It's actually 1am mst as I start this post. Funny I have cooked and baked a lot since my last post, but none of it has been caught on film. I am trying to use less boxed meals so in all honesty I should have lots to report on, but I am just so caught up in trying to get dinner on the table I don't take the time to record my meals. My favorite to date still is Zucchini Bread...a staple in the fall. I made one full loaf and 5 mini loaves this time around. I need to take some pictures before my family consumes them all. I want to, next time I make this recipe, substitute in apple sauce and yogurt or sour cream instead of eggs and oil. Trying to loss weight has greatly affected my eating...hence the divergence from boxed meals. A couple days ago I was given a flat of tomatoes so it is time to hit the produce stand for peppers and make salsa. My husband is already drooling. I also have a GIANT zucchini begging to be shredded up for future bread making. I am having a meet up with a high school friend I haven't seen since graduation this week and she's coming to get some apples. Think both of us will be making apple butter this weekend and I also plan on some oh some yummy applesauce. I love fall and it is time to start some fall cooking. This lady is going to bed though because sometimes when it is after midnight, it is time to sleep rather than bake.
Stay tuned for my salsa recipe and my first attempt at apple butter and apple sauce. Maybe I will use MY applesauce for the zucchini bread. Splendid idea.
Oh and I have been repinned on pinterest for my Eggplant with Tomato and Avacado recipe. It made me very happy to see someone want to try my recipe. I hope she comes back to let me know how it turned out.
Showing posts with label zucchini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zucchini. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Zucchini bread - A must have
This
time of year I devote several hours a day to baking savory loaves of
bread. I particularly like zucchini and pumpkin bread. In prior years I would grow my own zucchini, but only was able to plant tomatoes, eggplant, radishes, green beans, and strawberries. Therefore, this year I was saved from buying zucchini as my wonderful brother gave me some fresh from his garden. Three beautiful green elongated veggies for my cooking and baking delight.
Back in 2010 I had another blog: Small Town Cook, where I had posted the below, I felt it was time to unearth it. Today however I had the help of my son, who is now five. He loves watching me and helping me. I let him stir as I added the ingredients....typically I would use the mixer, but he was just so excited to help. I still feel the mixer incorporates the ingredients better, however nothing beats the smile on his little face, and the fact that I get veggies into his little tummy.
I had seen a recipe I wanted to try in a small recipe book, you know the kind you pick up for a few bucks up at the registers next to the celebrity newspapers. This one was put together by Betty Crocker and Gold Medal and is called, "Fall Baking - Cookies, Breads and Desserts", put out back in 2003. The recipe is called Raisin Nut Zucchini Bread and makes 2 scrumptious loaves in just an hour.
Recipe
Makes 2 Loaves (16 slices each)
3 medium zucchini, shredded (3 cups)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins, if desired
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, with shortening. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.
2. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 1 week. This can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 4 months, so I like to make extra loaves now for later.
Now to tell you what I do differently. I do omit the raisins. I don't care for them in this bread and I used walnuts. I buy them in a big bag when on sale and put the desired amount into a sandwich bag and take a rolling pin to them to crush them up. This helps take out any frustrations from the day. I also found though trial and error that baking spray on the bottom of the pans allows the bread to release from the pan much easier than shortening and is less messy. ALWAYS remember to spray or grease the pan before pouring in the mixture if you do not plan on keeping the bread for yourself. In the past I have made this bread for family and friends as gifts, and had to make extra loaves because several came out mangle because I did not spray the pan at all.
I've also found that actually using an electric mixture to combine the wet and dry ingredients incorporates the mixture better. Stirring is doesn't cut it I discovered as I bit into a slice from one of those torn loaves and got a mouth full of dry, overcooked flour. Yuck...the rest of the bread tasted amazing. It also rose better when mixed like this verses stirring.
What else can I say but try it. Whether it's vegetables from your own garden or you go buy it from a stand or market, making something like this for my family is a gift of it's own....the couple glasses of rum I had while cooking made it all that much better. My husband likes to cut himself a slice, heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds and then smother on butter....yummy.
**Italicized portions from original post
Back in 2010 I had another blog: Small Town Cook, where I had posted the below, I felt it was time to unearth it. Today however I had the help of my son, who is now five. He loves watching me and helping me. I let him stir as I added the ingredients....typically I would use the mixer, but he was just so excited to help. I still feel the mixer incorporates the ingredients better, however nothing beats the smile on his little face, and the fact that I get veggies into his little tummy.
I had seen a recipe I wanted to try in a small recipe book, you know the kind you pick up for a few bucks up at the registers next to the celebrity newspapers. This one was put together by Betty Crocker and Gold Medal and is called, "Fall Baking - Cookies, Breads and Desserts", put out back in 2003. The recipe is called Raisin Nut Zucchini Bread and makes 2 scrumptious loaves in just an hour.
Recipe
Makes 2 Loaves (16 slices each)
3 medium zucchini, shredded (3 cups)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins, if desired
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, with shortening. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.
2. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 1 week. This can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 4 months, so I like to make extra loaves now for later.
Now to tell you what I do differently. I do omit the raisins. I don't care for them in this bread and I used walnuts. I buy them in a big bag when on sale and put the desired amount into a sandwich bag and take a rolling pin to them to crush them up. This helps take out any frustrations from the day. I also found though trial and error that baking spray on the bottom of the pans allows the bread to release from the pan much easier than shortening and is less messy. ALWAYS remember to spray or grease the pan before pouring in the mixture if you do not plan on keeping the bread for yourself. In the past I have made this bread for family and friends as gifts, and had to make extra loaves because several came out mangle because I did not spray the pan at all.
I've also found that actually using an electric mixture to combine the wet and dry ingredients incorporates the mixture better. Stirring is doesn't cut it I discovered as I bit into a slice from one of those torn loaves and got a mouth full of dry, overcooked flour. Yuck...the rest of the bread tasted amazing. It also rose better when mixed like this verses stirring.
What else can I say but try it. Whether it's vegetables from your own garden or you go buy it from a stand or market, making something like this for my family is a gift of it's own....the couple glasses of rum I had while cooking made it all that much better. My husband likes to cut himself a slice, heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds and then smother on butter....yummy.
**Italicized portions from original post
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