Silkiest Butter Pecan Ice Cream-No Ice Cream Maker Needed

Photo Courtesy J.M. Smucker

I'm guest blogging today over at my college freshman roomate's site. Are you ready for a little break from zucchini? I was saving something extra special for Aunt Spicy's blog. This Butter Pecan ice cream is absolute heaven, and best of all you won't need an ice cream maker. Now, I've made ice cream without an ice cream maker before-but this is in an entirely different league. The secret to the creamy texture is.....wait a second! Head over here and you can find out all about it. And trust me, you're going to want some on the end of your spoon for the rest of the summer. Be back tomorrow with more zukes...

Grilled Steak and Zucchini with Maple Chile Butter

Tomorrow the forecast calls for 112 degrees for the high and 84 degrees for the low. The forecast here during the next couple of months demonstrates very little variety: Sunny, Sunny, Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. Once in a while, they throw in a "Mostly Sunny," just for variety. I love summer, I really do, but those days when you don't dare open a window, even at 5 AM, can wear on me a little. Our little town takes on the semblance of a ghost down, with not a soul on the streets. No lemonade stands, bike riders, or scruffy-haired kids ambling down the road, enjoying their time off school. For me, the roses among the thorns of this hot weather, is all the gorgeous produce. I love it-corn, watermelon, peaches, tomatoes, and yup-zucchini. I love you every day and every which way, zucchini. But on the grill, I love you best of all. You're just a hunk, a hunk of burning love. Now here's the scoop on grilling zucchini-you've got to treat it right. Don't treat it like a boring garden vegetable, treat it like it's something special, like an expensive steak. Give it a sweet and spicy rub, grill it till it's tender-crisp and charred in places, and then finish it with a flavorful butter compote. My latest favorite compote combines garlic, maple, and chili powder with creamy butter. You'll love it on your steak and zucchini-but don't stop there. Rub it on your corn on the cob, slather it on grilled fish, coat the outside of your quesadillas, tuck a little into a hamburger patty, toss it with some blanched green beans. You'll be hooked!

Grilled Steak and Zucchini with Maple Chili Butter

Estimated Cost: about $7-10

PS If you aren't getting your zucchini for free, would you please stop by my house?

4 tablespoons softened butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 generous teaspon chili powder

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces

4 steaks for grilling

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 heaping tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Make butter compote by combining butter, garlic, chili powder, and syrup. Roll into log and wrap in waxed paper. Chill until serving time.
Brush zucchini and steak lightly with oil. Sprinkle with brown sugar, chili powder, garlic, powder, and salt and pepper. Rub mixture in to adhere. Grill according to desired doneness over high heat. Serve with Maple Chili Butter.

Up Next

Zookies (Zucchini Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies)

Brrrrr-ownies

Hiya, folks. It's not zucchini (try not to cry), but today's Tuesday and I'm posting a recipe from my weekly baking club. You're gonna like this one-brownie batter loaded with bits of York peppermint patties, for a cool and minty zing. I put my batter in muffin cups and tucked a peppermint pattie into each one.

Mmmm. Brrrr. Mmmm. Brrr. I could get used to this. I'll eat an extra whole zucchini as penance.

Click here for the recipe.

Be back tomorrow with Grilled Steak and Zucchini with Maple Chile Butter

Pasta with Lotsa Lotsa Zucchini Primavera

The zucchini plants are takin' over the world. I love um, I really do. That's why we planted ONE sweet little plant. One cute little obedient zucchini plant. I planned to pluck one dainty little squash each day, never allowing any zucchini to grow bigger than my index finger, since they taste so much sweeter when they are little. Ha! Zuchinni plants are takin' over the world. Once you turn your back, they morph into baseball bats. (Hey-now that's an idea. Zucchini-Tomato baseball. Hey, batteh batteh.) How about you? Are your zucchini plants takin' over the world yet, or are they still whispering rebellion and choosing a leader? Don't wait, raze them down while they are still organizing and gobble them up for dinner.

I'll be sharing recipe ideas for zuchinni submission all week long-from desserts, to dinners, to appetizers. And why don't you share some ideas with me? After all, we're all in this fight together. Humankind vs. Zucchini!

Post Edit:My sister-in-law just came by with a great big bag of -you guessed it-zucchini!

Notes: All right, so pasta primavera usually involves spring-not summer-vegetables, but so what. I'm in the middle of a summer vegetable battle here. And you know what? Zucchini tastes absolutely divine with pasta. It's the time of year when everyone in the Northern Hemisphere should be getting zucchini for free-or at least for very, very, cheap.

Pasta with Lotsa Lotsa Zucchini Primavera

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for 6 generous servings (or cheaper-every vegetable but the broccoli came from my own garden)

1 lb pasta (I used angel hair)

3 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-4 carrots

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 small bunch broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

2 medium zucchini, sliced

3/4 cup peas (not thawed, if frozen)

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

zest and juice of one lemon

Begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Heat butter in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and garlic, and red bell pepper. Cook for five minutes. Stir in broccoli and zucchini. Cook until all vegetables are tender crisp. Add peas and turn off the heat. Drain pasta and keep warm. In pasta pot, bring cream and broth to a boil. Add cheese, and lemon juice and zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with vegetable and cream sauce. Serve, passing more cheese on the side.
All Week Long:

Zucchini Cookies, Zucchini Cake, Zucchini Fritters, and Zucchini Lasagna

A Few of My Favorite Things....

Sweet Summer. Those extra hours of daylight are the gift of time.
Time to read books like....The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, about the French editor of Elle magazine who suffered a stroke at age 43, confining his ability to communicate to the blink of one eye. And 52 Loaves, about a man who attempts to bake bread from scratch...no really, from scratch-homegrown wheat, harvested microorganisms for a starter, and built a backyard oven, and most impressive of all-made me laugh in the process.

And to watch TV, like Foyle's War.

It's the story of World War II on the homefront of the small English seadside towns. Turns out the story of war at home is every bit as interesting as war on the frontlines-especially when you've got an charismatic, hard-boiled Chief Inspector like Foyle, making sure everyone toes the line. Ahem, Race for your, Life Charlie Brown is for the charges-sorta. I may not watch it from start to finish, but when the kids have it on, it makes me laugh. Charlie Brown heads a river rafting team in a competition against some antagonistic bullies. Even Snoopy has to confront his fears-and the bullys' clawing cat.

And to eat. Don't worry-we're eating corn, watermelon, zucchini from the garden, yada, yada, yada. But there's still room for some of these current favorites.

I can't decide which I like better, Pretzel M and Ms or Peanut Butter M and Ms. Hmm, I think I'd better try them again, just to find out.

Per my sister's recommendation, I bought some of the Mint Oreo Fudge Cremes and put them in the fridge. Hide them in the back of the fridge because these slim little cookies go fast.

Have you tried Dibs before? It's like a little poppable Eskimo Pie. They come in mint, peanut butter, and Nestle Crunch-my favorite.

All right, readers: It's time for you to make some recommendations. What should we all be reading, watching, and eating before the summer's through? Leave me a comment and point me in the right direction!

Next Up:

Pasta Primavera

Chunky Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chip Pie

This long holiday weekend made for a whole lot of celebrating, didn't it? In a rare burst of spontaneity, we took a road trip. We left town around 7 PM Friday night (exactly 30 minutes after deciding to go-don't even ask me about all the things I forgot to bring) and made the four and hour drive to my sister Heidi's house. I'm so glad we did. She hosted an Anytown USA Patriotic holiday weekend. We hiked a waterfall near her house, had a picnic on the lawn, made crafts-a robot for West and a skirt for Sailor,and had fireworks in the driveway.
Here's a pic of the cousins, looking spiffy for Fourth of July church.And here's my brood, taking advantage of my sister's Americana porch for a family portrait. I wish you could have tasted the food. Well, actually you can, since most of the recipes came from right here. We had peach barbecue chicken, fried chicken, dill potato salad, baked beans, watermelon, corn on the cob, homemade rolls, Texas Sheet Cake, and this peanut butter pie.
Holy Bottle Rocket, this pie was mmm,mmm good. And peanut butter is one of those distinctly American flavors, so that makes it even more perfect for a patriotic holiday. Hope you all had a great, long weekend. Now get some rest.
Chunky Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chip Pie
Recipe from Taste of South Magazine
Estimated Cost: $5.00 for 12 servings
Serve with lots of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce!
1 prepared unbaked pie crust
1 cup Domino’s Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup King Arthur Mellow Pastry Blend Flour
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Spanish peanuts, skins removed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup peanut butter morsels
1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
On a lightly floured surface, roll piecrust to 1/4-inch thickness. Transfer and press into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edge, if desired. (Edge may be slightly uneven.)
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, peanut butter, and butter, mixing well. Add eggs, vanilla, peanuts, peanut butter morsels, and chocolate morsels. Transfer filling to prepared piecrust.
Bake until firm in the middle, approximately 45 minutes.
Next Up:
Pasta Primavera

Patriotic Popcorn

Hello and Happy Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth of July. Uh, what day are we celebrating this year? I'm mixed up. Are we supposed to do our parades, barbecues, swimming and fireworks on Saturday? And then do we sing heart-thumping patriotic hymns on Sunday? (I always wish I had a booming baritone voice to march and sing "Glory, Glory, Hallelujiah." But I also fantasize about having an emotive soprano for the national anthem-I just can't hit those high notes-"And the rockets red glare!...Oer' the land of the fre-ee-eee-eee" Can you hit them without straining any internal organs?) And what about Monday? Are we eating barbecue left-overs or do we start all over again with fresh supplies and renewed enthusiasm? Are we still waving our flags in the street and letting off smoke bombs on the Fifth? Should we maybe just make it a three day feast like the real Thanksgiving-72 hours of Par-tay. What are you doing this weekend, readers?

At least I know we will be eating this in between waving sparklers and listening to piccolo petes. It's Patriotic Popcorn, and you can try saying that ten times fast for kicks. It's a bit of a sticky, gooey mess to make it-which means that kids will love it. When I'm old and my kids are grown, I won't make anymore sticky, gooey foods. My dentures won't be able to handle it anyway, but also, it will be no fun to make a mess without pudgy little hands. Dry, bony, old hands are better for making fat-free cheesecake and broiled chicken breasts. Until then, I resolve myself to enjoy the juicy perfectly patriotic imperfection of cooking with tots. Make some this weekend-you've got three days of celebrating, so get a move on. Have a happy Fourth-uh, Third and Fifth, too. Much love, safety and sticky gooeyness to you and your families!

Patriotic Popcorn (from Kraft Recipes)

Estimated Cost:$2.50 for 8 cups

Notes:

I made two half batches of blue and red jello. Measure out 1/4 cup jello powder from each box.

8 cups popped popcorn (Use low-fat microwave popcorn)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar or granulated sugar
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Strawberry or Blueberry Flavor Gelatin
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 300°F. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil or wax paper. Toss popcorn and peanuts in large bowl; set aside.
PLACE butter and syrup in small saucepan; cook on low heat until butter is melted. Add sugar and gelatin; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Bring to boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Pour immediately over popcorn mixture; toss to coat well. Spread into prepared pan, using 2 forks to spread evenly.
BAKE 10 minutes. Cool. Remove from pan. Break into small pieces.

Next Up:

Pasta Primavera

P.S. Did you check out these hot dogs from Des News? Head over there.