Summer Squash Pizza Crust

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups finely shredded zucchini and yellow summer squash
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Shred zucchini and summer squash.  Lightly salt and transfer to a strainer.  Let stand 15 to 30 minutes and press all remaining liquid out of squash.
3.  In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine squash, flour, cheeses, eggs, pepper and salt.  Mix well.
4.  Spread the mixture into a greased and floured jelly roll pan.  Back for 25 minutes in the oven.
5.  Remove the crust from the oven and change the oven's temperature to broil.  Brush the top of the crust with oil, and then broil the crust for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
6.  Allow the crust to cool slightly and slide spatula underneath all edges and under the middle.  Place a large baking sheet over the top of the crust and gently flip the crust over so that the bottom of the crust is now facing upwards.  Because it can be difficult to flip the crust smoothly, it may be necessary to cut the crust in half to facilitate the flipping of the crust.
7.  Brush the top of the crust with oil and broil for another 3 to 5 minutes until the top is browned.
8.  Use your favorite pizza sauce and top the pizza with your favorite toppings and cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted. 

Some things I have learned in my attempts to make this.

1.  It is very difficult to get all the liquid out of the squash. You may want to press between paper towels in addition to pressing through a strainer. It is important to get out as much as possible.
2.  Non-Stick Reynolds Aluminum foil is a MUST!  I did this for the first time and it eliminates most, if not all, of the frustration of trying to flip it. 
3.  All of the ingredients make a wonderful crust but if you don't have both cheeses don't worry. I have made it without either of the parmesan or mozzarella in the crust and it was still very good.
4.  Don't expect this to be a "pick up and eat" type of pizza.  Forks may be necessary.
5.  You can also make smaller sized pizzas to aid in getting them crisper.
6.  You may have to broil it longer than the recipes calls.  I like to try and get it as crispy as possible without burning it.  It really never does get close to crispy.

These are the ingredients

 Here is the crust when you press it into the pan

I don't have an after picture because my son, his girlfriend, and my granddaughter were here and dug in before I could even grab my camera.  Needless to say, there were no leftovers.

Nonnie's No-Bake Cookies

Stir together in medium non-stick pan on stove top:
 
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup coca
1/4 cup butter
1/2 c. milk

Bring to boil and boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add:
3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and drop on waxed paper.  Let cool. Makes 4 dozen.

Nonnie's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

... also Phoebe's great great grandmother's cookie recipe (for all you Friends fans) - Nestle Toll House, pronounced  Nesele Tolouse.


Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz pkg) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat  oven to 375 F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.  Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vailla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in morsels and nuts.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Blackberry Preserves

From Here...

... To Here

I couldn't help  myself last night.  After thinking about canning and posting a recipe for pickling okra, I just had to find something to can.  I have an over-abundance of blackberries so I figured I would do something with them. I  have been picking over the last couple of weeks and do have some jars in the freezer of fresh frozen blackberries.  But I wanted to do something more.  I decided to make some blackberry preserves, complete with seeds and all!  I love the taste of the whole blackberry although I would like to find a way to do these without as much sugar.  Maybe my next batch will be made with the no sugar needed pectin.  Any suggestions?

Pickled Okra/Asparagus/Beans

It's that time of year  - Time to Pickle!  Well, not quite yet for me because I had a slow start to my garden and am not overrun yet but I know the day will be coming.  I have received a couple of requests for our pickling recipe so I thought I would post it for everyone's use.

Pickled Okra/Beans/Asparagus - whatever you might want to pickle

For each Pint jar you will  need:
1/2 Cup Dark Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar)
1/2 Cup Water
3-6 Tablespoons Sugar
Heat in pan til boiling

In each Pint jar put:
2-4 Cut Cloves of Garlic
1-2 Whole Cloves
1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1-2 Dried Red Chilis (Red Pepper Flakes)

Adjust the seasonings to your own particular taste.  We don't use as many cloves as shown, but will often add more garlic and/or red pepper flakes.

Put Okra in Pint jar, fill with vinegar brine, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Put on Lid.  Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Tres Leches Cake

Tonight we are having a Mexican Fiesta party for a good friend's birthday and I was given the job of making dessert.  That's all I have to do for any event anymore...just bring dessert.  I have been wanting to make a Tres Leches cake for quite some time so I figured this was a perfect opportunity.  I started the day before as I thought I would make the cake, let it sit and soak overnight then all I had to do was to make and apply the frosting.  I'm glad I started the day before because the first two cakes did not turn out too well.  Hopefully the third one will be successful.  The first one needed a little bit longer in the oven so I thought I would leave it in while the oven cooled down - BUT I forgot to turn off the oven.  Originally I had wanted to make a layer cake and put fresh blackberries in the middle with the frosting so I cooked it in a springform pan.  The second one I decided to use the 13x9 as recommended. It came out ok, however, it was just too thin for me.  I even went so far as to drizzle the milk mixture on it, but as it sat soaking it all in I just couldn't bring myself to frost it and present it.  So, I started with a whole new recipe that seemed promising and baked a third.  I can tell already that this will require more practice before offering this cake to strangers.  The cake does taste good, it did rise well and is a nice size, and it is soaking up the milk well, but it did tend to fall a little apart as I took it out of the pan.  A picture will be posted soon and I will have to let you know what the critics say. If all is well, then I will post the recipe also.

The Tres Leches cake came out rather well for such a dubious start.  I topped it with fresh whipped cream and fresh blackberries out of my garden.  It traveled well and a little piece definitely goes a long way.

Tres Leches Cake
For the cake:                                                              
1 Package White Cake mix                                      
1 Cup Flour                                                             
3/4 Cup Sugar                                                         
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil                                               
1 Teaspoon Vanilla                                                  
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder                                    
1 Cup Milk                                                              
For the filling:
1 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
For the whipped cream:
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and set aside.
Combine all of the cake ingredients together (stand or hand mixer) until smooth.  Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Invert cake onto a baking sheet with sides.  Poke holes in the cake with a fork making sure to get the edges also. 

Whisk the milks and cream together in a bowl or large measuring cup with a spout.  Pour a little of the milk over the cake, allowing it to soak in before adding more. Allow cake to soak up milk for 30 minutes at room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, prepare whipped cream by whipping the cream, sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks.  Ice the cake with the whipped cream.  You can also add a fruit topping if desired.