Joann G's Zucchini Bread

My friend Joann G gave us a loaf of this bread one year for Christmas.  It was delicious.  I begged for the recipe and here it is.  I hope my loaf is as tasty as hers!

3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pecan pieces

• Grease/flour two loaf pans.
• Cream together eggs and sugar.
• Add oil and vanilla.
• Add zucchini.
• Stir dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients.
• Add chopped pecans.
• Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Cranberry Congealed Salad

2 small boxes red Gelatin Dessert (I use black cherry or raspberry.)
1 large can of whole berry cranberry sauce
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 orange sliced or chunked (or a drained can of mandarin oranges)
1/2 cup (or more) chopped pecans

• Prepare gelatin according to package directions by boiling two cups water and dissolving gelatin.
• Mix pineapple (do not drain!) and cranberry sauce together.
• Sprinkle pecans over top of pineapple/cranberry mixture.
• Pour gelatin mixture into fruit mixture and stir well.
• Refrigerate till gelatin is a jellied state and stir to blend pecans that have floated to top into the entire mix.
• Refrigerate till set and serve cold.

Pumpkin Pecan Pound Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 box vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 can pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Mix cake mix and vanilla pudding mix together in a large mixing bowl.
• Add vegetable oil, water, and eggs and mix well.
• Mix in pumpkin. 
• Fold in pecans.
• Spray bundt pan and pour mixture into pan.
• Bake 45 minutes.

This tastes like a sweet bread.  You could top with a dollup of whipped cream cheese.  I got this recipe from a teacher-friend, Amanda Lemmons.  She makes it with bananas instead of pumpkin.  She says she has also used a chocolate cake mix with the bananas to make chocolate-banana cake.  I have added pureed strawberries before and glazed witha powdered sugar glaze.  I have also replaced the pumpkin with apples and glazed with a caramel glaze before.  It is a versatile recipe and a baked cake freezes well!

Fall Treat!

Cheese Ring

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small onion, finely chopped

• Combine cheese, pecans, and onion in a large mixing bowl.
• Fold in mayonnaise.
• Mold into a ring or place in a lightly greased 5 or 6 cup ring mold.
• Chill overnight.
• Place ring on a serving plate.
• Fill center of ring with strawberry preserves.
• Serve with your favorite crackers.

My mother-in-law makes this same cheese ring spread but serves it with pepper jelly in the center.  This changes it from a salty/sweet combination to a creamy/tart combination.  Both renditions are delicious and easy!

You can find my mother-in-law's recipe in the Nolensville Historical Society's Recipes and Memorieso of Nolensville Cookbook.

Sea Turtles

This recipe was published in the 2011 edition of Christmas With Southern Living. 

4 cups chopped pecans
2 (11 oz.) packages of caramels
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (4 oz.) chocolate baking bars, chopped
1/4 cup shortening, divided in half
2 (4 oz.) white chocolate baking bars, chopped

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake pecans in a single layer in a large jelly-roll pan 5-6 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.  Cool completely.
• Melt caramel and cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Drop 1 Tablespoon of caramel mixture at a time over pecans and chill 10 minutes or till caramel is firm.

• Carefully lift candies and transfer to a serving platter.

• Redistribute pecans on pan and repeat proceture if needed spooning caramel mix over pecans.
• Microwave white chocolate and half of shortening on high 30 seconds until melted and stir till smooth.
• Spoon  1 Tablespoon chocolate mix onto each candy.

• Repeat melting and spooning procedure with chocolate.
• Let candies harden at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Makes about two and a half dozen candies.