Whipped Feta

Not long ago, I really enjoyed Whipped Feta alongside vegetables at a restaurant. The Whipped Feta added a fancy touch to the vegetables. Whipped Feta can be used as a topping, a dip, or a spread. I served this along with zucchini fritters, but it is also good on bread or crackers.

When I made this Whipped Feta, I did not add any seasoning. The basic recipe is delicious on its own. But, it could be made with fresh or dried herbs such as oregano, mint, or parsley. It could also be made with sweet additions such as honey or chopped fruit. When serving the Whipped Feta, you can serve it with a bit of olive oil on top along with seasonings or nuts.

Whipped Feta 

• 8 ounce block of feta
• 3/4 cup Greek Yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• optional seasonings

Rinse feta block in water. Crumble the feta into a food processor. Add the yogurt and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters

When the backyard garden creates an abundance, it can be challenging to know what to do with all the produce. This summer, my zucchini plants have been producing monster zucchini. After giving one of these monster zucchini to a neighbor, she shared that she used it to make zucchini fritters. Similar to potato pancakes, these fritters use shredded zucchini, eggs, and flour to make a tasty treat. Recently, I made these zucchini fritters for a Buckley family get together for Mom's 81st birthday. The fritters were a hit. I thought I had made too many, but there were just a few left over. 

The basic recipe can be seasoned however you want. I just used ground pepper. But I think cinnamon or nutmeg would be delicious too. In preparing the zucchini, after shredding it, you may need to drain it to remove some excess water. As I was shredding the zucchini, I placed it in a colander, sprinkled it with salt, and used a paper towel to squeeze out extra moisture. The recipe below can be easily adjusted based on the amount of shredded zucchini that you have. When I made these, I made smaller fritters; you could make them any size you want.

Zucchini Fritters 

• 4 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• oil for pan frying

Shred the zucchini and drain out excess water by sprinkling it with salt and squeezing out water. In a large bowl, mix shredded zucchini, eggs, flour, and pepper. Add a small amount of oil to a heavy bottom skillet. Heat the skillet on medium heat. Drop the zucchini mixture by large spoonful and slightly flatten and shape the fritter. Saute for three to five minutes per side. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Pizzelles

Pizzelles are a favorite dessert, especially in the summer. Classic vanilla pizzelles are terrific, but so are the various flavors. So far, I have tried: Anise, Vanilla Orange, Chocolate, Orange Rum, Coffee, Maple, Cardamom, and Chocolate Mint. This version feature cinnamon and is another great addition to pizzelle variations.

When I was a kid, I did not like cinnamon all that much. But now, I love cinnamon and often add it to many things, such as oatmeal or coffee. The cinnamon pizzelles have great flavor. They would be delicious served with ice cream.

Cinnamon Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powdered sugar for dusting, optional

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the cooled butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Sift in the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture. The batter should be stiff enough to drop by spoon.

Heat up the electric pizzelle iron. Drop a teaspoon of batter onto each grid pattern and close the pizzelle iron. The pizzelles will be ready in about one minute. Remove the pizzelle with tongs and allow to cool on a flat surface for flat pizzelles or immediately shape. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Strawberry Brigadeiros

The Chocolate Brigadeiros were such a hit that I had to try some other flavors. This version is strawberry. The only difference was that I used crushed freeze-dried strawberries, instead of chocolate powder. I had originally intended to completely crush the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder, but I ended up leaving some small bits that added a nice touch to the final brigadeiros.

Just as with the chocolate version, while making these candies, continuous stirring is key. In fact, for some reason, this time the candy thickened very quickly and I had to aggressively stir to avoid burning the candy. I used multicolored sprinkles for these Brigadeiros. The sprinkles make it easier to eat because the candy can become a bit sticky. 

