Patriotic Berry Kebabs

We're entering a busy time in our household. Tatiana will be entering preschool in less than two weeks, MOPS is starting up again along with all of the other church, work and school related activities that begin in the fall. I think everyone could use as much extra time as possible with our busy daily schedules.

So with that said along with Labor Day coming up I thought I'd share a little recipe that isn't entirely made from scratch but is quick, fun and easy. I found this recipe online somewhere but didn't bookmark it so I'm not sure who I got the idea from. If it's you, please message me and I'll give you full credit and link back to you.

Originally I made these for the 4th of July but they could really be made for any patriotic holiday or just for a delicious and healthy treat any day of the week. Enjoy!

Patriotic Berry Kebabs

1 pint of blueberries
1 pint of strawberries
1 angel food cake
whipped cream (optional)
granulated sugar (optional)

Cut the angel food cake into bite size cubes. Hull the strawberries then simply skewer each piece of the recipe onto the stick in whatever pattern you like. When finished the fruit and cake can be dipped in the whipped cream or the entire skewer can be sprinkled with sugar. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Zucchini-Pineapple Cupcakes with Orange Sour Cream Frosting

I've been pretty boisterous about our overwhelming supply of zucchini this season. I just ran across this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker that I might have to try. I'm learning just how versatile zucchini can be. Check out this recipe for Zucchini-Pineapple Cupcakes with Orange Sour Cream Frosting. Yum!!!

Photo courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker

Mexican Cucumber and Carrot Salad

Right now we're buried in zucchini and cucumbers from our garden. At least with zucchini you can freeze it for later use. Cucumbers, however, are a different story. And our cucumbers taste pretty good but look a bit odd...

...so it's not like I can sell them and I wouldn't doubt it if those that I have given them to are a little afraid to eat them. That means we have to eat them all or let them go to waste. I hate wasting food. I've been searching the web for a new cucumber recipe because I think my family's had their fill of various salads and sandwiches with them included. I ran across this recipe from kellieann on allrecipes.com and slightly modified to fit my family's taste. This Mexican Cucumber and Carrot Salad is delish! I hope you agree! Try it and let me know. I love comments, by the way.

Mexican Cucumber and Carrot Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) package baby carrots
• 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
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Combine the cucumber and baby carrots in a bowl. Juice the lime directly over the bowl or pour in from a separate container. I hate dirtying up more dishes so I chose the Rachael Ray method of juicing a lime by simply squeezing each half separately upside down over the bowl so that the lime innards don't fall out into your mixture.

Add the chili powder and salt to the bowl then toss to coat evenly. Bon appetit!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Brownies

We bought our first house a year and a half ago and have been able to begin gardening this past spring. I've been dying to grow my own fruits and veggies and am thrilled with how well our zucchini has been growing. The other plants are still questionable.

Tatiana with our first two zucchini

So right now we're swimming in zucchini. I've been trying to find creative ways to include zucchini in some of my recipes. I came across this recipe on All Recipes for zucchini brownies, which I tweaked a little bit to suit my taste. I'll have to admit that I was a bit skeptical but thought it wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't like it or not since we have plenty of zucchini coming out of the ground on a daily basis right now. The batter will look really dry but trust me, it will all work out. Enjoy!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  1 1/2 cups sugar
  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  1 teaspoon salt
  2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• confectioners sugar (optional)
• 
  

Ingredients: You can tell I go all out on the most expensive name brands

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla until well blended. 

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and then stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spread evenly into your prepared pan.

Let your husband and/or children lick the spoon...or keep it all to yourself.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the brownies spring back when you touch them gently.

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, if you wish, and enjoy!

Win some canning supplies!! *Expired*

I've recently discovered the blog, This Mama Cooks! On a Diet. She is doing a giveaway for a ton of free canning supplies! I've never done any canning before but am thinking about trying it, especially with the enormous amount of cucumbers and zucchini we have growing in our garden right now. Pickles here we come! Click here to enter!

*Expired*