Pictures

 fresh summer grape tomatoes are the best  :)

 no bakes, and happy ones at that  :)

 It's been a weird winter, but the lack of snow has allowed for extra frisbee golf 

Some creamy and cheesy baked fries

 my first two loaves of bread i ever made on my own

 It was spicy, buttery, and delicious  :)

Zucchini Brownies

These taste like brownies with a no bake glaze.  Basically, they are amazing.
Plus, they are an easy way to fit some zucchini into the diet without having to taste it.  Not even picky kids will realize these have any healthy ingredients in them.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Glaze Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa and oats. Spread over brownies before cutting into squares.

Cookie or Cake?

This recipe is basically cookie dough cooked as a cake.  It's delicious, but get your milk ready when you eat these.  You're going to need it  :)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar (powdered is ok too)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg

1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Add cookie dough to a greased 9x13 pan, and flatten.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

uvu

This post is not going to contain a recipe.
But I am writing to announce that my application and transcript have been successfully submitted to UVU.
Culinary school, here i come
:)

Shepard's Pie

One interesting thing about this recipe is that it can easily be turned vegan, if you happen to be entertaining one of the meat-haters, and it is still very good.  I didn't bother to make it vegan though, I'm just fine with meat  : P
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• Mashed potato layer:
• 5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese 
• 2 teaspoons salt
•  
• Bottom layer:
• 1 tablespoon oil (you probably don't need this if you're using non-vegan hamburger)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 diced pepper
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced, or more to taste
• 1 pinch ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound hamburger
•  
• 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used mozzarella too)

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low, and boil the potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes; drain.
2. Stir the mayonnaise, milk, olive oil, cream cheese, and salt into the potatoes, and mash until smooth and fluffy. Set the potatoes aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the beef, onion, pepper, carrots, celery, frozen peas, and tomato until the meat is brown and the vegetables are soft. Stir in the Italian seasoning, garlic, and pepper.
5. Spread the vegetarian meat substitute mixture into the bottom of the baking dish, and top with the mashed potatoes, smoothing them into an even layer. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and slightly browned and the casserole is hot, about 20 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup

I know, I know, squash is one of those scary tasting vegetables, but this soup is really good.  It uses basic ingredients, and is a tasty was to use up some of Mom and Dad's plethora of butternut squash  : P

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (optional, but you can't even taste it)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 or 3 potatoes, cubed (use more if they're the small kind)
• 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed (stab it with a fork and bake it in the oven before you peel it)
• 4 cups chicken stock or broth
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (red pepper if you like the heat)
• sour cream

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock and sour cream to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, basil, garlic etc.

Easy Roasted Potatoes

This is a pretty easy side dish that tastes really good.  I bet you could make pretty much the same thing on a stovetop if you wanted to.  This would also be really good if you threw some chicken or beef in with it

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 5 medium potatoes, diced with peel
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
• basil, parsley, italian seasoning, etc
• 2 teaspoons chili powder, or taco seasoning if you don't like it spicy
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup cheese (optional)
• mushrooms, peppers -- i didn't have any, but these would be great with this

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Arrange the potatoes and onions in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish so that they are evenly distributed. Season everything, then drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat potatoes and onions with oil and spices.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until potatoes are fork tender and slightly crispy. Stir every 10 minutes. When done, sprinkle with cheese. Wait about 5 minutes for the cheese to melt before serving.