Bloomin' Onion Bread

Fair warning... This is not one of my "healthier" posts.....

*****(Coaches... If you read this, I swear I made it over the summer)****

It is freaking phenomenal though.... So there's that.

I made it as an appetizer for my last night BBQ with my friends at home. Despite the fact that I was also filling myself up on chips and bruschetta, and I knew how (not) good it was for me, I couldn't help from eating half of the loaf by myself... The mass of melty cheesy goodness was too good to resist and everyone there echoed my sentiment... It did not last too long once it was set out.  Just thinking about it is making my mouth water.


Bloomin’ Onion Bread
Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

• 1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
• 12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup finely diced green onion
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds (Ya.. I didn't do this part.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

The original recipe suggested cutting the bread both lengthwise and widthwise (without cutting through the bottom crust) first, but as I was making it I thought perhaps it would be easier to cut it one way first, slip in the cheese slices, and then cut the other way. I thought of it too late to try, but if you do it, let me know how it goes.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Zucchini Mania

So you know how I mentioned that my friend Alexa has a neighbor with an awesome garden? Well I went over for a visit today, and we decided we needed to do a little something-something with her zucchini surplus.

Conveniently, she had just found an excellent Healthy Zucchini Muffin recipe on Pinterest.  I almost messed it up by just reading down the ingredients list instead of following the directions... luckily caught myself before things got too out of hand (I re-ordered the ingredients for you in this edition, but make sure you still follow the directions).

I was always a really picky eater growing up, and never would have tried zucchini anything, but college has really expanded my palate. Good thing, cause these muffins were the BOMB. Even after stuffing my face with Olive Garden it was hard to limit myself to just one... and even though we used oil instead of applesauce, they aren't THAT bad for you.

......At least that's what I keep telling myself. ;)

Healthy Zucchini Muffins
Recipe from Julie's Eats and Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. grated zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 c. applesauce, unsweetened (We used Canola Oil)
• Cinnamon and sugar for topping (optional) 

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. In a different bowl, combine grated zucchini, eggs, vanilla and applesauce (or oil... applesauce is healthier, we just didn't have any). Stir well to combine the wet ingredients. 

Gently stir wet ingredients into flour mixture until just combined. The original recipe warned, "Be careful not to overwork this - it will lead to dense muffins and no one wants those!" (That means all the little bumps do not need to be mixed in Alexa).

Fill lined or greased muffins tins about 3/4 full. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on for topping. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.

S'mores Puppy Chow

Puppy Chow... Muddy Buddies... Whatever you want to call them, they are delicious.

Made it through my final preseason of college volleyball... I know it is only the first week of the season but I feel accomplished after sitting out for two years for ACL reconstructions.  Every year during preseason we go on a retreat (every other year it is a trip, but this year it was a one-night stay at a camp about an hour from campus). On the retreat, we get teamed up into meal groups and have a little friendly competition making the different meals for everyone. It was actually during last year's competition that I kind of conceptualized the idea for this blog (My group made this awesome lemon garlic-roasted chicken with green beans that I have been meaning to post for a while... Promise I'll get to it). This is my fifth preseason (man, I'm getting old), and it has pretty much always ended up that I've been placed in the dinner group (usually for dessert my group would make fruit pizza--another recipe I should definitely post--which got interesting on our trip to Puerto Rico when our oven wasn't working). This year, I got breakfast. We made The Incredibly Easy Breakfast Bake, which I thought would be good to make the night before, cover, and then just have to heat up in the morning. Unfortunately, our epic game of capture the flag went late, so we just had to get up earlier to throw it all together.

We also had to make a snack for around the campfire following said Capture the Flag game. We considered S'mores--I mean we were around a campfire, what else would you snack on? But then Courtney (the genius behind the Pizza Crescents and reigning Superbowl Cook-Off Champion) found this little gem on pinterest. A whole slew of Puppy Chow recipes including.... dun dun dun... S'mores! It was so so so good (It was hard to take a picture because the girls in our group couldn't help themselves from snacking on it while we made it). It was great because we made it before,  portioned it out into baggies, and then passed the bags out around the campfire.

