Baked Zucchini Fries

I had some zucchini in the fridge and I want to do something different.

My solution?

Baked zucchini fries.

There are so many great ways to use up zucchini, but this one has won my heart.  Healthy, crispy, tender, delicious, easy to make. Great alternative to fries and even the kid couldn’t get enough crunchy goodness.

I adapted these fries from Health after I discovered them last year and they have quickly become a staple at our house.  They are a perfect little appetizer, side dish for sandwiches, or even a great after school snack.  They are inexpensive, virtually guilt free, and totally painless way to get your veggies. These were amazing dipped in marinara sauce or ranch.

Baked Zucchini Fries

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         2 zucchini

·         1 egg white

·         ¼ cup milk

·         ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

·         ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs (or bread crumbs + 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, garlic powder,  and salt)

·         Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 425 degree F (220 degree C)

2.       Cut zucchini into 3-inch stick.

3.       Whisk an egg white in a small bowl and add milk.

4.       In a separate bowl, combine Parmesan cheese and seasoned bread crumbs.

5.       Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture and then roll in bread crumbs mixture.

6.       Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and place zucchini on the sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

7.       Serve warm. Can be dipped in marinara sauce, ranch, or your favorite dipping sauce.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         2 buah zucchini

·         1 putih telur

·         ¼ cup susu cair

·         ½ cup keju Parmesan parut

·         ½ cup tepung roti berbumbu (atau tepung roti + 1 sdm Italian seasoning, bawang putih bubuk,  dan garam)

·         Minyak untuk mengoles

Cara:

1.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 425 derajat F (220 derajat C)

2.       Potong-potong zucchini sepanjang 3-inch

3.       Kocok putih telur bersama susu.

4.       Campurkan keju Parmesan parut dan tepung roti.

5.       Celup zucchini ke dalam larutan susu lalu gulingkan di atas campuran tepung roti berbumbu.

6.       Siapkan loyang yang telah diolesi minyak, letakkan zucchini. Panggang selama 25-30 menit sampai coklat keemasan.

7.       Sajikan selagi hangat dengan saus sesuai selera.

Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

I have been looking for a good cinnamon roll recipe and when I saw this I knew I found one I had to try. I have tried lots of cinnamon roll recipes and many are a bit too dry or the dough doesn’t have enough flavor. Yes, I have never had such delicious homemade cinnamon rolls before, but this recipe from allrecipe was seriously no joke.

I was really nervous about making these because it looked intimidating at first because it seemed very complicated, too many steps, too many ingredients repeats, etc.  The recipe should be read closely as there are a lot of steps and can be confusing. 

These are labors of love to be sure. It took every minute of three and a half hours to prepare, but well worth it. The dough was sticky initially, which might throw off some novice bakers, but like Churchill said, “When you’re going to hell, keep going!”.  Just keep kneading, it will soon form a smooth, elastic dough with a subtle sheen.  To anyone with a little bit of baking experience, this is a standard yeast dough, and is well worth the work involved in making a lovely dough.

These are exactly as they are called ooey and gooey, and the long, slow rise makes them very light. Soft and warm on the inside and chewy on the outside, these cinnamon rolls make a delicious breakfast and great for an occasional indulgence.  It was a big hit at my house.  A flavorful dough that handles well and rises into nice soft rolls. I only made one change from the original recipe, I left out the pecans, and substituted it with walnuts for filling and sliced almond for topping.

Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         1 teaspoon white sugar

·         1 package active dry yeast

·         ½ cup warm water

·         ½ cup milk

·         ¼ cup white sugar

·         ¼ cup butter

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         2 eggs, beaten

·         4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling and topping

·         ¾ cup butter

·         ¾ brown sugar

·         ¾ cup chopped walnut

·         ¼ cup sliced almond

·         ¾ cup brown sugar

·         1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

·         ¼ cup melted butter

Directions:

1.       In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water.  Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup butter, and salt.  Stir until melted.  Let cool until lukewarm.

2.       In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs, and 1 ½ cups flour, stir well to combine.  Stir in the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

3.       Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil.  Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4.       While dough is rising, melt ¾ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in ¾ cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth.  Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or any of your size).  Sprinkle bottom of pan with almond slices. Set aside.  Combine remaining ¾ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup chopped walnuts, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

5.       Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18x14 inch rectangle.  Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving ½ inch border uncovered.  Sprinkle with brown sugar-walnuts-cinnamon mixture.  Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal.  Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  With serrated knife, cut into 15-20 pieces. Place cut side down in prepared pan.  Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 376 degrees F (190 degrees C).

6.       Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter.  Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         1 sdt gula pasir

·         7g ragi aktif

·         ½ cup air hangat

·         ½ cup susu cair

·         ¼ cup gula pasir

·         ¼ cup mentega

·         1 sdt garam

·         2 butir telur, kocok lepas

·         4 cups tepung terigu serbaguna

Filling dan topping

·         ¾ cup mentega

·         ¾ gula coklat (brown sugar)

·         ¾ cup walnut, cincang kasar

·         ¼ cup almond slices

·         ¾ cup gula coklat (brown sugar)

·         1 sdm kayumanis bubuk

·         ¼ cup mentega, lelehkan

Cara:

1.       Dalam mangkuk kecil, larutkan gula dan ragi dalam air hangat.  Diamkan sekitar 10 menit sampai berbusa.   Hangatkan susu dengan panci kecil sampai sedikit berbusa, angkat.  Tambhakan ¼ cup gula pasir, ¼ cup mentega, dan garam.  Aduk hingga larut. Biarkan sampai hangat. 

