Tag: zucchini

Zucchini Bread

Published on by thefairlygoodmother4 Comments

I’m looking around to make sure we’re alone & my mom isn’t anywhere within earshot … Somehow or another that woman always knows what I’m up to.  She used to claim she had eyes in the back of her head.  Ok, I think we’re alone … You’re not wearing a wire, are you? Cuz I’m going to do something that she has forbid me to do:  I’m going to share one of her recipes & DO NOT TELL HER I TOLD YOU.

I promise, I will deny it, I will say I don’t know you & that I heard you used to reside in Danvers State Insane Asylum after you were caught walking naked down the highway claiming you were Emeril Lagasse’s lover …  and I’m a pretty decent liar.

My mom is very protective of her recipes & I get that, but I’m also a pretty good judge of things, and I know which ones I absolutely CANNOT share, (like her famous potato casserole & the addictive cheese ball – both of which always ensure I am invited to lots of parties & pot-lucks,) but this one – well, this one is kinda standard, and I suppose you could find a similar one on the web somewhere, (though I’ve never bothered to look.)  Plus, I’m still feeling in the holiday spirit of giving.

A Family Favorite (see my photo note at the bottom of this post!)
Zucchini Bread: A Family Favorite (see my photo disclaimer at the bottom of this post!)

Zucchini Bread.  The beloved bread of Christmastime – the one little loaf that will make you want to be my friend forevermore.  Now, I suppose it makes sense that if YOU could make the zucchini bread yourself, you wouldn’t have much use for me, but did you know that I’m a ton of fun & I pour really healthy glasses of wine when you come over to my house, and I’m the world’s best secret keeper?  Well, besides this bread secret, I am.

Why now, you ask?  After all of these years of me coveting this precious recipe all to myself, why am I finally unlocking the recipe box and laying it out there for the entire world wide web to find?  Well, more than one friend of mine has made the comment that mine is the best.  And, I hate to brag, but yeah, it is.  I’ve tasted other breads and they’re dry and flavorless.  That makes people grumpy.  And I can’t have people going around all grumpy during the holidays because their zucchini bread doesn’t taste as good as mine, so here you go.  And you’re welcome 🙂

Zucchini Bread
(makes 6 small loaves)

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups grated zucchini (do not peel)
3 cups of flour (unbleached)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts (chopped)

Method:
In a big mixing bowl (I use my badass standing mixer for this) combine eggs, oil, sugar & zucchini.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder & baking soda & gradually add it to the zucchini mixture.  Mix thoroughly & then add the vanilla & the nuts.  Bake in greased 3×6 loaf pans at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes (I check after 35 & then always end up baking them 5-10 mins longer.)  If you use the larger loaf pans, bake for an hour (but check after 45 minutes if you’re neurotic like me.)  And I have also made zucchini muffins in the large muffin pan (makes a dozen) and those take about 25-30 minutes.

These make great gifts for neighbors & friends! But The Husband & The Boy like to eat slices fresh from the oven with a little butter or cream cheese … YUM!  And I mean, they are healthy – they have zucchini in them, so how can they be anything BUT healthy?

Now, for my photography disclaimer: I take all most of the pictures myself, and as you can clearly tell, I’m no pro.  I’m a multi-tasking mom with a mixer & a hungry family.  Most of my food photos are taken with my iPhone, right before I sit down to devour my meal.  This one happened to be taken with my Cannon Rebel because it was sitting out waiting for Christmas to arrive.  My food photos are inferior,  just look at my bestie’s gorgeous website, The Kitchen Snob & you will see why I feel like the ugly step-sister.  She spends countless hours with in her semi-professional studio, gently massaging crumbs off of cookies & perfectly placing them so that your mouth will water when you browse her site.  Ok, enough whining — I”m going to go heat up a slice of zucchini bread & have my coffee now.

Garden Delights!

Published on by thefairlygoodmotherLeave a comment

Have you ever seen a zucchini this big?

the fairly good zuke!
the fairly good zuke!

THIRTEEN INCHES OF DELICIOUSNESS!

It was just the perfect size for stuffing … So I got some garlic, onion, red bell pepper, some chicken sausage (if you’re a veggie, you can leave this out or opt for rice instead – I will try that next time.)  I grilled up the sausage and set that aside, halved the zucchini & scooped out the insides, then put a little oil in the pan and browned up some diced onion & garlic, added in the zucchini innards, then added in the bell pepper, added back in the sausage & cooked for a few more minutes.

Meanwhile, I dunked the halved zucchini hallows into a boiling pot of water to get them a little softer than just raw.  I poured some marinara sauce in the bottom of a cooking dish, then placed the zucchini halves in there, and stuffed them with my mixture.  Then, I topped mine with mozzarella cheese & parmesan cheese, (skipped that on The Husband’s zuke,) and baked them for about 30 minutes or so.  Voila!  Easy peasy din din.

The World's Biggest Stuffed Zucchini!
The World’s Biggest Stuffed Zucchini!

Then, today I made little caprese bites – they were so good!  Look how cute they are:

Everything came from my garden, except the mozzarella ... and the toothpicks :)
Everything came from my garden, except the mozzarella … and the toothpicks 🙂

These little delicious cherry poppers are the only tomatoes the pests have not destroyed.  I am in a battle & I will prevail!  I could have eaten every last one of these, but I was nice and shared them with my Fairly Good Father In Law 🙂

Where does the time go? And how does my fairly good garden grow?

