Do you have a mountain of Zucchini?

If you do have zucchini growing wild in your garden you might want to try this recipe which has become a family favorite. It's a semi-healthy dessert (or at least we like to pretend that it is) because of the whole wheat flour, eggs, milk, and zucchini it has in it. It's easy and yummy!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 c margarine
1/2 c oil
1 3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c grated zucchini
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour (can use all wheat flour if you want to, the white gives it a little lighter texture)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c sour milk (add 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice to milk, let stand 5 minutes before adding to batter)
1/3 - 1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Mix together cocoa and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well, then mix dough for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Make a topping of 3/4 cup each of chocolate chips, brown sugar, and chopped nuts (nuts optional). It's also good with coconut. Sprinkle over the top of the cake batter and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes.

Bonus Recipe: Pasta Frola

Pasta Frola was one of my favorite desserts I remember eating on my mission in Argentina. It's a special treat we would sometimes get at a bakery. I've made it a few times since my mission but this recipe is the best one yet that I've tried.

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c butter, softened
1 egg
2-3 tbsp of milk
quince paste or jam (or another flavor jam of your choice)

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour your pan (either a 9x9 square or 9" round). Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Add the butter and mix until it's uniform and resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and 2 tbsp milk then mix. It shouldn't be too dry or too sticky. Add a little more flour if needed.

Place 2/3 of the dough in the pan. Push the dough out to the edges so it covers the bottom and goes up the sides a little. The dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. Spread a few spoonfuls of jam over the dough. If using quince paste, stir in some warm water to soften the texture before spreading it on the dough.

Roll out remaining 1/3 of dough and cut into strips with a pastry cutter or knife. Lay across the top of the jam and dough in a lattice (criss-cross) pattern. Brush lattice dough lightly with some milk. Bake for about 20 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Enjoy!

My Secret Empanada Recipe

Well, it's not really secret. I actually just pulled it off the internet and made a few slight adjustments to fit my taste. Take a look here at the website I used, it shows some helpful pictures. You can also see my previous post for more pics. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out.

Dough
1 c water
3/4 c butter (real butter, not margarine)
3 to 3 1/2 c flour
2 tsp salt
pinch paprika

Heat water and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter has melted. Mix flour, salt, and paprika in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the warm liquid in and stir. Work the flour into the dough until you get a wet, oily dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Filling
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced (I used green pepper)
1/2 tsp beef bouillon paste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 lb ground beef
salt
1 small potato, peeled, finely diced and boiled
1/3 c raisins
8 green Spanish olives, pitted and chopped (I used black olives)
3 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, bell peppers, bouillon, paprika, red pepper, and cumin until the onions are soft. Add beef, cook until beef is browned. Season to taste with salt. Place filling in a large bowl and cool (I put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes). When cool add potatoes, raisins, olives, scallions, and egg. Mix just before you are ready to roll out the dough.

Preheat oven to 400F. Tear off about 12 golf-ball sized pieces of dough. Roll out dough balls on a lightly floured surface into 5" circles. Place a small handful of filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold over and press edges firmly to seal. Rope pinch the edges tightly (here's a great video that shows you how). Place empanadas on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. They keep well in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer.

Que Rico!

Tonight I had the "sister missionaries" come for dinner...they were actually 2 young women from my ward. The youth had a missionary night to give them the experience of a dinner appointment with a member family. It was a walk down memory lane for me. I was asked to cook something authentic from my mission in Argentina and share mission experiences with them. They shared a message about families from Preach My Gospel.

I chose to make empanadas, basically they are a meat pastry. The dough had to sit in the fridge for a while so I made a classic ground beef filling as the dough set. Yes, I added eggs, raisins, olives, and all that good Argentine flavor!

Then I was ready to roll pastry!

I rolled the dough out it small circles
and put a spoon full of filling in the middle

Then I folded them to tuck the meat inside.
Here they are, ready to go in the oven!

And the finished product...aren't they pretty!

To top it off I made pasta frola...yum!!

It was a fun night and I have to say the food was delicious!

Andrea Bocelli - The Lord's Prayer

"Music is a higher revelation than philosophy." ~Beethoven