Surprise Recipe Swap

 

Welcome to the Surprise Recipe Swap hosted by Jutta at Hungry Little Girl.  The SRS (Surprise Recipe Swap) is a wonderful opportunity to meet other bloggers, build blogging friendships and explore others recipes.

Here is how it works:

Each month on the 1st you will be assigned to another participating blogger. You will then visit their blog and pick a recipe you want to cook or bake and post about it.  Posting day is always the 20th of the month!   You are not supposed to tell the blogger you are assigned to, that you are making something of their page.  Your post has to have the SRS posting format (very simple instructions will be send to you, once you get approved) and should include link backs to the original recipe, pictures and of course your own opinion!  You will be assigned to a new partner each month, so that you never have the same link backs.

This month I was assigned to Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom.  Nicole is a wife, mother, and farmer.  This is a woman after my own heart.  As I get older I have this crazy desire to sell everything, and move away from everyone.  I want to buy a small farm and get back to basics.  My husband thinks I'm crazy but I keep dreaming about it!

I loved Nicole's blog.  She has some great recipes posted and I loved the pictures of the farm.  I really liked several of the recipes but when I came across Grandma Jessie's Zucchini Cake, I knew this was the recipe I had to make.  I love recipes that have been handed down.  Here is the recipe:

GRANDMA JESSIE'S ZUCCHINI CAKE:

3 eggs                                                                                        
2 cups sugar

1 cup oil                                                                                     
2 cups ground/shredded zucchini,  (including rind & seeds, packed)

2 cups flour                                                                                

¼ teaspoon baking powder                                                       
2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt                                                                          
2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons vanilla                                                                   
1 cup nuts

Beat the eggs.  Add sugar, oil, and zucchini and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into greased 9x13 cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

GLAZE:

1 cup sugar                                                                             
½ cup evaporated milk

6 tablespoons margarine or butter                                          
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine ingredients in small saucepan and boil 2 minutes.  Pour over warm cake.

This cake was easy, and delicious.  I loved how the edges of the cake crisped up.  I kept dunking it in the glaze.  YUM!  Check out Nicole's blog - you won't be disappointed.

Surprise Recipe Swap

It's that time of the month again - Surprise Recipe Swap.  Each month I am paired with a blogger.  I get to check out their blog and pick a recipe to cook.  Another blogger looks at my blog and cooks one of my recipes.  It is so much fun!  Thanks to Jutta from Hungry Little Girl for organizing this every month!

This month I was paired with Jenni from Jenni's Ferris Wheel of Food.  I really liked her blog.  It not only had recipes, but I got to sneak a peek at some crafts she was working on.  Jenni is a woman after my own heart!

I chose to cook her recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies.  They looked so good!  Here are the ingredients:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
2 Tbsp granulated sugar (for topping)
2 tsp cinnamon (for topping)

In your mixer, combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Slowly add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until all is combined.  Stir in the cinnamon chips.  I didn't have cinnamon chips, so I added chocolate chips.

Press into a 9x13 pan that is well greased. 

Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.  Sprinkle on top.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Let the blondies cool and then cut into squares.

These were so good!  Check out Jenni's blog!  You won't be disappointed.

 

Surprise Recipe Swap

It's that time again!  Each month I sign up for the Surprise Recipe Swap, hosted by Jutta at Hungry Little Girl.  Jutta gives each participant a partner.  We check out that blog and pic a recipe to cook and share.

This month I was paired with Sheena from Hot Eats and Cool Reads.  Sheena is a woman after my own heart.  Her blog is filled with some great recipes and book reviews.  I love to cook and to read!

I chose to cook her recipe for Blueberry Pie Bars.  YUM!

Here are the ingredients you need:

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks chilled butter, cubed

Filling:

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup flour
Pinch of salt
3 cups blueberries

This recipe is super easy and the results are worth it!  To begin I made the crust.  I put all of the ingredients in my food processor and pulsed until the mixture was crumbly.  Set aside 3/4 of this mixture for the topping.  Press the remaining crust in the bottom of a well greased 8 by 11 pan.

Confession time:  I love crust and I love topping!  So, I made two batches of the crust so that I could have a thicker crust and lots of topping!

Cook the crust in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

In the meantime, mix all of the ingredients for the filling, except the blueberries.  Stir the blueberries in right before you are ready to bake.  Pour the filling over the crust.

Sprinkle the topping over the filling

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the filling is set and the topping is golden brown.

Chill for 1 hour before serving.

These bars are great!  Check out Sheena's blog to find some great recipes and good books to read!

Surprise Recipe Swap

This is 2nd month participating in the Surprise Recipe Swap, hosted by Jutta from Hungry Little Girl.
This is a great way to check out other blogs and try some new recipes.

I was fortunate enough to get paired with Ashley from Cheese Curd In Paradise.  I loved looking at the recipes on her blog.  There are a variety of recipes to try.  Her Mexican recipes caught my eye, but I couldn't decide which one to make so I combined two of them!

I decided to make Chicken Enchiladas.  Here are the ingredients:

for enchilada sauce:

 

1 Tbl olive oil

1 Tbl flour

1 can (28 oz) red enchilada  sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbl chopped cilantro

4 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper

3 green onions, sliced
1/2 small can of green chilis
1 bag of Mexican cheese
1 bag of flour or corn tortillas

To begin, I combined the spices and sprinkled them on the chicken.  I grilled the chicken, let it cool and cut it into small pieces.  I then combined the chilis, and green onions with the chicken.

While the chicken was cooking, I made the sauce.  First I took 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and combined that with the flour.  In a sauce pan, I combined all other ingredients, heating them to the boiling point.  When the ingredients are hot, add the chicken stock with the flour.  This will thicken the sauce.

Now you are ready to make the enchiladas.  Take a flour or corn tortilla, put some of the chicken mixture, along with some cheese.  Roll it up and put it seam side down in an oven proof pan.

Add the enchilada sauce on top.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top.

 They were really good!  Check out Ashley's blog!  It is one of my favorites!