Strawberry Brigadeiros 

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tbsp.  crushed freeze-dried strawberries
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• dash of salt
• sprinkles
• mini baking cups for serving

Butter a large plate and set aside. In a heavy bottom pan, heat the sweetened condensed milk, strawberry powder, butter, and salt on medium for about 15 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to stir. The mixture will slowly thicken. It is done when the spoon runs through the middle and it does not run back together for about 3 seconds. Pour the mixture onto the buttered plate and refrigerate for one hour. Set up mini baking cups and a bowl of sprinkles. Before rolling the dough into balls, butter your hands. Use about a tablespoon of dough to create a ball, then roll each ball in sprinkles. Place each Brigadeiro in a mini baking cup. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Tiger Cookies

This recipe has a surprise ingredient of crushed frosted flakes which give the cookies a nice crunch. In some ways, this recipe reminds me of potato chip cookies, but a bit sweeter. I suspect that Mom found this recipe from a Kellogg's Frosted Flakes box. 

These cookies are very easy to make. I followed the directions and used frosted flakes. But other cereals, such as corn flakes, could easily be used to add a nice crunch to the cookies. When I made these cookies, I used dark chocolate chips because that it what I had on hand. I even made a few cookies without the chocolate for certain people who do not like chocolate. The non-chocolate cookies were just as delicious as the chocolate cookies.

Tiger Cookies 

• 3 cups frosted flakes
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips, melted

Crush frosted flakes down to about one and half cups. Sift together the flour, soda, and salt. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients; mix thoroughly. Fold in the crushed frosted flakes. Swirl warm melted chocolate lightly through batter, leaving streaks of chocolate. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 about 12 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool. Enjoy!  

Baked Eggs, Mexican style

With my first bell peppers from the garden, I decided to make this recipe. It was a surprising household hit, so it might make it into the regular rotation. At MDS's suggestion, I may try to add sausage to the bread and vegetable mix. This recipe gives these baked eggs a Mexican flavor, but adjustments could be made to create other flavors

I did not have six-ounce baking dishes, so I used a muffin pan. I did learn that large eggs might be a bit too large for muffin tins, so next time, I will make more of the vegetable and bread mix and make some additional baked eggs using the extra egg whites. When I made this recipe, after adding the eggs, I did not have room to add tomato juice, so I used powdered tomato bouillon instead. Also, instead of cheddar cheese, I used cotija cheese, which is something like a Mexican Parmesan cheese. And because this recipe is a bit of work, I might make more and store some for later. I did not try to freeze any from this batch, but I bet they will freeze well.

Baked Eggs, Mexican Style 

• 1 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2-3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 9 slices white bread, cubed
• 6 extra large eggs
• 6 tablespoons tomato juice
  
• 1/2 cup grated cheese

Saute the onion, green pepper and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in seasonings; simmer for five minutes. Stir in bread cubes. Spoon into 6 buttered six-ounce baking dishes, pressing firmly on bottoms and sides. Break egg into center of each. Spoon 1 tablespoon of tomato juice over each egg; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until egg is set. Enjoy!

Grilled Pineapple

Mom recently went to a fundraiser for Haymarket Center. She brought home the menu because she thought I might like a bunch of the dishes served. She was right. One interesting item was the salad with grilled pineapple. I had not thought about grilling pineapple before, so I had to give it a try. I used canned pineapple for its convenience. Fresh pineapple could easily be used as well. I thought that using slices was easier to flip than using chunks, but chunks would grill up just fine. This salad was a great use of the grilled pineapple. I also think grilled pineapple could be used as a dessert when served with ice cream or cake.

Grilling pineapple is quite easy. I used my grill pan on the stovetop. You could also use an outdoor grill. The salad from Mom's menu called for some fancy items, like Boston Bibb, Radicchio, Arugula, Frisse, shaved almonds, Peruvian peppers, tomato garnish, Gouda cheese, and red wine vinaigrette. I was able to recreate the salad. I did have to use regular sweet pepper. I also could not find frisse, which is a type of endive. But otherwise, the salad was delicious.  

Grilled Pineapple 

• 1 can pineapple sliced, drained
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• olive oil or butter for grill pan

Place the pineapple slices in a ziplock bag. Mix the lime juice and brown sugar together; pour into the ziplock bag. Allow the pineapple to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Heat a grill pan greased with olive oil or butter. Place the slices on the pan and grill for three to five minutes per side. Serve on a salad. Enjoy!