Grandma's Recipe Box: Zucchini Corn Casserole

 Did your garden produce an abundance of zucchini this year?  Share some of theat bounty with others by giving out 1-2 pounds of the vegetable along with a copy of this excellent old recipe from my Grandmother's recipe box.  It is good any time of the year as a special side dish and will be a pleasant surprise for whoever receives the vegetables.  If the below recipe seems to complicated, then look for Grandma's other side dish Dilled Zucchinin and Corn coming soon.

If you really had a great crop, consider canning homemade pickles or making zucchini bread into mini loaves to give as gifts. Zucchini season in Texas is mid-April to mid-July and again mid-September to mid-November if they don;t die during the heat of summer.  

Zucchini Corn Casserole 

Yeild: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons margerine 
2 Tablespoons cooking oil 
1 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound zucchni, cooked and mashed 
1 cup fresh or canned whole kernel corn
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 green pepper, minced
3 egg, separated

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In separate bowls, beat egg yolks.  Whip egg whites until stiff.
3. Heat oil and margerine in skillet; then saute onion, peppers, and garlic until tender.
4. Add zucchini and corn, salt and pepper. Allow to cool. 
5. Add cheese and beaten egg yolks.
6. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
7. Pour into greased casserole dish.
8. Set dish in pan of hot water.  
9. Bake about 1 hour. 

Grandma's Recipe Box: Brown Sugar Fudge

 Fudge is so yummy!  It is a great holiday or anytime sweet treat.  Below is Grandma's old fashioned recipe for a carmel-like fudge that does not require a lot of ingredients - no chocolate required.    

Please give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments on this blog post.  Thanks.

Brown Sugar Fudge

Ingredients:

3 cups packed brown sugar (or substiute 2 cups brown and 1 cup white sugar)
1 cup milk (or cream or canned milk)
Optional: 1 Tablespoon butter (add only if using milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt
Pecan or walnut halves

Steps:

1. Cook mixture of sugar and milk to 238 degrees soft ball stage.
2. Remove from heat.  Add butter, vanilla, and salt.
3. Cool to lukewarm. 
4. Beat until mixture begins to hold shape.
5. Pour and smooth into buttered 8-inch pan.
6. Cut into squares and press a nut half on each piece.
7. Once set, remove peices from pan to serve.

Grandma's Recipe Box: Apple Dapple Cake

 Cake is a dessert staple and a holiday treat.  Apple cake is often a fall favorite since most apples are picked from late Summer to early Autumn.  Below is an easy, quick apple cake recipe from my Grandma.  This cake is plenty sweet and moist without any type of frosting.  However, if desired, add the brown sugar topping at bottom of post to make it an even better holiday treat or for a special event dessert.   

If you make it for your holiday, please let me know how your friend and family liked it in the comments below this post.  If anyone wants the ewcipe, please feel free to save time by giving them this blog link instead of writing or printing it.  Thanks.

Apple Dapple Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar 
3 eggs
1 & 1/3 cup cooking oil
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups apples, chopped
1 cup nuts, chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
2. In a large bowl, mix thoroughly the sugar, eggs, and oil.
3. Combine and sift flour, soda, and salt into bowl mixture.
4. Then fold in apples and nuts.
5. Grease and dust with flour and 18" x 10" baking pan.
6. Pour in dough and bake 45 minutes.

Brown Sugar Cake Topping 

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cups warm milk

1 stick margerine

1 teaspoon vanilla

Steps:

1. Combine inredients and boil for 2 minutes.
2. Pour over cake while warm.

Redefining 9/11 before Twenty-five Year Anniversary?

 

When I wrote Reflecting on 9/11 Twenty Years After - Never Forget post, I and most Americans would have never thought that the people who were part of the same cult would get elected to government offices.  With all the 9/11 memorials. historical ocuments, and planned ceremonies, you would think more people would remember and teach their children about what happened.  New York, DC, and the rest of USA promised to never forget, but instead "political correctness" forced us to "overlook" the unwarranted hatred that caused 9//11 and move on.  

