the Cooking Thymes - Ease Into The Day

Apple Butter Zucchini Bread Recipe

Muse — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:57:51 GMT

Made with pure fruit, no sugar apple butter, this zucchini bread is moist and flavorful. The bread is a nice addition to a summer salad or brunch. Extra loaves freeze nicely

Ingredients

2 cups white granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon good quality vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini with skin
½ cup Biesterveld’s All Fruit Apple Butter
1/3 cup orange juice
3 cups King Arthur Bread Flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Grease and flour 2 9” loaf pans…or use Wilton Cake Release to coat the pans.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Beat until well blended.

On low speed, blend in shredded zucchini, apple butter and orange juice.

Blend in flour, soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon until combined. You may want to mix these ingredients in a small bowl first before adding to the batter to get an even distribution of ingredients.

Stir in nuts.

Pour evenly into the loaf pans. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove bread from the loaf pans and allow to cool completely on baking racks.

The Muse Gourmet

Easy Cream Cheese Danish Recipe

Muse — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 03:26:12 GMT

Create and assortment of fresh pastries in under 30 minutes

The Muse Gourmet

Fruit Smoothie

Muse — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Fall back, Spring Ahead. Don't forget to move your clock ahead this weekend.

If you're looking to get back a little time, or would like a quick weekday breakfast, a smoothie is a good choice.

This one is good for the whole family. Kids love to help make these, and the limited number of ingredients make clean up a breeze.

The key to flavor is the All Fruit Spread. Be sure to pick a natural spread with lots of chunky fruit.

The Muse Gourmet

Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Muse — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:45:58 GMT

A quick, healthy pick me up. Be sure to use an all fruit spread that is naturally sweetened only with fruit…no added sugar.

The Muse Gourmet

Hatch Chili Bacon and Egg Cupcakes

Muse — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:26:18 GMT

All of this blogging has motivated me to do something I’ve never done before…enter a recipe contest.

Central Market, one of my favorite stores, sponsored a Hatch Green Chili Recipe contest in honor of Hatch chili season. I wanted to come up with something a little unusual, yet adaptable for a variety of ingredients. I was inspired by a recent cupcake baking spree and a craving for quiche.

It just goes to prove, you can never predict the source of your inspiration!

While I don’t know the outcome of the contest yet, I can tell you that my recipe passed an important first test. My husband. He loved it. Hope you do as well! And…I’ll keep you posted on the contest.

The Muse Gourmet

Hatch Chili Bacon and Egg Cupcakes Recipe

Muse — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:14:32 GMT

Cupcakes for breakfast??? What could be better! Substitute ham or sausage for the turkey bacon to add variety. Green pepper or broccoli may also be used in place of the corn. These cupcakes even make a nice light dinner. Call them mini quiche; add a glass of chilled white wine and dinner is served.

The Muse Gourmet

Kid Friendly Granola

Muse — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:16:02 GMT

Like granola? Looking for an easy project to do with the kids? This granola recipe makes the very best granola I've ever had...hands down! And, the best part...it's sooo easy. My son practically made this recipe by himself.

Simply start with a few simple ingredients. If you're doing this with children, it's handy to find a work space that's at their level.

Measure the dry oats, coconut, brown sugar and nuts into a large bowl and stir. Then measure in the wet ingredients and stir again.

Spread the granola on a lined baking sheet and bake.

When the granola is baked, transfer to a large bowl and add your favorite dried fruits.

The Muse Gourmet

Kid Friendly Granola Recipe

Muse — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:15:07 GMT

Easy to make and even easier to change up with your favorite ingredients, this granola recipe is the best tasting granola I’ve ever made.

The Muse Gourmet

Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu

Muse — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:37:10 GMT

Asparagus is typically in season April - June. But lately, there has been an abundance of tender sweet asparagus in the local grocery stores. I thought I'd pull out one of my favorite early summer recipes.

