MY FAVORITE CARROT CAKE

CARROT CAKE

I've tried many carrot cakes, and this is my favorite recipe. This is a wonderful moist cake. If you don't like pecans, feel free to leave them out."

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

FROSTING

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, white sugar, crushed pineapple, coconut and 3 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

CORN & ZUCCHINI MEDLEY!

CORN & ZUCCHINI MEDLEY

Here is a simple twist to add a little excitement to the average corn side dish. The corn and zucchini compliment each other nicely and the presentation looks wonderful. Zucchini, corn, red bell pepper, and onions combined with chopped bacon and cheese. A quick and easy way to use fresh veggies from your garden!

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 small onion, chopped
½ large red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings. Drain bacon, chop, and set aside.
Heat the bacon drippings in the skillet over medium heat. Saute the zucchini, corn, red bell pepper, minced garlic cloves and onion until tender but still crisp, about 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Spoon vegetables into a bowl, and sprinkle with chopped bacon and shredded cheese.
Recipe from allrecipe's Molton

SUMMER ZUCCHINI PARMENSAN & ZUCCHINI-PARMENSAN FRITTERS!

These are great side dish recipes for using up all those Summer Zucchinis

ZUCCHINI PARMESAN

Delicious and a easy way to use zucchini.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) jar chunky spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the zucchini, onion and garlic until the onion is tender.
Combine the zucchini, onion and garlic in a 9x12 inch casserole dish, and mix well. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the mixture and stir well. Top with mozzarella & parmesan cheese (use more or less depending on your preference).
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.
Recipe from Allrecipie’s Mary Jo

ZUCCHINI-PARMENSAN FRITTERS

These zucchini and parmesan fritters are really easy to prepare and make a nice side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb (about 3 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated
1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 to 1/3 cup flour*
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of fresh basil or other fresh herb (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Grate the zucchini on the largest holes of a box grater. Wrap it inside two thicknesses of cheesecloth and pepper and mix well. The batter will be loose but shouldn't appear watery.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add about 2 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture for each fritter, leaving plenty of room in the pan to turn them easily. Fry until golden brown and the edges of the fritters hold together fairly well when you try to flip them over, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. You may need to add more oil to the pan after a batch or two.
Transfer to a paper towel lined platter and blot the excess oil. Serve with a warm marinara sauce for dipping.
**Because the amount of liquid that zucchini gives off can vary, it's best to start out with a scant 1/4 cup of the flour in your mixture. Once your oil has heated, make a "test fritter" to see how much they spread. Drop about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil. If the fritter spreads out to much more than a 3-inch diameter, add 1 additional tablespoon of flour to your zucchini mixture.
Recipe from mygourmetconnection

POOR MAN’S HAM SALAD FOR SANDWICHES & PUDGY PIES!

POOR MAN’S HAM SALAD FOR SANDWICHES

This recipe is great for a summer outing, camping or just a lazy day at home. It's easy to make and gets better the longer it sits
Poor Man's Ham Salad never contained any ham, just bologna. We use this salad to make pudgy pies when we are camping. At home we put it open-faced under the broiler just until bubbly.!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb chunk of your favorite bologna
3 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
9 ounces of processed American cheese
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup real mayonnaise, Miracle Whip or combine them

DIRECTIONS:

**Do not use Velveeta for this recipe, it does not store well.**
I suggest a food processor for this recipe unless you prefer a meat grinder. Use a large bowl with tight lid for storing.
Take all the bologna out of the packaging and quarter.
Cut the cheese & quarter as well.
Place half the meat and half the cheese in processor and pulse until semi-chunky. It should look spreadable. Scoop the mixture into a large bowl.
Add remaining bologna and cheese, process.
Place rest in the large bowl and add chopped eggs, relish & mix well.
Add 1/2 of the mayo, stir. You can choose the consistency. If you prefer add the rest of mayo
Serve on a hamburger bun, sandwich bread, or crackers.
Store remaining spread in fridge, it can last up to one week.