Not only are we being asked to forget 9/11 history, but the truth of that day is being twisted to make the innocent feel quilty while the villains are allowed to spew even more hatred.  Sone of the victims and their families are no longer given the compassion, respect, and empathy they deserve. Remember that they lost people who were doing nothing more than showing up for work!  This is not an opinion, according to the New York Post "Woke teachers offer twisted 9/11 lessons focused on 'Islamophobia’ — not 2,977 innocents killed."  Really? What has happened to America?

If you remember 9/11 and want to share your reflections, feel free to add a comment to this post. Or perhaps you read a truthful account of happenings that day or want to share a local ceremony, feel free to add a link in comments.  I wrote 9/11 Tears Remembered - A Memorial Poem for 10th anniversary, feel free to share and use.  

Yummy Homemade Shortbread Recipe

 I was given some really yummy homemade shortbread at Christmas.  I asked for the recipe and was told it was King Arthur Shortbread Cookies.  I am saving the link in order to make these in the future.  I may try dipping finger shapes or pie-points into melted chocolate and nut option for a fancy looking treat.  It would also be cute to try white chocolate and add holiday inspired sprinkles (see on Amazon) instead of nuts.  

Here are a few tips the baker who gave me the original cookies suggested as well:

• Use a good quality butter or it will not turn out correctly.
• During pricking with a fork step, go ahead and score the dough sections before cooking to mark where to cut it after first cooling step.  

If you try the recipe too, please let me know what you think of it or any special toppings you may have tried in the comments on this post.

Sugar-free Low-carb Peanut Thin Cookies

Start the year right with sinfully sweet diet desserts.  Below is Rozanne Gold's recipe (Amazon link to recipe book) for yummy peanut thins that are sugar-free and low carb.  Her recipe creates about 2 dozen small cookies at 70 calories, 2.6 proteins, or 2.5 carb counts each depending on what you choose to measure fro dieting.  

Recipe below uses chunky peanut butter, but if you prefer to not have the nut peices or you want to make less cookies, try the 1/2 dozen recipe for 3 Ingredient Keto Peanut Butter Cookies.  The Keto recipe measurements are hidden in the video, but the blog post provides tips for ingredient swaps and what goes well with the cookies.  

Not interested in diet or sugar free recipes?  Try Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies for fast and simple treats.  Or if you want something for the kids to get creative with, try Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies or Chocolate-Caramel-Pecan Turtle Cookies. 

Peanut Thins

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar substitute
• 2 Tablespoons cold water
• 1 extra-large egg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup natural (no sugar or oil added) super-chunky peanut butter

Steps:

1. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, mix together sugar substitute and water until smooth.
2. Add egg and salt to mixture in bowl, mix well.
3. Pour any excess oil off peanut butter in jar, then stir it in jar to mix contents well.  Measure out the needed peanut butter for recipe and blend into the bowl.  Store any remaining peanut butter per jar directions.
4. Wrap the dough mixture in bowl in plastic wrap.  Important: Refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.
5. Afterwards, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Scoop 2 teaspoons of dough and roll into an 1-inch ball.  Place balls onto baking and using tines of a fork, flatten the balls into 1 and 1/4 inch diameter cookies.  
8. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until firm to touch.  Cookies will spread slightly while baking.  Caution: Do not let cookies bake too long or they will burn!
9. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool and set on the baking sheet.
10. After remving from baking sheet, store in tightly covered container for up to 2 days

Chocolate Snowballs Recipe

Below is a chocolate cookie variation on the snowball-look of Russian Teacakes aka Mexican Wedding Cookies.  Both the original and the chocolate make a great addition to a Christmas cookie swap.  Each cookie version is labor-intensive, but so worth the extra work! 

Chocolate Snowballs

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
3/4 cup butter or margerine, softened 
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 
2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1 egg, room temperature 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
3/4 cup milk 
Confectiones powdered sugar

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Beat chocolate, vanilla, egg, and milk into creamed mix.
3. Blend in 4 dry ingredients gradually by sifting into the mix a little at a time until stiff dough is formed.
4. Cover and chill dough overnight.
5. Roll dough into balls of about 1-inch.  
6. Place balls about2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. 
7. Bake at 350° about8 minutes. 
8. Remove balls and roll in powdered sugur while slightly warn, but not hot.
9. Allow balls to cool completely, then roll in powdered sugar again.

