Lemon Zucchini Cake

We served this as muffins for our summer Farm Day event and they were a big hit! I didn't use the glaze, and added 1/2 tbsp of poppy seed. Since we were serving lots of folks we opted to make muffins instead of the loaf pan this recipe calls for. It makes a dozen muffins and we baked them for 25 minutes. 

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ⅓ cup vanilla almondmilk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1½ cup shredded zucchini, drained and squeezed dry
• 2 tbsp lemon zest

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and olive and oil. Whisk to combine.
5. Add eggs and almondmilk and whisk together.
6. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
7. Add flour mixture and stir just until incorporated.
8. Fold in zucchini and lemon zest.
9. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. The top of the cake should look dry.
10. Place the loaf on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to carefully life the cake from the pan. Let cool completely on rack.

Glaze

1. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
3. Slice and serve.

Bacon & Veggie Quiche

In searching for a way to use up some of our extra Spring eggs I've stumbled upon on of my favorite new recipes. Originally posted on tasteofhome.com I'll share my recent take at it along with some options.

1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch) (Watch for the crust recipe in an upcoming post!)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup chopped broccoli (The author mentions Asparagus as a broccoli substitute)

3/4 cup onion (Consider green onions or leeks as well)

2 cups chopped spinach 

3 eggs (If you have a surplus of eggs consider hard boiling and dicing three more and mixing in alongside the cheese) 

5 oz evaporated milk

2-3 minced garlic cloves (optional)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (The original calls for 1 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup of feta cheese sprinkled on top)

1/2-1 lb bacon ends crumbled (Consider using sausage, chorizo, or sliced Basil Pesto links. I added part of a leftover smoked shoulder roast, for a saltier cut consider omitting the salt in the recipe)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake crust for 8 minutes and reduce heat to 375 degrees. Dice bacon ends and fry. Saute Mushrooms, broccoli, onion and garlic in bacon grease, lard or olive oil until tender. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in vegetables, cheese and bacon. Pour into crust. Bake 30-35 minutes, and let cool 5 minutes before slicing. 

Pizza

Pizza is the perfect dinner for a Friday night. It has endless options and can be a lot of fun to cook with a few friends. I stick pretty close to the crust recipe out of my Kitchenaid Cookbook (The Complete Kitchenaid Stand Mixer Cookbook). I've made a few alterations. As much as I love making pizza this particulars recipe is a little messy, so just be prepared! It is well worth it!

Crust:

1 1/3 c warm water

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp active dry yeast

3 1/2 c all purpose or bread flour

Combine water and sugar, sprinkle in yeast. Let stand 5-10 minutes. (If you're using a kitchen aid you'll want to attach your dough hook) Combine flour and salt and then stir in yeast mixture until a soft dough forms. Knead on low for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic adding additional flour 1 tbsp as needed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover to rise in a warm place 30 minutes. Punch down the dough, knead on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes. Divide in half and pat into a flat disk and let rest 2-3 minutes.Gently stretch each disk into a 16 inch circle allowing it to rest if it becomes hard to stretch. Transfer onto a baking sheet. (I have doubled the recipe here, and just stretch it as much as you can. I usually leave mine 1/4'' thick. Be gentle with the dough and take your time trying not to tear it. Use the heel of your hand and start in the center slowly pressing out to the edges.)

Pizza Topping:

2 tbsp olive oil

Garlic Powder

Parmesan 

4 cups of mozzerella

1 pint of pizza or spaghetti sauce (We can spaghetti sauce in pint jars specifically for pizza)

Additional Toppings as desired (Onions, peppers, jowl bacon, Italian sausage etc.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Brush olive oil over the crust sprinkle with minced garlic (or powder) this recipe calls for Rosemary, I typically substitute Parmesan cheese. Brush again to coat with oil. Bake 3-4 minutes until the crust is golden. Spread on your sauce as evenly as you can. Sprinkle with cheese, and add toppings. Through the summer we saute onions and peppers along with diced jowl bacon, or bacon ends. We also use pickled banana peppers, pepperoni, salami or slice a linked Italian sausage but you can get as creative as you want! I do recommend an extra sprinkle of Parmesan. Bake again for 3-4 minutes until the crust is golden and cheese is melted. 

