Blueberry Zucchini Snack Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting, aka: Stu's 33rd Birthday Cake

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 pint blueberries (tossed in 1 tsp flour)

lemon buttercream
• 1 cup butter, (2 sticks, 8 ounces) at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• juice of one lemon

Instructions

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Lightly grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.
3. Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar until well blended. Fold in the zucchini.
4. Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to combine. Slowly add it to the wet mixture, mixing just enough to blend.
5. Fold in the blueberries, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, just until the top is turning golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Cool on a rack.
6. To make the frosting, put the softened butter into the bowl of a food processor and process until creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, processing till smooth after each addition. After the second cup of sugar add in the lemon juice. Scrape down the sides of the machine as necessary. Adjust the texture by adding a little more lemon or a little more sugar.
7. Frost the cooled cake and store in the refrigerator.

*For more detail: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/blueberry-zucchini-snack-cake-with-lemon-buttercream/?fbclid=IwAR1I3G6TUeN7x8hffspJppiXXrKBFd4wm??-Tgrv4tTn59MoNYZKOfu1O9Q

Orange Glazed Meatballs, with Bok Choy

1 # Ground Beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, cut and separating white/green ringlets
1, 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled/diced (*or 1/2 packed tsp. ginger, as a spice)
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

1 # baby bok choy, washed and coarsely chopped

1 T. Cornstarch
1 Naval Orange, juiced (toss seeds and peel)
1/3 c. sweet chili sauce
1/4 c. ponzu sauce

*Either serve with rice or sesame oil sweet potatoes!  Just make and don't bother with the bok choy part.

1. heat 2 T oil in a large non stick pan (med/high) until hot.  Add: Garlic, ginger, and white scallion ringlets.  Salt/pepper.  Cook stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.  Remove and transfer into a large bowl.  Wipe out pan.
2. Add ground beef and breadcrumbs to the bowl of aromatics; season with salt and pepper.  Mix, and form 20 meatballs, about 1 inch diameter.
3. In the original pan, heat 1 T. oil on medium/hot, and add meatballs.  Season, again, with salt/pepper.  Cook 4-6 minutes, until browned on all sides.  Add bok choy and 1/4 cup water.  cook, stirring occasionally, another 4-6 minutes (until balls cooked through, and wilted bok choy).
4. Add orange glaze to the pan (premixed: cornstarch, orange juice, chili sauce, & ponzu sauce).  Season one more time with salt/pepper, and cook 1-2 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened, and meatballs are thoroughly cooked through.  Top with green scallions!

A different meal, but so good...my kids just complain about the small ginger bits in the meatballs...but I love those!

Coconut-Curry Shrimp & Noodles

1, 8 oz. pack rick noodles
1 bunch scallions
1 T. Canola Oil
1, 1-in. piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 T. red curry paste
1, 13.66 oz. can coconut milk
1/2 c. chicken broth
3/4 t. salt
1# peeled/deveined shrimp

*Cilantro and lime for serving!

1. cook noodles according to package/drain; set aside
2. thin slice the scallion whites; cut green parts into 1 inch pieces.  keep separate.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet (med/high).  Add: garlic, ginger, scallion whites.  Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute...until fragrant.
4. Add curry paste, keep stirring, for 1 more minute.
5. Add: coconut milk, broth, and salt; bring to boil, while continuing to stir.
6. Reduce to simmer; add shrimp and scallion greens.
7. Simmer 2-3 minutes more until shrimp are cooked. 
8. Add noodles to bowls, and garnish and dress to taste with lime!

Jumbalaya, Not Authentic, but still good...

3T. oil
2T. Cajun Seasoning

10 oz. sausage (I used leftover Kielbasa)
1 # chicken, cut up

1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic

14 oz. crushed tomatoes (diced works, too)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. thyme
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. hot pepper sauce (good old Red Hot works beautifully)
2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 c. uncooked rice
3 c. chicken broth

1 # shrimp, uncooked

*Green onion for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook sausage/chicken in the oil, and 1T. cajun seasoning.
2. remove meat, and sauté the onions/peppers/celery until soft/clear.
3. add garlic for 30 seconds
4. then stir in tomatoes, spices, and 2 sauces, AND the last 1T. Cajun Seasoning, AND the sausage/chicken.    Cook 5 minutes.
5. Add rice & broth; boil, and then reduce/cover/simmer for 20-25 minutes until absorbed.  Stir occasionally if needed
6. Add shrimp to top, and cook 5 more minutes (until they are done).

*Garnish, and season final product as needed!

Curry Red Snapper, from Bert & Becca

1.  Marinate 2# of Red Snapper, and refrigerate, for at least one hour; Marinade:

• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2T. curry powder

2.  Heat/cook fish on the stovetop until browned on all sides in:

• 2T. butter
• 1/4 c. olive oil

3.  Remove fish (set aside), and add/cook:

• 1-2 chopped peppers (red/green/yellow)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 c. coconut milk
• 1 c. water
• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, sliced 1/4" thick

4. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce heat.  Simmer 15 minutes; 

5. Add fish, return cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

*Garnish with CILANTRO!