PUDGY PIES:

If you're a camping enthusiast and have cooked over an open fire, chances are you've had a pudgy pie. If you're new to the scene, or have just never happened upon these tasty treats, the concept is quite simple. Pudgy pies are ingredient-filled "pockets" of bread toasted over a campfire. They're versatile, easy, and fun to make for the whole family. Follow the steps below, and you'll be an expert pudgy pie maker in no time

THINGS YOU’LL NEED:

Pie iron
Bread
Fillings of choice
Butter
Campfire stories

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1
Buy a pie iron. To make a pudgy pie, you will first need a pie iron, commonly referred to as "the pudgy pie maker." Think of the pie iron as a sandwich maker on a stick. It is basically two cast iron or aluminum pieces that fit together with a hinge. Each piece has a handle, and the handles can be latched together. Pie irons can be purchased where outdoor camping gear is sold.
Step 2
Build a campfire. Pudgy pies do best over a hot bed of coals. Try to start your campfire an hour early to let it burn down.
Step 3
Build your pie. Butter a piece of bread and lay it on the iron, butter side down. Cover your bread with any filling you choose. Butter the second piece of bread and lay it on the filling, butter side up. Bring the top of the iron over the bread and filling until it meets with the bottom iron. If your pudgy pie maker has a latching device, latch it now, if you choose.
Step 4
Cook your pie. You can cook your pudgy pie much like a marshmallow; just hold the pie maker over the campfire. Or, if you have a grate over a fire pit, lay the iron over the grate. Cooking time varies depending on the temperature of the fire. Cook your pie for one minute, flip it over and cook another 30 seconds. Open the iron and take a peek. If your bread is toasty brown, it's ready. Remove it from the iron, let cool, and enjoy!
Step 5
Use some creativity. Add whatever ingredients you want to your pudgy pie. Add pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni and make a pizza pie. Toss together some eggs, ham, and cheese and you'll have an omelet pie. Add some apple pie filling and make an apple pie...pie. If you're on the last day of a camping trip, add leftovers and make a surprise pie. The sky's the limit.

SLOW COOKER STUFFED BELL PEPPERS!

SLOW COOKER STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

These are excellent, not only because of the taste, but also because they can be made in the crockpot.The chili sauce called for is the regular bottled type used often to make cocktail meatballs. You can use red peppers as well. I did 4 red peppers last night and supper was a huge success.

INGREDIENTS:

6 green peppers
1 lb extra lean ground beef, I prefer 90% lean
3/4 cup long grain white rice, raw
1 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 ounce) can original stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can tomato soup
1/2- 3/4 cup chili sauce
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Wash peppers, cut tops off and remove core. Drain and chop stewed tomatoes, reserving liquid.
In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, 1/2 of the chopped stewed drained tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Stuff peppers with this mixture and sit in the crockpot standing up. Trim bottoms of any especially wonky peppers though they should stand and up packed nicely.
Combine tomato soup, chili sauce, the rest of the chopped tomatoes and reserved stewed tomato liquid. Check the consistency as you may not need all of the reserved tomato liquid.
Pour sauce over peppers.
Cook on low 6-8 hours or until tender. This can take less or more time as crockpots differ wildly.
Recipe from Miss Elizabeth

CHICKEN POT PIE WITH CHEESE BISCUIT TOP!

A very good, comfort food. This was awesome & we really enjoyed it! So simple, delicious & easy to make!!

CHICKEN POT PIE WITH CHEESE BISCUIT TOP

INGREDIENTS:

2 chicken breasts
4 cups salt water
2 tablespoons onions, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 large carrots, diced
2 small potatoes, diced
1 (10 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (6 ounce) can of 5 flakey biscuits (I use Hungry Jack)

DIRECTIONS:

Cook chicken breasts in salted water until done. Cool and chop.
In same water cook onions, celery, carrots and potatoes until almost done, then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of broth.
In a bowl mix 1/4 cup sour cream (no more) with soup and 1/2 cup broth. Fold in chopped chicken, vegetables and soup mixture. Pour into a 3 quart casserole baking dish.
Sprinkle cheese over mixture. Open biscuits and separate each in half to make 10 biscuits, a "must do" because I have found they don't get completely done in the middle if left whole. Cover top of casserole with the 10 biscuits pieces.
Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes until biscuits are brown.
Recipe from Recipezaar

THE PERFECT RUMP ROAST!

My grandson brought home a rump roast and since mine are always dry and tough, I thought I would try this recipe. My what a good rump roast. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone wanting a perfect rump roast!

PERFECT RUMP ROAST

4 lbs rump roast (room temp.)
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 onions
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
You might use more salt and pepper.
Pre-Heat the oven to 500 degrees.
Prep the roast by making 4-5 slits in the roast and filling the holes with salt, pepper and 1/2 of a clove of Garlic.
Now Salt and Pepper the rest of the roast.
Put the Roast in the oven and sear for 20 minutes.
Then add the water, the chopped onion and reduce the temperature to 275 degrees.
Cook for 20 minutes per lb. I like mine rare so that is what you will get if you cook for this period of time.
Recipe from Recipezarr: