Zucchini Cake

This is one of my favorites!

Zucchini Cake:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

In bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix in oil and eggs. Stir in zucchini until well mixed. Fold in nuts. Pour into 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool. Top with cream cheese frosting (recipe follows).

Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 oz cream cheese, sotened
1/4 cup butter, softened (not margarine)
1 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla with mixer. Mix in powdered sugar.

Key Lime Pie

11 graham crackers, or 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
3 tsp sugar
5 tbsp margarine (melted)

Crush the graham crackers in food processor. Pour into 9" pie pan. Stir in sugar. Add in melted margarine. Press firmly into pan and up the sides. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.

While crust is cooking, beat together 4 egg yolks and 2 tsp. lime zest. Beat in 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Stir in 1/3 cup lime juice. Pour into baked crust and bake at 325 for another 15 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

If you really want a treat, bake this in an aluminum pan. Poke popsicle sticks into the outside of the pan, so that they will be through each individual piece. Freeze. Once frozen, cut into slices and remove from pan (leaving sticks intact). Dip each piece in melted chocolate chips (mixed with 1 tsp shortening) or dipping chocolate. This makes a delicious frozen chocolate dipped treat.

Chicken and Biscuits

1/2 split chicken or 2 breasts (bone in)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
Biscuits

Boil chicken in large pot until done. Remove chicken, debone. Pour broth into 9x13 casserole dish. Add onion and deboned chicken. Stir together cornstarch and water. Strip into the chicken broth mixture. Top with biscuits. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until biscuits are browned.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup

1/2 split chicken or 2 breasts (bone-in)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs. Mrs. Dash seasoning
2 cups uncooked rice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
12 ounces velveeta

Boil chicken in large pot. Once done, remove chicken and debone. Add the chicken back to pot when done. Add all remaining ingredients, except the velveeta. Cook until rice is done. Stir in velveeta, simmer until melted. Serve immediately.

Black Bean Soup

1/2 split chicken, or 2 breasts (bone in)
8 oz dried black beans (or 3 cans)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced (optional)
1 tsp olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter
1 can diced tomatoes (or 2 cans rotel)
2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup chili seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt

Boil chicken in large stock pot until fully cooked. Remove chicken from pot, let cool, and shred. Add beans to chicken broth and cook until tender. While beans are cooking, saute onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapenos, and oil in skillet over medium heat. Add to chicken broth, along with tomatoes and seasoning. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Top with cheddar cheese and sliced jalapeno peppers before serving.

You may use any type of canned tomatoes you have in place of the diced. 2 tsp. chili powder can be substituted for chili seasoning.

Cooking Day

I have spent the entire day slaving over the stove- yes, really! Although our freezer space is limited, I want to have some pre-made meals and items put up. Our schedule is just getting more and more hectic, and fall is just around the corner. It saves so much money, because we are not constantly running through a drive through because of time constraints.

I did not get as much done today as I would have liked, as I got a late start and we had a power outage for a while. Our power rarely goes out, but the last three cooking days, I've been stuck in a panic with several meals going at once.

Over the weekend, I was able to snag some hamburger and chicken at a good price. Of course, the chicken was previously frozen, so I had to do something with it.

Here's what I got done today:
18 stuffed peppers
3 batches of Cheesy Chicken and Rice soup
1 batch of Black Bean Soup Base
Chicken Salad
Chicken and Biscuits
5 dozen Biscuits (to freeze)

All I have left on today's list is Key Lime Pie, which I will be starting shortly. The other recipes will be posted soon.