Peanut Butter Paisley Bars

We needed a little pre-Thanksgiving snack a few days ago, so I whipped up these bars.

Peanut Butter Paisley Bars

1/2 c butter
1/4 c peanut butter
1 c sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chocolate syrup

Blend butter and peanut. Add sugars; mix well. Add eggs; beat well. Add vanilla. Add mixed dry ingredients. Spread half in a greased 13x9 pan. Spoon syrup on top. Spread remaining batter. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees 35-40 minutes.

These were good. I'm not a huge peanut butter bar fan. Apparently C is. Once I caught her on top of the table helping herself and going "nom, nom, nom" as she chowed down. The chocolate syrup made them pretty, but it was kind of hard to taste any chocolate in there. I think I would have liked chocolate chips better, but then they wouldn't be paisley bars.

Not the Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

First thing's first:
Everyone in my family needs a cutesy blog name for when I mention them.  My inspiration comes from the SHAYTARDS (thanks Mom).  And I know at least one other author of this blog calls her husband and child Big Chub and Little Chub, respectively.  So I feel the pull to virtually name my husband and child.  I have previously referred to my husband as the Hungry Runner Boy, so I guess I'll keep that for him, but what name should I have for the new little one?  I need suggestions.

Anyway.

We all had a hankering for chocolate chip cookies (we've eaten our way through a ridiculous number of treats since the baby came), so one evening when I felt particularly peppy I whipped these up.  I doubt they will be making their way onto your table any time soon, because there are many choco chip cookie recipes far better than these.  They were a kind of weird mix between being a chewy cookie and being a cakey cookie and weren't rich enough for me.  But they were a cookie, so I still ate five as soon as they came out of the oven.

Not the Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie

(They were nameless, so I named them)

4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 C butter
1 1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T vanilla
3 C mixed chips

375 degrees
ungreased.

I cooked them for 10-12 minutes.

Basic Noodle Bake

Towards the end of the summer, I was getting pretty lazy and looking for some relatively quick meals that required very basic ingredients. This Eating Well...Spending Less packet is usually my go to for those types of recipes (and they have been successful in the past).

2 packages Ramen noodles (use the flavor packets if you like)
1 (10 ounce) can cream soup (any kind)
1 (16 ounce) can green beans, undrained
1 (7 ounce) can tune, drained
2 Tablespoons onion soup mix

1. Break up the Ramen noodles.
2. In a bowl, stir up the cream soup, green beans, and tuna.
3. Add Ramen Noodles and onion soup mix and stir well.
4. Put into greased baking dish.
5. Bake in oven at 300 degrees for 25 minutes.

Serves 4
Note: Try other vegetables instead of the green beans.

I should have been leery when I saw the ingredients. It was not good at all. Ben's only complaint was that it was really salty. And, I agreed. It was very very salty. If you dare make this, don't add the seasoning packets from the Ramen noodles.

Beef and Black Bean Tacos

I am wary of a recipe to make tacos because, hey, it's tacos. Get a tortilla and add whatever toppings you want. But, I thought this one was worth a shot because it was on the same page as the delicious Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas compliments of Tonya Campbell.

8 taco shells
1 c onions, chopped
1 T garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb ground beef
1 c black beans, cooked and drained
1/2 c tomato sauce
2 c lettuce
1 c cheese, grated
Green onion, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Black olives, sliced (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Taco sauce (optional)

Cook onions in small amount of oil in heavy skillet until translucent. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook 30 seconds more. Stir in ground beef and cook until brown. Drain off grease. Stir in black beans and tomato sauce. Simmer until heated through. Serve with heated taco shells and lettuce, cheese, green onions, and tomatoes. Top with remaining ingredients, if desired.

They were tacos. Neither of us could tell they were different than normal tacos we have (except I prefer refried beans). If you use powdered garlic instead of fresh, do not use a whole tablespoon.

Sausage and Peaches

We got a new dishwasher! Yay!  I guess after the same part breaking five times in four months the manager decided we actually deserve a new one.  Anyway, it's great, but it meant we lived with a broken one for the past week.  It meant we tried to use as few dishes as possible because I didn't want to wash tons of dishes every day.  It meant it was time to break out this simple Cupboard Project recipe.  Jacob thought it was too sweet, so he took some of the juices from the pan and doctored it up.  We both agreed it was better after that.  Jacob really liked it, but I thought it was just okay.  However, it was a good, simple recipe that took minimal time and had minimal clean-up.

Sausage and Peaches

Ingredients:
1 Kielbasa sausage
1 can peaches in syrup

Directions:
Slice sausage and brown in pan with peaches.  We served over couscous.

I told you it was simple.

Zucchini Latkes

Zucchini Latkes Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Our zucchini supply overcame demand over the course of four days when I forgot to pick the zucchini. This was one way to try and use a bunch of it (4 1/2 cups!).

Zucchini Latkes

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini, shredded (about 4-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup matzo meal or dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Oil for frying
sour cream, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, toss zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze zucchini dry. Stir in the eggs, onion, matzo meal, pepper and remaining salt.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into oil; press lightly to flatten. Fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream if desired. Yield: 16 latkes

 I've made something similar and didn't love it, and now I remember why. They were oily discs of rather tasteless zucchini. Not awful, but not especially good either. Brian likened them to Paraguayan tortillas, which are basically lumps of fried flour and water and an egg if you're rich that day. Save your zucchini for the pumpkin zucchini bread.

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

This was a delicious intro to fall recipe I made a few weeks ago when the weather was cooler, and I was getting excited for fall to come. Even though today was the first day of school, it looks like we'll still be waiting a while for the fall weather to come for good.

Ingredients
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. COol in pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack.

We thought this bread was delicious! Before I mixed it up, I was very tempted to substitute some whole wheat flour for part of the white flour, but I stayed true to the recipe and didn't. I was also worried when I tasted the batter because it was super sweet! After baking it, we tried it. It was just the right amount of sweet.

This is the perfect recipe blend of summer zucchini and fall pumpkin. I made sure to freeze some zucchini so I can make this again later in the fall.