Thursday, August 8, 2013

Super Moist Zucchini Bread

This year has been wonderful for our zucchini plants.  We have had an overabundance of produce and one of my favorite things to make and freeze is zucchini bread.  I use butterscotch pudding to make it super moist.


Super Moist Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t baking powder
1 small box of Instant Butterscotch Pudding
2 cups of sugar
2-1/4 cups grated zucchini
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 cups of flour
1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Mix eggs, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla.  Add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder and pudding.  Add zucchini and flour, mixing thoroughly.  Pour mixture into 2 greased medium size bread pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until middle is done (insert a toothpick in the middle of the bread, if it comes out clear then it's done).

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Freezer Pickles

I don't know about you, but my cucumbers are growing wonderfully this year and I have quite an abundance.  We love cucumbers at our house and eat them almost nightly when they are in season.  Before my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago, she shared this amazing recipe for "Freezer Pickles" with me.  They are the perfect treat on a hot summer day and when it's to hot to can, you can whip up a batch of these for the freezer.

Wash cucumbers and pat dry.
Thinly sliced cucumbers (do not peel).

Dice, one small onion.

                                                                  You will need the salt!

                                                               
                                               Put cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle with
                                                      2 T of salt and let stand for 2 hours.


  You will make a syrup mixture
of the sugar and vinegar.


   Pour the pickles into the sugar/vinegar syrup
and gently mix with a rubber scraper
until all of the sugar dissolves. 


Put the pickles in 2-3 small containers,
pour the syrup mixture over them,
seal and freeze until your ready to thaw and eat.



FREEZER PICKLES

Ingredients:
1 quart of thinly sliced cucumbers (do not peel)
1 small onion, diced
2 T salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vinegar

Directions:
Cut cucumbers and onions as directed.  Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 T of salt and let stand for 2 hours.  After 2 hours, drain the pickles in a colander using as little water as possible to get the salt off.

Next, mix 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of vinegar in a bowl creating a type of syrup.  Do not heat, but stir occasionally while the cucumbers are in the salt mixture.

Now, pour the pickles into the sugar/vinegar syrup and gently mix with a rubber scraper until all of the sugar dissolves.  Put the pickles in 2-3 small containers, pour the syrup mixture over them, seal and freeze until your ready to thaw and eat.