2.       Dalam mangkuk besar, campurkan larutan ragi, adonan susu, telur, dan 1 ½ cup tepung terigu, aduk hingga bercampur rata. Tambahkan sisa terigu secara bertahap, masing-masing ½ cup setiap penambahanIn, aduk hingga bercampur rata. Pindahkan ke atas silicon mat yang telah diberi taburan terigu, uleni hingga kalis, sekitar 8 menit.  

3.       Letakkan adonan dalam mangkuk besar lainnya yang telah diberi sedikit minyak. Usahan semua permukaan adonan terkena minyak.  Fermentasikan selama 1 jam dengan ditutup dengan kain lembab dan diletakkan di tempat yang hangat sampai adonan mengembang dua kali lipat.  

4.       Sementara itu, lelehkan ¾ cup mentega  dalam panci kecil dengan api sedang.  Tambahkan ¾ cup gula coklat, kocok hingga larut.  Tuang ke dalam loyang ukuran 9x13 inch (atau sesuai yang Anda miliki).  Taburkan irisan almond di atasnya. Sisihkan.  Dalam wadah lain, campur ¾ gula coklat, ¾ walnut cincang, dan kayumanis bubuk.  Sisihkan.
   

5.       Ambil adonan dan kempiskan.  Giling dan pipihkan membentuk persegi panjang ukuran 18x14 inch.  Olesi seluruh permukaan dengan 2 sdm mentega leleh dengan menyisakan ½ inch pinggirannya tanpa olesan mentega.  Taburkan seluruh permukaan dengan bahan taburan (campuran gula coklat-walnut-kayumanis), kecuali bagian pinggirnya.  Gulung adonan sambil dipadatkan. Banyaknya gulungan tergantung ukuran panjang dan lebar adonan. Tekan rapat-rapat bagian ujungnya agar tidak terbuka.  Olesi seluruh permukaan gulungan dengan mentega cair.  Potong dengan pisau tajam menjadi 15-20 potong.  Letakkan di atas loyang yang telah diberi larutan gula coklat dan irisan almond.  Tutup dengan kain lembab dan fermentasikan lagi selama 1 jam hingga mengembang dua kali lipat.  Sementara itu, panaskan oven dengan suhu 375 derajat F (190 derajat C).

6.       Panggang dalam oven yang telah dipanaskan selama 25-30 menit sampai berwarna coklat keemasan.  Biarkan selama 3 menit, baru pindahkan ke dalam wadah lain dengan posisi terbalik.  Tuang sisa topping yang masih menempel pada loyang ke atas cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls dapat disimpan di dalam lemari pendingin dalam wadah tertutup rapat. Hangatkan sebentar dengan microwave sebelum disajikan.

Blondies

Some days, we just need a little indulgence in our lives. Treat yourself to a blondie.  If you have a sweet tooth, then give this recipe a try.  Quick and tasty. You could do all sorts of things with this.  Nuts, dried fruits, chocolate chips, anything.

These came out well and they fit the bill for a late-night sugar craving: fast, easy, and sweet.  Not the most interesting dessert, just an easy, chewy, sweet bar.  They’re blondies. It did remind me a bit of a chocolate chip cookie with a taste of caramel from all the brown sugar.  Adding nuts (pecans, macadamia, walnuts, almonds) might introduce some interest and temper the sweetness.

The nuts and chocolate chips were very good with the flaky brownie. The blondie itself was moist in the middle and chewy throughout.  This is exactly how I wanted my blondies to come out.  For those of you whose blondies did not come out as you would have liked, I suggest placing an oven thermometer in your oven to constantly check.  You can also add ½ teaspoon of baking powder and they may come out a little closer to what you are looking for.

Blondies

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE 

Ingredients:

·         115 g unsalted butter, melted

·         1 cup dark brown sugar

·         1 large egg, cold

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

·         1/8 teaspoon salt

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

Optional:

·         ½ to 1 cup chopped and toasted nuts, dried fruit, flaked coconut, etc.

·         ½ to 1 cup chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, milk, white, etc.)

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Butter an 8x8x2” pan with parchment paper.

2.       In a medium bowl, stir melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Stir in egg, vanilla, almond extract (optional) and salt.

3.       Add flour and stir until incorporated, then mix in any extras such as nuts, chocolate chips or dried fruits.

4.       Pour batter into baking dish and bake 20 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out almost clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.  

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         115 g mentega tawar, lelehkan

·         1 cup dark brown sugar

·         1 butir telur, dinginkan

·         1 sdt ekstrak vanila

·         ½ sdt ekstrak almond (optional)

·         1/8 sdt garam

·         1 tepung terigu serbaguna

Optional:

·         ½ - 1 cup kacang-kacangan cincang, buah kering, kelapa parut kering dll.

·         ½ to 1 cup chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, milk, white, etc.)

Cara:

1.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 350 derajat F (175 derajat C).  Siapkan loyang ukuran 8x8 inch yang telah dialasi dengan kertas roti atau aluminum foil.  Olesi dengan minyak, sisihkan.

2.       Kocok mentega dan gula coklat dalam mangkuk dengan menggunakan whisker.  Tambahkan telur, vanilla, ekstrak almond, dan garam.  Kocok hingga bercampur.

3.       Tambahkan tepung terigu yang sudah diayak dan kacang-kacangan/chocolate chips/buah kering jika menggunakan. 

4.       Tuang ke dalam loyang yang telah disiapkan dan panggang selama 25-35 menit (tergantung oven masing-masing)  dan lakukan tes tusuk.  Pemanggangan selesai jika pada tes tusuk hanya ada sedikit remahan yang menempel.  Biarkan dingin sebelum dipotong.