipe up anyway, just in case any of you run into the same over-abundance of zucchini problem or just want some yummy bread to snack on.

Zucchini Nut Loaf

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini

1 egg

¼ cup cooking oil

¼ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (optional)

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Oven 350 degrees

In a mixing bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder; set aside.  In a mixing bowl beat together sugar, shredded zucchini, and egg.  Add oil and lemon peel; mix well.  Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.  Gently fold in chopped nuts.  Turn batter into a greased 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes or till a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on a rack.  Wrap and store loaf overnight before slicing. Makes 1.

I got famous one summer with my siblings with this recipe.  It really is better to wait a day before eating it, but who can ever do that? 

Hey! I'm Becca, Carissa's favorite sister!!!  She graciously allowed me to post some of my meager recipes... even though she knows I'm the better cook. Haha Just kiddin. I wanted to start out with the recipe I've been using/craving a lot over the past few weeks.  Homemade Mac & Cheese!!! I use any excuse I can to make this dish.  For example, my half birthday is coming up, and I figure that's a special enough occasion.  Also, when I beat my husband at a video game, that's a pretty special occassion as well.  (Hint: You can always manipulate situations to be "special occassions" if you're craving something delicious.)  I got this recipe from my husband's mom. 

Mama Terri's Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 c. uncooked elbow mac (it's a little runny if you only do 1 1/2)
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
2 c. milk
2 c. cubed cheese (I always use mild cheddar, but it would probably be good with any kind of cheese)

Directions:
Cook mac. Drain.  In saucepan, melt butter.  Blend in flour, salt, and pepper.  Add milk all at once; cook and stir till thick and bubbly.  Add cheese; stir till melted.  Stir sauce into mac.  Pour into 9x13 baking dish (you can use any size, really).  Bake at 350 till heated through, 30-35 minutes.  Makes 6 servings. 

Oh! And you can also add onion to the recipe, but my husband doesn't like it. He says, "It just adds a weirdness."  He also says, "It's my favorite mac & cheese recipe there is!"  So... there you go. My husband endorses it. And so do I!

Carolyn's Lemon Chicken & Rice (Danny's Favorite)

Next to pizza, this is probably my husband's favorite food. This recipe comes from his mother, Carolyn, who is an amazing cook. When we got married, of course I had to find out how to make this dish. And while I could never make it exactly the way she does, I've gotten the thumbs up from my husband that my attempts are delicious as well. This is good news, because I don't think Danny could have survived without his favorite meal!

Carolyn's Lemon Chicken & Rice

Ingredients (for two or three people):

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup lemon juice 

1/2 T chicken bouillon or 2 cubes chicken bouillon dissolved in 1 1/2 cups water

1/2 t. dried basil

1 T. cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water

enough cooked rice for whoever is coming to dinner

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and lightly brown on the stove.

2. Take the chicken out of the pan.

3. Add about 1/2 cup lemon juice to the pan.

4. Add chicken bouillon mixture as well.

5. Then add dried basil and let the pan simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Sometimes I add other spices as well, if I am feeling creative, but basil is the one spice that goes perfectly. *Taste your sauce after simmering. If it has a weak lemon taste, you need to reduce it more (or add more lemon juice if you don't want to wait). It should have a strong lemon flavor.*

6. Stir while adding the cornstarch thickening mixture to the pan, and let the sauce thicken a bit.

7. Add your chicken back to the sauce, and it's ready to eat!

8.Serve over rice and enjoy! 

I've also made this dish in the crockpot by simply adding all the ingredients except the cornstarch and letting it cook until the chicken is done. Then I add the cornstarch in with the sauce and the chicken. It's not as good as the stovetop version, but it worked.

Husband's Reaction: Oh, he always licks his plate clean with this lemon chicken. The sauce is his favorite part. He could drink it plain, which is kinda gross, but that's how much he loves it. Thanks to his mom for sharing her recipe so I can make it for him whenever he wants!

We Cooked the Catfish.

So, the catfish was cooked and eaten the day after it was caught, but I just have not gotten around to posting about it...until today!!! Be excited. I know you are wanna know how to cook catfish. It's so popular and all.

Nobody does food better than the Food Network, so I copied one of their recipes. It was pretty good. This could probably be used with any fish. If you're only making one or two, make far less of the seasoning and dredging mixture. Even for the 4 catfish fillets this recipe calls for, I would cut it in half. There was a lot of seasoning.

I chose a recipe for fried fish because I wasn't sure if catfish tasted good or not. I figured as long as it was fried, it would taste great! It was. But the fish underneath the batter wasn't half bad either, so next time I think I'll skip the frying (remember how healthy I'm trying to be? Right).

And now I give you my second attempt at cooking fish ever.....CATFISH!

Pan Fried Catfish with Lemon and Garlic

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Deep Fried Southern

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/pan-fried-catfish-with-lemon-and-garlic-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 4 (6 to 6 1/2- ounce) catfish fillets
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Essence or other seasoning salt, recipe follows
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves, plus chopped parsley forgarnish
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all- purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Place the catfish in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Season the fillets with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the Essence. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and garlic. Turn the catfish several times to coat evenly. Allow mixture to stand at room temperature for up to 10 minutes.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and the remaining Essence in a shallow bowl. Remove the catfish from the marinade and dredge in the cornmeal mixture, coating evenly.

Heat the oil in a large, deep, cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the catfish, in batches, and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove catfish from the skillet with a slotted spatula and drain on paper-towels. Season with salt and serve immediately with additional parsley and lemon wedges.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

HUSBAND'S REACTION: He approved. His favorite part? No bones to worry about! I think we might be trying some more catfish in the future.

He's so cool, you can trust his opinion. :)

Catfish Catching

I told my husband I wanted to get a new hobby this year, and I guess that goal can be checked off. We bought fishing licenses with some of our hard earned money, and we have been fishing at least once a week since the beginning of May, I think. We are keeping a running tally of how many fish we each catch to see who can be the winner at the end of the summer. Right now, Danny is ahead 6 to 4. (So frustrating! I want to be the winner!) We've mainly caught trout, and that's fine with me. They taste pretty good. Last night though, Danny caught a catfish. We went fishing with his parents and grandparents, and many catfish and a few trout were caught. We decided to keep some of the catfish and figure out how to clean and cook them. Danny's grandma said she really likes how they taste, so we'll see if we do too. 

 Catfish are pretty creepy looking, and they are pretty hard to clean, we soon learned. You have to pull their skin off with pliers---it's like a home improvement project, but smellier.

So, tonight I think I'm cooking the catfish (only the fillets, don't worry; it now looks nothing like a cat and only like a fish you would see in the grocery store). I really don't know how, but we'll see how it goes. The nice thing about fishing is that I get to practice and learn how to cook fish without having to pay for any of the fish. . . the bad part is that I haven't caught any the past three times we've gone. Maybe next time!!!

Trying to Be Healthy/Oriental Chicken & Cabbage Salad

I don't think I'm an unhealthy person. In fact, I'm not. I've always been fairly healthy. But I married a man who is always wanting to "try to be healthier" so I guess that's been on my mind lately. We even bought some pedometers a little while ago to see how much walking we did in  a day. Did you know that to be considered "active" you should be taking 10,000 steps a day? I only met this goal once in the few weeks we were tracking ourselves, and I was tired at the end of that day! Guess I'd better "step it up" huh? :)

Yes, it's clipped to my pajamas. At the end of  this day I only had 7587 steps...and that was pretty good for me!

Going healthy seems to be an emerging theme in the food world. On the Food Network now they always have the one person on the Next Food Network Star or similar competitions who is the "healthy food promoter" contestant. I don't think any of these people have won yet, but someday soon they probably will. Which is good! It certainly wouldn't hurt America to eat healthier and feel healthier.

Summer seems to be the easiest time for healthy living for me. Fresh produce helps out a lot. Good weather and excuses to exercise (going on hikes, picnics, parks, walks, bike rides, swimming, etc) present themselves more often than in the winter. Last night my husband persuaded me to go on a walk. He brought along his frisbee (one of his favorite things) and we passed it back and forth a bit. And it was just a little thing, and we only walked a mile, and we only walked, which isn't very fancy or hard core, but it made me feel the tiniest bit healthier. 

I looked back over my recipes about a month ago to judge how healthy my recipes have been. I'm going to try to do better to put up delicious AND healthy recipes in the future. 

I guess I'll start out kind of cliche and go with a salad. This salad has sugar in it, but other than that it's pretty healthy. Good enough for MY blog at least! I recently made this salad for the closing social my group of school counseling program friends had. It's easy and impressive. When my mom first started making it, everyone would ask her for the recipe and it became a tradition for her to bring it to all the family and church gatherings. I think it's time to bring it back!

I didn't remember to take a picture of my salad, but this is basically how it looks. Good, huh?

Oriental Chicken & Cabbage Salad

2 cups diced or shredded chicken 

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 package Raman Noodles (or 2 if you're feeling crunchy :) )

4 green onions

Optional: 1/2 cup slivered almonds or water chestnuts

Chop everything up and add to a bowl. If you're taking this dish to an event, don't add the dressing until just before you get there. You don't want the Ramon Noodles to get soggy or the cabbage to get wilted from the dressing.

Dressing:

2 T. sesame seeds

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup salad oil

2 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

Season packet from noodles

Whisk or shake or stir it all together and pour on the salad just before serving. The dressing is my favorite part!

See, it's easy!

Husband's Reaction: He doesn't remember, but I made a simpler version of this salad for him while we were dating. He didn't like it then. I think it was just cabbage, dressing, and noodles, so that's understandable. But when I made it a few weeks ago he told me it was really good. He especially liked the chicken, which is no surprise. . . my husband thinks adding chicken to most dishes is the best thing to do!