Old-fashion Pumpkin Cake Recipe

 Below is a made-from-scratch recipe for Pumplin Cake that uses a can of pumpkin rather than trying to make your own the old-fashioned way from the big orange gourd.  The recipe did not include a glaze or frosting, but if desired you could add your favorite vanilla, maple, or cream cheese flavor to the top after taking out of pan.  Try this recipe or my grandmother's Sweet Potato Cake for Thanksgiving, Christmas or an anytime dessert. 

If you prefer pie over cake, check out our Sugar-free No-bake Pumpkin Pie and Magic Pumpkin Pie recipes.

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar 
1 cup Crisco
3 eggs, beaten
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin  
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
3 cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Steps:

1. Cream sugar and Crisco together in large bowl.
2. Add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla to creamed mixture.
3. Sift all dry ingredients into mixture.  Mix all together until smooth texture.
4. Pour into a tube pan, Bundt pan, or loaf pans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Beef and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe

 Below is a somewhat easy recipe that can be made and served hot for family meals or made ahead for pot-lucks.  It is somewhat easy because it requires more than a single pan to make.  However, finishing it would be easier if you do not bother with the buttered crumbs topping, just realize that it might not look as much like a rich-flavored, crowd-pleaser dish that you slaved over before taking to the pot-luck party.  Another family-pleaser option  to consider instead of crumbs on top, consider sprinkling some grated cheese over the top directly after removing form oven  so it only slightly melts for a creamier-looking dish.

Beef and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup wild rice
1/2 cup white rice
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can of milk (using an emptied soup can)
1 can mushrooms
Salt and pepper, to taste
Buttered crumbs 

Steps:

1. Cook rice according to directions on packages.
2. Brown beef and onion together.
3. Mix all ingredients together (except crumbs) into a casserole dish. Top with crumbs.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  

Chaste Tree and Plant Links

When giving away plants from my garden, I am often asked what to do with them.  Below are some tip links to growing plants I have success with in North Texas.

Short Sharing URL = https://tinyurl.com/59a7dd8v 

How to Grow and Care for Chaste Tree - will grow just about anywhere, unfortunately is reseeds easily but fortunately mulching a large area around the tree or mowing over the new shoots often will kill the baby trees.  Is deciduous so loses foliage over winter and looks dead, so just wait for it to sprout again, when newly spriting is best time to fertilize with Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed (on Amazon).

Planting and Dividing Bearded Iris Corms - easiest to plant and grow!

How to Grow Elephant Ears - the giant version is easy grow and less fuss than you might think.  If growing in the ground, leave dead foliage over the winter and cut off after no longer chance of frost, it will have mushy top but it will dry out and then produce new foliage. If growing in pots, move inside house or garage for winter, digging out of pot is ok but not required.

Edible Parts of Turk's Cap Plant - quick spreading summer blooming plant with fall berries that taste like firm plums, this plant requires some sun to bloom and regular watering to prevent leaf wilting.

Flowering Groundcover Oxalis - spreads quickly in sun or shade.

How to Grow 4'O'Clocks - nice bushy plant with red, yellow, pink, or white flowers that are open late in the day through early morning, seeds can be bought in most stores in the spring for annual growth or where plants grow as perennials digging and moving tuber root can help them fill-in empty spaces.  

Dividing and Planting Daylilies - another easy plant and great mixed with iris as they bloom after iris stops blooming. 

How to Grow and Care for Night Salvia/Sage - spreads quickly via seeds and runner roots so it can be invasive, however it is easilu pulled up if it grows where unwanted.  Consider for a wild garden or to keep in containers.

Sharing and Planting Milk and Wine Crinum Lilies - big plant with big blooms!

How to Grow Mexican Petunia (Tall Ruella) - this is a drought tolerant flower once it gets started, the more sun it gets the blooms you get summer through fall .  The standard tall version of Ruella is easy to grow and spreads like wildflowers. The shorter dwarf  Ruella version makes a great border edging plant, however it can spread outside the border as everywhere a flower drops it will plant a seed to start another tiny plant, so if you see the slender dark leaves coming up - pull it up easily while it is still small.  Most Ruella loves the sun and has thin, long, shiny leaves.  However there is also a groundcover version with fuzzy leaves that likes to grow under shade trees so it does not spread as quickly, plus a bush version (which looks similar to the potato bush popular in Texas) that is popular in California.