Published on by thefairlygoodmother2 Comments

I cannot believe it’s been over 30 days since my last blog entry! That’s simply unacceptable. It’s a good thing I’m not getting paid to do this 🙂

Seriously, June was a busy month, (and that’s a good thing!) I started working again … freelance & from home for the most part.  I make my own hours and can still make certain that my family is the NUMBER ONE priority. So far, it’s been really great, very lucrative & exciting.  The Husband is super supportive & that is really the secret to my success.

Why did I get a job?  Because I have home improvement projects that I want to get done & I don’t want to put a burden on our household finances.  Next up: A fence between us and the neighbors to the east.  Fences make good neighbors.  I hope they get on the ball with us & get this accomplished before the end of summer.  I’ve already had 2 conversations with this guy & he strikes me as a “Guy’s Guy.”  Translation: He doesn’t want to discuss fences with the Fairly Good Mother.  He wants to talk fences with The MAN of the HOUSE. ~Insert EyeRoll Here~

So, I’m busy & making money for fences and gardens and drapes and entertainment centers … but at what cost?  No cost to the family – they’re good, well fed with delicious organic treats from my garden, but you know something’s got to give.  Well then, what suffers? Writing. Blogging. Cooking. I’m seeking to find that balance. It took me a minute to work back in the exercise, but that is a necessary thing!  I can’t deal with myself if I’m feeling bloated and creaky.  Pilates is my savior.  I love it.  And thankfully, it feels like July will be less hectic and so I’m glad that I have a chance to catch up.

When you last saw my fledgling little fairly good garden, it looked like this:

the fairly good garden
the fairly good garden

Here’s what it looked like just 3 weeks ago when I fully intended to write a blog post updating you as to the condition of this garden:

the fairly good garden | June 2013
the fairly good garden | June 2013

Seriously – that was taken ONE MONTH after I planted the dang thing!  I’ve reaped the LARGEST zucchini I have ever seen from this beautiful bountiful garden.  I’ve eaten the sweetest strawberries, I’ve made pesto with my basil, I’ve made salad with my salad mix … and I just clipped off a brand spankin’ ruby red Habanero Chili and I cultivated a little baby artichoke, but I feel like it was the runt of the ‘choke family & so it did not get eaten.

prolly should have cut this guy when it looked like this, but I wanted to see if it would get bigger ... (that's what she said.)
prolly should have cut this guy when it looked like this, but I wanted to see if it would get bigger … (that’s what she said.)
and these weren't even the largest of the zucchinis!
and these weren’t even the largest of the zucchinis!
gardening is fun!
gardening is fun!

Things that are not going so well in the garden (*PLEASE, Tips, Tricks & Suggestions are ENCOURAGED!)

  • I have a Very Hungry Caterpillar roaming around the garden … Or perhaps there are two.  I’ve met two of them and moved them to another area of the yard.  They have wreaked havoc though!  I used something that was non-toxic, all organic & totally safe – it was literally like pepper and $h!t or something … I cannot remember the name. It was a powder and I used it all in two applications.
  • HOLY Zucchini & Squash Leaves, People!  I know for sure that Adam & Eve must have used these leaves as primitive undergarments.  These are the LARGEST Freaking Leaves I’ve ever seen!  And they’re prickly as f^ck.  Seriously, get your damn gloves on before you go trimming them up!  They crowd all the other veggies in my garden.  I trimmed about 20% of the leaves back with no clear repercussions.  Still got a massive zuke off that thing.
  • Cilantro is gone.  It took off when the temperatures soared here last month & I’m sad because I was planning on making a kick-ass salsa with my tomatillos, tomatoes, chili peppers & cilantro.  It went to flower, I cut it back (probably stupidly.) and 1 out of 2 of my plants is straight up dead.
  • Arugula went to seed.  Also a victim of the 100+ temps here & I read that I should stop watering it and let the seed pods dry out then cultivate them for next season.  Sound right?
  • Basil is stunted & I don’t know why.  I snap off the tops when it starts to flower.  Again, I think that the heat + the Very Hungry Caterpillar has something to do with it.
  • The strawberries aren’t producing as much as I thought.  Same with my cucumber plant.
  • I think I over-planted … Oops!  Live and Learn.

So there you have it, my dear friends … That’s what’s happening right now.  I will snap more pics.  I’m waiting for my tomatoes.  Patiently.  And the only one I saw had a nice little caterpillar hole in the bottom which made me want to put on my magnifying glasses & go on a Caterpillar hunt!

Oh, one last thing … what was for dinner tonight?  Well, I have to share because it was so good … Another awesome find from Oh She Glows!  Veggie Spring Rolls (vegan-dish.) It was light, it was easy & it was so delicious!  I licked the last of the peanut sauce off the blades of my food processor & no, I’m not joking.  My dear friend had made this during her visit in April & I have been meaning to make it ever since then.  So good.  And perfect for not wanting to cook in 100 degree weather.  And yes, I used my basil … but no, sadly, I had to purchase the cilantro.