Zucchini Bread

In my household we prefer to grow as many fruits and vegetables as we can. This year’s crop included blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini.  For some reason we had an abundance of zucchini this year. So much so that we were trying to figure out what exactly you can make with zucchini. We decided to make a couple of loafs of zucchini bread since you can always freeze the extra loaf to eat at a later date.

What I love most about zucchini bread is that you can add almost anything you want to it. I added walnuts or pecans to add an extra crunch to the batter. You can also put in chocolate chips, dried cranberries or raisins if you are looking for a little more sweetness. There are also several spices that mix well together like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Zucchini Batter Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon baking soda

1-teaspoon baking powder

3-teaspoon ground cinnamon

3-teaspoons of nutmeg (optional)

3 eggs (or 1 egg and 1/3 cup egg whites)

1-cup vegetable or canola oil

2-¼ cup sugar

3-teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1-cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1-cup chocolate chips (optional)

Zucchini  Bread Batter

Directions

Grease two 8 by 4 inch pans. I used a 9 ¼ by 5 ¼ by 2-¾ inch pan greased with butter and flour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowel.

Beat eggs, oil vanilla and sugar together in a large bowel. Add sifted ingredients to the mixture and beat well. Stir in zucchini, nuts and chocolate chips until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Inserting a toothpick in the center to determine if the zucchini bread is done. The toothpick will come out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes then remove from pan and completely cool.

Zucchini Bread 

Coca Cola Cupcakes

My brother is always asking me to bake his favorite cookies, brownies or cupcakes. A few days ago my brother brought a Coca Cola cupcake recipe to my attention. Putting soda in cupcakes was something different, but having experiences of cooking with Coca Cola, I knew that the soda does add sweetness to whatever you are cooking. I figured I would give the recipe a shot.

The one concern I had with this recipe was that it might add too much sweetness since the recipe also calls for sugar and coco powder. To my surprise, the cupcakes were not overly sweet and tasted great. The Coca Cola added that extra something to the cupcake. 

Cupcakes Batter

2 cups Coca Cola (do not use diet!)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs 

Coca Cola Cupcake Batter

Whipped Cream Frosting 

1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Optional: Maraschino cherries (for topping)

Whipped Cream Frosting 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, heat the Coca Cola, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Coca Cola Cupcake Batter

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners/tin and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until medium peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag with a 5B star tip.  In a circular motion, pipe on whipped cream and top with one cherry. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can use a knife or or place the frosting in a plastic bag and cut the tip to frost the cupcakes. 

Coca Cola Cupcake with Whipped Cream Frosting

I did experience some trouble getting the whip cream frosting to thicken up. There are several reasons as to why the whip cream frosting didn’t thicken up including not beating the batter long enough or the mixer was not on a high enough speed. To remedy this problem I added in three to four tablespoons of cream cheese and about three tablespoons of cream of tartar. The cream of tartar helps stabilize the whip cream frosting.

Thank you to acozykitchen.com for sharing this delicious recipe!

Got Smoothie?

Smoothies are the perfect cold summer drink. They are healthy and refreshing, helping you get your daily vitamins and minerals, depending on what ingredients you use. Just beware that smoothies made at smoothie places or restaurants may not be as healthy as you would like to believe. They often contain large amounts of sugar and very little fruit, juice or yogurt. Making them from scratch is a sure fire way to guarantee a healthy beverage and know what exactly is going into your smoothie.

My personal favorite smoothies are peanut butter banana smoothies and strawberry mango smoothies. Below are the recipes I use. 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

One banana

Three to four tablespoons of peanut butter

½ cup of milk

Approximately five ice cubes (you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothies)

Put the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I recommend liquefying and then purifying the smoothie. This will crush the ice, as well as mix the ingredients together. 

What I like most about this smoothie recipe is the peanut butter and milk provides protein that keeps you full for several hours. It is also great for a breakfast on the go.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Three to four strawberries de-stemmed

½ of a mango, peeled and cut

½ cup milk

One six-ounce container of plain yogurt

Approximately five ice cubes (you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothies)

Put the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I recommend liquefying and then purifying the smoothie. This will crush the ice, as well as mix the ingredients together.