ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup wesson or crisco oil
2 cups grated zucchini
3 tsp vanilla
Mix these together and set aside

Mix:
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
2 cups walnuts

Mix both together.

Bake at 350 about 30 min - 45 min

I like to use the small loaf tins and then can wrap up some to freeze or give as gifts

PECAN PRALINES

Stir together
4 cups sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
1 12 oz evaporated milk
1 stick real butter

Cook over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved and begain to take on carmel color.

Add:
3 cups of pecans and stir until cand reaches the softball stage (234-240 degrees)

Remove from heat and add:

1 tsp vanilla

Let cool 15-20 min , then beat until candy becomes very thick and begins to lose its gloss. Quickly drip in spoonsful onto cookie sheet or foil

STRAWBERRY CAKE

Great for Christmas or Valentine's. Also makes great cupcakes.

1 box white cake mix
1 Small box Strawberry jello
1 cup Wesson oil
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup coconut
1 1/2 cup pecans

Mix dry together. Add in oil and milk. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in rest. Bake at 350 about 35-40 min

Icing:
1 stick parkay butter
1/2 cup drained frozen strawberries
1/2 - 1 cup pecans
1/2 cup coconut
Cream butter and sugar and add in rest.

SHRIMP

SHRIMP
PEPPER
BUTTER

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In cassarole pan melt one stick of butter. Leave shrimp in shells. Wash and place on towel. Pepper more than you would even think possible. Black. Place shrimp in melted butter. Bake until pink ( about 5-10 min).
Serve in small bowels with fresh bread or rolls to dip the pepper butter.

Chicken

Okay so I made the easiest chicken tonight that melts in your mouth. It reminds me of a BBQ chicken I guess. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs but I'm sure if you used chicken with bones it would be good too.

1 cup ketchep
1 can of regular coke
1 tsp of worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in casserole dish 9x13 and salt and pepper to taste. In a seperate pot mix all ingred. until boiling and por over chicken. Place in 350 oven for 1 hour.

I placed it over rice and it was wonderful.

What do Texans order in German restaurants?

Mark and Beverly - you'll have to let us know how the food was. This plate looks amazing.

Garden time!

Its time to get hands dirty and get serious about growing our food again. Its a bit early to fertilize, plants are still a bit stressed from the heat and are putting resources into respiration. But it is a good time to get a jumpstart on the greatest time for a Texan wanting to garden, the FALL GARDEN!! Here are a few things that I'm starting now,in not-to-sunny spots. I try and put these guys, especially the leafy guys, in the shade of a summer veg like the okra.

Chard (from plant)

beans (from seed)

cauliflower (plant)

broccoli (plant)

kale (plant)

collards (plant)

kohlrabi (plant)

cucumbers (seed or plant)

summer squash (seed or plant)

carrots (seed)

Margaritas

OK, here's a dangerously addictive margarita recipe that our local liquor store sales clerk cursed us with last week. And while I'm at it, I'll throw in my all time favorite avocado margarita recipe that is for special occasions.

Key lime classic:

1 part key lime juice

1 part BOLS triple sec (BOLS is a brand, and important)

2 parts 100% agave tequila; TRES ALEGRES COMPADRES is the cheapest we've found.

MOST IMPORTANT PART: fill a large glass with all liquid ingredients listed above, and LOTS of ice, then SHAKE IT about 20-30 shakes, in other words, a bunch. This step cuts the lime a bit and chills everything nicely.

Avocado margarita:

Start with a blender FULL of ice, add:

1 large, or 1 and 1/2 small avocados

palm full of destemmed cilantro

8-10 ounces of tequila

12 ounces of mix*

*for the mix, I've usually used a standard store-bought margarita mix, but I'm tempted to substitute it for the BOLS/key lime mix in the above recipe.

Good luck.

French Dark Chocolate Mousse

No cream, no sugar added, just good ol'chocolate and eggs!

Ingredients (4-6 servings)
2 bittersweet (60%) baking chocolate bar (8 oz total)
6 eggs (ambient temperature)

Method
1. Separate the yokes from the whites
2. Beat the yokes in a bowl
3. Break both chocolate bars in small pieces.
4. Slowly melt the chocolate in a sauce pan (or in the microwave) with 3 tbsp of water. Make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and add the yokes to the hot chocolate right away as you stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. The chocolate will start thickening.
5. Beat egg whites until thick. You will get better results if the eggs are at ambient temperature.
6. Transfer the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and incorporate the egg whites one spoon at a time with a wooden spoon keeping the bowl inclined. This is the tricky part; make sure to take your time in order to obtain a thick airy mousse. This step alone should take 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Transfer the chocolate mixture into small individual ramekin or a large family style bowl. Put in the refrigerator for a day (the longer, the better).
8. Garnish with berries and mint for a nice paring with the chocolate.

Bon Appetit!