Zucchini Bread

'Tis the season ...

NOTES:

• This is obviously a well-used recipe but I never noticed until today that it says "ground" zucchini (or that I misspelled it for that matter).  Anyway, I always shred it.
• Freezes well.

Rose's Lime Substitute

Only without the high fructose corn syrup.

2 cups lime juice
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water

Heat water in the microwave or on the stove until almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. (You just made simple syrup.) Let cool. Mix with lime juice. Your sweetened lime juice will keep a couple of weeks in the fridge.

For future reference, or if you want to make a smaller amount, the ratio of sugar to water in simple syrup is 3:2. In sweetened lime juice, the ratio of lime juice to simple syrup is 2:1.

Same goes for making your own sour mix. Substitute lemon juice for lime juice and you’ve got homemade sour mix. It’s that easy.

NOTES:

• I'm drinking a gin gimlet as I type this.
• I recommend Hendrick's Gin for this purpose.  1:1 ratio.
• Couldn't be easier.
• I made a half batch and stored it in an 8 ounce lime juice bottle saved for this purpose.  (Plus I had enough left over for a couple drinks.)
• Source

Peaches and Cream French Toast

1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
2 tbsp reserved juice from canned peaches
1 29 oz can of peaches, drained
1 French baguette, cubed
8 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
12 eggs
1 1/2 c half-n-half
1 tsp vanilla

Heat butter, sugar and peach juice in saucepan until bubbly.  Pour into a 13x9 inch casserole dish.  Scatter peach slices over caramel sauce.  Top with bread cubes then pieces of cream cheese.  Place eggs, half-n-half, and vanilla in blender; blend to combine.  Pour egg mixture over bread and cream cheese.  Cover and refrigerate at least an hour but preferably overnight.  Bake, uncovered, in 350F oven for 50-60 minutes.

NOTES:

• I made a 1/2 batch in a smaller baking dish and it was just right for 5.
• I had some leftover croissants that I used instead of a baguette.  Worked well.
• I cut up the peaches so they would distribute better.
• Very good - not as sweet as expected.  Would definitely make it again.
• Source.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Additional sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
• Roll into 1-1/2-in. balls, then roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. 
• Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. 
• Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Notes

• The only real change I made was to add about 1/3 cup (or maybe a little more) of chopped ginger root left over from this recipe.  (Yes, it has been in my freezer since 11-10 and it's still delicious!)  Because of that, I reduced the powdered ginger to 1 tsp.
• Source

Classic Lemon Bars

Crust:
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Filling:
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt


To make crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the dry crust ingredients. Process briefly until they're mixed.  Add butter to processor and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 10 seconds. If you don't have a food processor, whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and work into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingers.

Pour crust mixture into sprayed (or buttered) cake pan, pressing down with your fingers to create a 1/4-inch-thick layer along the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides, pressing firmly at the edges to seal. Transfer pan to freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to 350 degree oven and bake, rotating pan once during baking, until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and flour; stir in lemon juice, milk, and salt until well combined.

Remove baking pan from oven. Stir topping and pour into warm crust. Return pan to oven and continue baking until topping is just set but not browned, about 20 minutes.

NOTES:

• Original source here.  
• It's rare to find a recipe from a professional source, yet so poorly written.   The filling and crust ingredients are randomly jumbled together and there is no effort made to differentiate which measurement of salt and flour goes with which part of the recipe.  I divided it into what I did above and it worked, for what it's worth.
• Also, the original recipe starts with having you turn on the oven and then tells you to mix the crust and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.  It takes my oven about 5 minutes to pre-heat, so I also adjusted that direction as well.
• The crust calls for 1 1/2 tsp. of salt which is definitely on the high side.  It does make kind of an interesting combination with the sour topping, but feel free to divide that amount in half if you don't think you'd like that.  Really, it would be good either way.
• Despite the writing, the bars are delicious and the crust has a nice shortbread quality that is still firm the next day.