Fun with zucchini

One of my co-workers gave me several pounds of zucchini and yellow squash fresh from her garden. Of course, I had to think of creative ways to use it.

On Sunday morning, I had some time in the morning before Zumba so I decided to bake zucchini muffins. These filled my home with the aroma of nutmeg and cinnamon as they baked and were done just on time for me to enjoy one as a pre-Zumba snack.

As the recipe made eighteen, I handed a lot out to friends and co workers and so far the feedback has been very positive.

Today, I decided to take advantage of the break in the relentless heatwave we've been having in MD and spend a rainy afternoon creating zucchini brownies.

These are moist have a more cakey than brownie texture and are delicious. I brought some to my friend about an hour ago and plan to bring some to my co workers tomorrow. I cannot wait to receive their feeback about my new, different creation.

I have six more of these beautiful zucchinis and am trying to figure out what to create next. Until then, stay cool and keep creating.

Zucchini muffin.....

Iced zucchini brownies.....

A wonderful creation for new friends

Last night, I entertained and made my dinner party, never fail standbys of baked pasta, garlic bread and salad. However, the dessert was  a new creation. I had been wanting to try this recipe for a chocolate walnut torte for the longest time and last night was the perfect opportunity. 100 degree heat be damned; I was firing up the oven.

My dinner party was a smashing success. Not only were my wonderful guests three minutes early, they brought me flowers, my favorite sparkly drinks from Trader Joes (all chilled too) AND best of all; enjoyed every bite of my food while making me laugh with lively conversation and jokes. I could barely eat at certain points as I was laughing so hard I was practically in tears.

This creation is rich, delicious and guaranteed to keep a smile on your face long after your last bite while you are cleaning to kitchen after the evening's festivities.

Now, nom nom nom but resist the urge to lick your screen as you check out my latest creation......:-)

Chocolate walnut torte on red plate.....

On blue and white cake stand with cake server in the background.....

....plated with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream

A slippery yet satisfyingly delicious meal

My newest discovery comes from the Asian foods section of the grocery store: Asian cellophane noodles. These are made from mung beans and are light alternative to pasta.

This is a dish I created with chicken, mixed vegetables and a peanut sauce I mixed using creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, Asian rice vinegar and a touch of red chili paste for some bite.

The results are delicious, however I DO NOT recommend this dish for dinner parties. Why? Because these noodles are incredibly slippery and messy to eat and you are pretty much guarenteed to spill a little bit even if you are a neat eater. Even I succeeded in making a mess while eating this. Thank heavens I was wearing pajama pants and a T shirt and not one of my cute sundresses!

Asian cellophane noodles with chicken, mixed vegetables, peanut sauce  and a side of steamed brocolli before I made a huge mess eating it.

Why doesn't it look like the picture when you make it at home?

I was very eager to try this recipe for chicken with orange sesame sauce as it gave me the opportunity to try out the newest addition to my seasoning collection: sesame oil.

This creation took awhile as it involved squeezing fresh oranges to make the sauce and lots of slicing and dicing of vegetables and meat.

For all the time it took to make, the result was dissappointing. The sauce was very thin and refused to thicken up even after cooking it for a long time. As I don't like to be wasteful, I took the leftovers for lunch at work and was very relieved when I ate the last portion as I won't be making this again. Now....what other uses can I find for that bottle of sesame oil?

Chicken in orange sesame sauce with mixed vegetables over brown rice.

It was all good once my guests arrived

Anyone who knows me can tell you I am a stickler for punctuality. Imagine my frustration when my dinner party guests were about 45 minutes late after I had worked so hard preparing this meal. I tried out two new recipes: herb roasted chicken and chocolate chip Bundt cake and one I had done before: yellow squash casserole.

My guests showed up eventually, everything was delicious and it was great to finally break out the roasting pan I bought last year.

Herb roasted chicken, fresh out of the oven

Another shot of my roast chicken....

Yellow squash casserole...

Chocolate chip Bundt cake with a scoop of chocolate ice cream

My can't go wrong dish, more fun with a basic and a new treat for a night of entertaining

I had friends over on Friday night and I brought out what is becoming the house specialty: my baked pasta. Everyone I have served this dish too (including my pasta-adverse father) has loved this dish and my friends were no exception.

In addition to this, I experimented with another basic you can get in the dairy section at the grocery store: Pillsbury French bread (it comes in one one those little tubes just like the biscuits and/or crescent rolls). First, I placed the loaf on a cookie sheet misted with cooking spray per recipe instructions. Then, using a pastry brush, I brushed it with mixture of melted butter, minced garlic and Italian herbs. As a finishing touch, I sprinkled some parmasan cheese on top. This baked up to golden brown, savory perfection. My guests loved it and so did I.

Finally, for dessert, we enjoyed a new recipe for chocolate cake topped with vanilla icing. This cake was so good that it ice cream wasn't necessary. This is saying a lot because I think I am going for the lifetime achievement award when it comes to loving ice cream.

Fresh out of the oven and ready to be enjoyed....

Golden brown savory perfection.....

Delicious, moist chocolate cake with vanilla icing. I turned the slice on it's side to show detail....

Better than peanut butter cups any day of the week

Peanut butter and chocolate is a brilliant combination and what better take on this classic than to bake it into a cookie? The batter for these chocolate chip peanut butter cookies was a bit stiff and hard to work with but baked into the most delicious creation: sweet and just begging to be dunked into a glass o' cold milk.

I cannot wait to create these again; everyone I shared them with loved them.

Cookie dough......

Three dozen cooling.....