Special thanks of course to my amazing group: Courtney, Jordan, Anjali, and Kate

I wish I had gotten a photo of Adam, one of our assistant coaches, roasting the mini marshmallows over the fire and stacking them between golden grahams.

S'mores Puppy Chow
Recipe from Your Cup of Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 cups rice Chex cereal
• 1 cup milk chocolate melts or chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup brownie mix (from the box--or a combination of powdered sugar and cocoa powder)
• 3 cups Golden Grahams
• 3 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Measure out Chex cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Pour over cereal and fold until covered. Dump into a large plastic bag, pour brownie mix over cereal and shake until coated (Note: we didn't have a big bowl, so we threw everything into the bag a step early, shaking and kneading it until covered with chocolate and then adding the brownie mix).

Pour onto a cookie sheet and let cool (not sure how long we actually did this... the kitchen we were in was a MILLION degrees so I think we just kept cookin' along).

Dump into a large bowl and add the golden grahams and marshmallows. Mix everything together and viola! Perfection :D

The original recipe also suggested some variations, including substituting 1 cup crushed graham crackers/golden grahams for the brownie mix (I personally don't know why you would do that.. the brownie mix was the best part)... you could also coat the marshmallows in melted chocolate.

Anjali, one of our freshmen,
 shaking things up

Sautéed Zucchini

Maybe this is a sign of maturity... Or maybe just of getting older (and poorer)... But instead of meeting friends out for dinner at a restaurant, I've been really into meeting at someone's house, everyone bringing a part of the meal, and cooking together.  Not only is it a great way to hang out and make a healthy meal, it's also an awesome excuse to pick their minds on different recipes and try new things (without the risk of not liking something but still having to fork over the cash when the check comes).  Going into my final preseason, I've really been trying to find nutritious food options.   Unfortunately, when it comes to veggies, I've always been extremely picky (you may have noticed my main choices in vegetable related recipes are usually onions and bell peppers).  

Meet Alexa

My best friend Alexa just moved into a new apartment and one of her neighbors has a massive garden.  She lucked out because he puts out a bucket every day with the extra fresh veggies that are overflowing his plot for the neighbors to take their pick of.  I wish I had taken a picture of the GIANT zucchini she cut up today, but I was distracted by the sheer size of it-it was like twice the size of my head.  Anyways, we felt like a blast from the past so we heated up a bag of frozen chicken nuggets, but we added some grown up touches.  A microwave bag of edamame, a can of corn, and this awesome zucchini.

Sautéed Zucchini
Ingredients:

• Zucchini (Sliced and Quartered)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Seasoning Salt
• Garlic Powder 

Directions:

According to Alexa, this is a recipe where you really have to "channel your inner Italian and just do what you feel"

Pour some olive oil into a sauté pan (about a tablespoon, enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan) and place over medium heat (or high, depending on how quickly you want it to cook).

Toss in the zucchini and sprinkle on the seasonings (feel free to experiment and change things up based on your personal taste).  Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini starts becoming translucent.  Timing varies based on heat and  "Done" is based on personal preference, but I prefer overcooked to undercooked when it comes to stuff like this.

Side Note:

Sorry this isn't one of my more measurement-accurate recipes, but it is a great thing to try to experiment with as a new side dish. Super easy and tasty. It is also idea to add some yellow squash or other vegetables for a delicious and nutritious side dish. 

Snickerdoodle Bars

This is a new family favorite. My mom has me making it for bunko parties and dinner parties, I even made it one night just to bring into work and surprise everyone because it was so easy.

My sister calls this "Cookie Crack" and after a few bites you will probably agree... It is so good and super easy, even though it looks (and tastes) gourmet.

I actually have a mixer while I'm here at home, but whisking quickly can be substituted for beating on high speed. ;)

The original recipe can be found at Jasey's Crazy Daisy.


Snickerdoodle Bars

Ingredients
2 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon Filling
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or grease the bottom only of a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat butter on high speed until creamy. Beat in sugars. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with Cinnamon Filling evenly over batter. Dollop teaspoons of remaining batter evenly over Cinnamon Filling. Gaps are okay, they let the filling peek through leaving a fun marbled look.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars. Cut and enjoy!