Pot Roast

There's nothing better than coming in from the office, or winter chores to a dinner that's ready to eat.  I think that's what makes slow cookers such great kitchen gadgets. If I know I've got a lot on my plate for the day I try to think ahead and throw something in the slow cooker that morning. A lot of folks only fix pot roast using beef, but I've come to prefer the slightly bolder flavor of a pork roast. Thaw your roast in the fridge overnight,. The next morning put it in the crock pot on low along with about 1/2 cup of water, sliced onion, minced garlic, salt, pepper and a few beef bouillon cubes, or omit the water and use beef broth if you've got it on hand. When you get home from work add in the potatoes and carrots. After and an hour or so the veggies should be tender and the roast will be falling off the bone.

3-5 lb Roast (Pork: Boston Butt or Picnic, Beef: Chuck or Arm roast)

1-2 yellow onions

6-8 cloves  garlic (Garlic powder will also do, but I'm a sucker for fresh)

3-6 carrots (To save time you can use baby carrots)

4-6 potatoes (To save time you can use new potatoes) 

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is a classic comfort food perfect for the winter weather! In the fall and winter months we typically have some stewing hens for sale and this is the perfect dish to really appreciate the extra flavor of an older bird. (Also in a smaller household this is a great way to use up leftovers if you prepared a chicken earlier in the week! Just dice it up and throw it in your broth) Whenever we prepare a whole chicken we a stick the entire bird in a large stockpot, add 1/4 tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt along with an onion and some celery and let it boil on low for a few hours. Once the chicken is cooked through let it cool and peel it from the bone. Strain your broth to remove and small particles and add your chicken back in. If it needs more flavor we typically add a few chicken bullion cubes. While that simmers prepare the dumplings. Place the flour, backing powder, and remaining salt in a bowl. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the lard in until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the milk 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Drop the dough into the boiling pot by the teaspoon. Cover the pot and boil for 12 minutes.

1 3-5 lb stewing hen or broiler chicken (whole)

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. salt

Optional: 1 onion

Optional: 3-5 stalks celery

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. lard, cold and coarsely chopped

1 cup milk

This recipe was adapted from "Lard" published by Grit magazine. Make sure to check out their cookbook for more great recipes!

Pan-Fried Pork Chops

I am a firm believer in beautifully grilled pork chop but have trouble convincing my husband of their value in below freezing temperatures. So in desperation I've gotten creative and thought I'd share my newest pork chop passion! 

Farm fresh Pork Chops (Thinner ones will cook faster). Sprinkle with seasonings, I used salt, pepper, Lawry's seasoning salt, and garlic powder but get creative! Coat in a 2:1  mixture all purpose flour and dried onion flakes. I would start with maybe 1/2 c flour and 1/4 c onion depending on how many pork chops you're doing you may need to add more. Heat up a skillet and add some lard or oil. Lay your chops in the pan and turn them every few minutes. Once they're browned on the outside cut one and make sure it's cooked through. Green beans are a perfect side, but anything will do!

Tell us what spices you used to add a little flair to this staple recipe!

Lard not love.

The timeless ingredient in Grandma's cooking was love right? I hate to break it to you, but it was probably lard. Lard from pastured pigs is creamy and buttery and pale white and is a totally different product than what's on grocery shelves. Rendering lard is very easy, just a little time consuming. Pick up a few pounds of leaf lard and take it home and thaw it out. Then dice it into cubes and put it in a roaster or slow cooker on low. After two or three hours open the lid and ladle off the liquid. Put it  through a strainer, or two. Then pour it into a mason jar. In addition to storing some in mason jars I measure out 1 and 2/3 cups and freeze them in small bread pans or plastic containers. Once they're frozen solid you can pop them out and store them in a gallon bag in the freezer ready to go into all of your breads and pies! After about six hours you'll have gotten pretty much all of the lard. You can freeze the remaining chunks of fat for green beans or dog treats. You can freeze lard almost indefinitely or store it in the fridge for easy access. We use it for frying eggs, cooking veggies, brownies, pie crusts and about anything else you can think of! If you need more ways to use it check out the cookbook Lard: The lost art of cooking with your grandmother's secret ingredient.