Zucchini Bread

Okay, so this isn't actually a meal, but it sure is good!

3 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 c. grated zucchini

3 c. flour

1 c. chopped walnuts

Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Then add zucchini and flour. Fold in nuts.

Turn batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes at 350. (If using 3 smaller pans, check at 1 hour. 

My Daily Challenge: Chicken Taquitos

My children enjoy these chicken taquitos. They’re much better than the frozen ones. I adapted this recipe from a Rachel Ray version.

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded.

1 4 oz. can of chopped green chiles

2 handfuls of pre-shredded cheese, 4-cheese Mexican blend. (I just get the big bag at Costco.)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

About 12 soft taco flour tortillas

In a big bowl, combine the shredded chicken, green chiles, cheese, cumin and oregano.

Heat a little bit of oil in a pan and lightly warm and soften each torilla. (It only takes a about a minute on each side.)

Place a thick row of the shredded chicken mixture in the middle of each tortilla and roll them up. Bake them on a cookie sheet at 350 until they’re lightly brown and crisp (about 20 minutes).

I serve them with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!

My Daily Challenge: Chicken Bruschetta

This recipe is one of our family favorites. It meets my “daily challenge” requirements because everyone in our family likes it. In fact, it’s one of Gregg’s favorites. It’s also quick and easy enough to fix on a weeknight. Here’s how you make it:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt, pepper and garlic powder

2 T. olive oil

1 8oz. pkg. of presliced mushrooms

1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into bite-size pieces

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped tomato

1/3 cup chopped red onion

½ cup chopped fresh basil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese

1. Preheat your broiler.

2. Pound the chicken breasts until they are thin and then sprinkle them with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray and broil for about 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove the chicken from pan and keep warm.

3. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, zucchini, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomato, onion, basil and vinegar; sauté 3 minutes. Serve the vegetable mixture over chicken and sprinkle with the cheese.

I usually serve this with a side of pasta. Hope that you enjoy this as much as we do!

My Daily Challenge: Chicken Parm Soup

Today is a soup day in Hawaii. We don’t get too many of them, so I hope to take full advantage of it.

This soup is one that our entire family enjoys and it only takes about 15 minutes to make. I got the recipe from Rachel Ray’s book, Just in Time.

4 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 pound of chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces

   Salt and pepper to taste

4 garlic cloves, 3 chopped and 1 halved

   Red Pepper flakes, to taste

1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes

1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth

4 thick slices of Italian or sourdough bread

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh basil, shredded or torn

Preheat the broiler.

Heat the EVOO in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken stock and cook until heated through.

While the soup cooks, char the bread on both sides under the broiler. Rub with the garlic halves and drizzle with EVOO, then mound with handfuls of Parmesan cheese. Return to the broiler to melt the cheese.

Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Ladle the soup into bowls and float the toasts on top. You’re done! Enjoy!

My Daily Challenge

Every day, I wake up with this challenge. 7 days a week, including holidays I face it, wrestle with it and encounter it. This daily challenge, of course, is what to make for dinner.

I love to cook, but the challenge I find is coming up with something different every day, that will accommodate the palettes of seven people. Yet it must be easy enough to make in the midst of homeschooling, house cleaning, helping with homework and the variety of sports and activities that we continually have.

So, I’ve decided to pass on a few recipes that I’ve found that meet two criteria:

1.   They must be quick enough for me to make during the week, and easy enough for me to make considering the many distractions and interruptions that seem to occur only between the hour of 5-6pm.

2.   They must taste good and pass the test of at least 5 of our 7 family members.

I’ll plan to post the first recipe in my next post. Bon Appetit!