New England Pasty

This is an American version of the English tradition of pasty, one of my favorite dishes to order at British Beer Company in MA. The New England Pasty has slow roasted turkey breast and cornbread stuffing. This dish includes fries, cranberry sauce and gravy and steamed vegetables.

Zucchini Bread

Our neighbor who is a garden buff gave us two 'gigantic' zucchinis that he harvested from his garden. Click here to see the picture. I can easily make maybe 5 dishes out of it but I'm not that fired up in the kitchen lately so I'm just gonna share with you the easiest dish I came up with - Zucchini Bread. Ok if you're not a vegetable eater, don't get scared, this bread doesn't taste anything like Zucchini at all. The grated Zucchini plus the crushed pineapple added moistness to the bread.

ZUCCHINI BREAD
(click the picture to see how moist the bread is)

INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsps vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

PROCEDURE

1 Preheat oven to 350 deg F. In a mixer, beat eggs. Add oil, sugar and vanilla. Continue beating mixture until thick and foamy. With a spoon, stir in the zucchini and pineapple.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A third at a time, add dry ingredients into wet and gently stir (by hand) after each addition. Add the walnuts and raisins, blend gently.
3. Divide the batter equally betwen 2 greased and flour-dusted 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Cheddar Broccoli Salad

This is a recipe I got from a girlfriend. I normally eat broccoli steamed or stir-fried or as an appetizer in a fresh veggie platter. Here's another way of eating it - just raw in a salad. The original recipe calls for 12 strips of crisp bacon crumbled on top but I replaced it with almond sliver and dried sweet cranberry for a healthier twist.

INGREDIENTS:
6 Cups fresh broccoli florets
1 ½ cups (6oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
¾ cup sugar 3 tbsp red wine vinegar or cider
2 tbsp roasted almond sliver
2 tbsp dried sweet cranberry

PROCEDURE:
1. In a large salad bowl, combine broccoli, cheese & onion.
2. In a separate bowl mix together the mayonnaise, sugar & vinegar. Pour over broccoli mixture & toss to coat.
3. Refrigerate for at least 4 hrs.
4. Just before serving, stir in dried cranberry and almonds.

Kielbasa In Raspberry Preserve Sauce

This is a very hearty appetizer that is so easy to prepare. You just need 4 links of Kielbasa either beef or turkey, sliced into bite pieces and 3 jars of 18 oz Red Raspberry Preserve. Just mix the two ingredients in a crock pot (slow cooker) and cook on high for 4 hours, and you're done! You may think it might be too sweet of an appetizer, but it will have a tangy bite as the saltiness of the kielbasa and the sweetness of the preserve marry together.

Craving For Pancake

I'm not a usual pancake eater for breakfast, I usually go for oatmeal or cereals, but I suddenly craved for this fluffy pancake smothered with butter and syrup, slurp! Here's my entry to Food Friday.

Angel Berry Trifle

This is a very figure-friendly dessert, refreshing and not too sweet, because I used all non-fat or reduced fat ingredients.

ANGEL BERRY TRIFLE

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups cold fat free milk
1 package (1 oz) sugar free- instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup ( 8 oz) fat free - vanilla yogurt
6 oz reduced-fat free cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup reduced fat free-sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 carton (12 oz) reduced- fat free frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 prepared angel food cake (8 inches), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pint each- blackberries, raspberries & blueberries

PROCEDURE:

1. In a small bowl, whisk the milk & pudding mix for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream & vanilla until smooth.
3. Fold in pudding mixture & 1 cup whipped topping.

4. Place a third of the cake cubes in a 4 quart trifle bowl.
5. Top with a third of the pudding mixture, a third of the berries & half of the remaining whipped topping.
6. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining cake, pudding & berries.
7. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Yield: 14 servings