Zucchini Nut Bread

My blog is so neglected.. we recently have a new addition to our home ( pup) and of course the 4 year old son, teenagers.. you know the drill..  I was recently  re-accepted into  my Taste of Home Field Editor position, so I am celebrating by making as many recipes as I can out of the June / July issue.
We are very much loving this recipe from Kevin Bruckerhoff, in Cincinnati, MO. 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups shredded zucchini 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 8x4-in. loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended. In another bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda, lemon peel, cinnamon and baking powder; gradually beat into sugar mixture, mixing just until moistened. Stir in zucchini and walnuts.
• Transfer to prepared pans. Bake 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

Nutritional Facts1 slice equals 229 calories, 11 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 165 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Taste of Home~ Search for Mrs. Holiday~ Talent Search

Being a field editor for Taste of Home magazine and having multiple recipes published in their and several of their partner magazines I am proud to announce the newest talent search for Taste of Home. This person will represent all holidays with videos, blogging, interviews, appearances at Taste of Home Cooking Schools, ect. With a paycheck of 50,000!!!
This was a pre-press released email I received today, and was so excited I had to post!
Contest starts June 4th, so get your video cameras and favorite holiday recipes ready!!!

 MOVE OVER MISS AMERICA,
THERE’S A NEW CROWN IN TOWN AND HER NAME IS MRS. HOLIDAY

Taste of Home Conducts Nationwide Search for
Ambassador of the Holidays

Spokesperson to Receive Role With Company and $50,000

NEW YORK, NY – May 17, 2012 – As we sit here wedged between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, it’s pretty clear that America loves the holidays.  According to independent market research, more than $80 billion is spent annually on food during holidays.  That represents about 15% of total supermarket food sales in the U.S.*

There are more than 25 million women who are fans of Taste of Home magazine, its iPad edition, website, books, and special interest publications.  They count on Taste of Home to be their go-to resource for the holidays.  For example, website traffic at TasteofHome.com increases by 25%-40% before every holiday.  Geared up with recipes and ideas, these women head right to retail to start their holiday food shopping.

Recognizing the enormity of the holidays to peoples’ personal lives and the U.S. economy, Taste of Home has begun a nationwide search on Facebook.com/TasteofHome to identify candidates for the position of Mrs. Holiday, a spokesperson role at the company, which includes a $50,000 payment. “Mrs. Holiday will be a new type of pageant queen,” said Cassidy. “She’s an advocate, an ambassador and an inspiration who cooks for her family to bring everyone around the table at the holidays.  She’s got memorable recipes combined with a celebration attitude.”

To audition for the role of Mrs. Holiday, people age 18 or older must visit Facebook.com/Taste of Home to enter a virtual pageant.  There they can submit a video entry of no more than two minutes to show/tell us how they bring the holidays to life and convince us why they should be Taste of Home's Mrs. Holiday.  They also should submit a signature holiday recipe in 200 words or less. The full entry rules and instructions are provided at Facebook.com/TasteofHome.  All entries will receive a free chocolate chip cookie recipe as a thank you for auditioning.

Unlike the Miss America pageant, consumers will have a hand in picking Mrs. Holiday by voting for their favorite entrant at Facebook.com/TasteofHome starting on June 4 and ending on September 7.  Mrs. Holiday will be selected from among the top 100 vote getters by a panel of experts.

Once officially crowned, Mrs. Holiday will be available to conduct interviews, cooking segments, and blogging, as well as to make appearances across the country at retailers and some of the more than 300 Taste of Home cooking schools.

~~About Taste of Home
Taste of Home is America’s connection to the personal recipes of people who like to cook at home as a way to bring family and friends together, particularly at the holidays. Each year, thousands of people from across the United States and Canada submit more than 40,000 recipes, of which 3,000 are published. Every recipe that is published is carefully evaluated and selected by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, which ensures that it can be prepared with affordable, everyday ingredients. Taste of Home content is available in print; online at Tasteofhome.com; in books; via digital download on iPad, mobile apps and Kindle; and Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Obtain a subscription at www.TasteofHome.com or on your favorite digital download device. ~~~

Sausage Spinach Pasta Bake ~ Taste of Home Contest Winner

This recipe came from a friend and fellow food blogger, Veronica, you can see her blog HERE.
I have made several of her recipes in the past and not been dissapointed. If you visit her blog, make sure you have a snack ready, and maybe a drool cloth.
I entered this in a Taste of Home contest on a whim after changing it around a bit to make it a little lighter, and never really gave her the credit she deserved for it. ( actually, my son was just starting to walk at the time, and life was very hectic, i really spaced where it had come from)  
To make a long story short, it won me $400, and was publishes in Healthy Cooking Magazine. I was thrilled and shocked to take second place, never had i won a cooking contest before!
You can see and "like" the recipe HERE on the Taste of Home website.

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute longer; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta; stir into turkey mixture. Add spinach and cream; heat through. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 10 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) whole wheat spiral pasta
• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Tomato Tortellini Soup

From Taste of Home.

Your company will think you slaved all day on this creamy comforting soup. I used tthe regular soup and whole milk.

• 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

• Cook tortellini according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Tomato Tortellini Soup

From Taste of Home Magazine, this is a simple, “heaty” kind of soup that is good enough for company,
who will think you slaved for hours making it .

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
… See More
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions
Cook tortellini according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).