I love asparagus. It's one of those foods that's fun to eat. And it's light. Perfect for the dog days of summer.

My Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe is nice for a quick dinner or a summer brunch. As I'm typing this I'm thinking about oven roasted rosemary potatoes, creamy scrambled eggs and one of these chicken roll ups. I know what I'm making for Sunday breakfast...

Trim asparagus spears to be roughly the same length.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add trimmed asparagus spears. Boil 2 minutes. Immediately transfer asparagus to an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain.

With a very sharp knife, cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 2 thin cutlets out of each breast. Pound each cutlet to create an even thickness across the breast.

Begin to layer remaining ingredients on top of chicken breast cutlets. Begin by spreading 1 Tablespoon of pesto on each piece of chicken. Top with cheese, prosciutto and 4-5 asparagus spears.

Starting on one side of the chicken breast, begin to roll up ingredients around the asparagus. If the rolls do not stay together, secure with a toothpick. Season roll ups with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken rolls and cover. Cook 4-5 minutes. Turn the roll ups. Cover. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until chicken is done.

The Muse Gourmet

Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

Muse — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:15:49 GMT

Ham and cheese stuffed chicken breasts wrapped around crunchy, sweet asparagus with fresh herbs and a hint of nutty pesto. Good for a light dinner or brunch.

The Muse Gourmet

Oven Cooked Bacon

Muse — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:09:38 GMT

The only way that I cook bacon anymore is in the oven. It doesn’t splatter, allows the grease to drip off the bacon, cooks evenly across the slice, and doesn’t cause the bacon to curl up. And…it makes for easy clean up. What’s better?

The Muse Gourmet

Where to blogin?

Muse — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:31:12 GMT

I'm trying to decide which recipe to chat about. I've got a few good ones from Easter, but it's already well past the holiday, so they're not going to be of much help to ya now.

So...what's coming up??? Ah yes. I have it. Sunday!

Whether you chose to celebrate Sunday as the Sabbath or not, Sunday is a good day for kicking back and doing something you enjoy. Leisurely reading the paper, watching the sunrise, hanging around the house in your jammies, watching movies, visiting with friends. I don't think any of use take enough time to do stuff like that; but, this recipe will definetly get your morning off to a good start!

I can't think of anyone that would be disappointed with these rolls. They are a cinch to make and worth every calorie.

By the way, before I forget to mention it, some of you may call these sticky buns. I've always preferred to call these what they are...cinnamon rolls with a caramel topping. (Psst...I use the same cinnamon roll recipe whether I top them with caramel or use a frosting glaze.)

The Muse Gourmet

Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Pecan Topping

Muse — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:23:08 GMT

What makes a good cinnamon roll recipe anyway? For me it has to be quick and easy, have lots of good cinnamon flavor baked into the roll and be worth the calories when I eat it. I won't eat an average cinnamon roll. Just won't waste the calories on it. It's like eating a day old Cinnabon. Why bother?

The Muse Gourmet

Potica Rolls Recipe

Muse — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:26:41 GMT

Potica (pronounced paw teet zah) is traditional Slovenian nut bread. My mother, grandmother and aunts would all make their variation of this family favorite for the holidays. Roll dough on waxed paper that’s been taped to the counter for easy clean up. The recipe may also be cut in half… use an 8x8 baking pan.

The Muse Gourmet

Amish Country Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Muse — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:33:18 GMT

This recipe is from an old Amish mother, who happened to teach me to read The Little Red Hen. It is, for all accounts, impossible to mess up this pumpkin bread recipe. It has been made by dozens in my lifetime, and no one, …absolutely no one, has ever had this recipe flop.

The Muse Gourmet

Oven French Toast

Muse — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:10:55 GMT

French toast has always been something I prefer to enjoy on a casual morning (meaning I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen that day). Here’s a recipe that you can make the night before (I usually make this up after we’re finished with supper). The French toast is flavorful and moist enough that you don’t even need syrup.

The Muse Gourmet