With zucchini growing nicely this year, Mom looked for a new recipe to use some of the extra up. She gave us a loaf of this bread that Adrian decided was a lot better than the chocolate cake we usually make because of the lemon.
The loaf Mom gave us was frozen and it defrosted very nicely. She recommended not glazing it until ready to eat. We decided to only make half the glaze and it was plenty.
There are so many different recipes for granola. This one is very versatile, so experiment to find favorite combinations. For example, use all pecans, or add pepitas in place of the almonds. Replace cherries with dried mango slices or peaches. Another option is to try adding hemp hearts or flax seed near the end of baking.
I would recommend keeping track of favorites, because it can become addictive, experimenting to find the perfect granola.
This is the first recipe that Megan learned to make on her own. She loves peanut butter, so she quickly memorized the recipe. This has turned into “her” specialty and she asks to make it often.
To make it different, Megan will sometimes add mini chocolate chips, or add melted chocolate to the top.
It is always nice to have some sort of treat while backpacking. We usually save this treat for an extra hard day on the trial or the very last night out. It does not make a lot, we usually make two batches for the seven of us, but it is enough for something special.
This also works at home. Use canned pineapple slices and skip the step for re-hydrating.
Since we were planning on car camping, we wanted to try some new recipes. This turned out to be a favorite. It would also be a very easy week night meal.
Growing up, Mom always had some sort of cheese crackers. They were her special treat, but she would share them with us.
Fish shaped crackers are a popular treat for children, but I did not like giving them too often to my children because of all the “stuff” in them. So we found a recipe for easy cheese crackers to make instead. Often we cut these into animal shapes, but they never last as long as when they are cut into squares. The squares never last very long either, but they are a lot faster to replace.
Use your favorite cheddar cheese, we prefer x-sharp. Roll the dough thin because it will puff up. If you prefer spicy, add more spices, and feel free to bake just a little longer than required, because brown, toasty ones are extra good.
We had a friend come over who does not eat gluten or dairy. So we adapted a favorite breakfast recipe for her. It was slightly sweeter than the original, but still very good. For her, we made a quarter recipe and cooked it in a smaller casserole dish.
This is not as good as real tiramisu, but when we are backpacking, and want a special treat, this is very easy to make. Just plan ahead to find a small jar of Kahlua. The lady fingers are often hard to find, the may be in the Italian “ethnic” section or next to the powdered espresso.
Our recipe uses vanilla pudding, but we did not like this last batch quite as well as we used too. We plan to experiment with different vanilla puddings or white chocolate pudding instead.
If car camping, let this sit over ice for a little while.
This is our favorite salsa recipe. It uses more cilantro and is spicier than the other recipe.
This is a less spicy recipe that does not use much cilantro. Adjust the seasonings and peppers to create a spicier salsa if preferred. Just remember that the total of all the combined peppers should be between 4-5 cups, no matter what type used. Also, if desired, add a little hot sauce or extra ground chipotle to spice it up a little more.
Depending on the tomatoes used, this can be a very sweet salsa. Add a little additional vinegar if too sweet. Lastly, feel free to use lemon or lime juice instead of the apple cider vinegar for variety.
