Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Did you miss me?

I have missed baking, taking photos, and conversing with the people who read this blog. So where have I been?

First I was busy with finals and the end of the school semester. Then I got a job (woo-hoo!) at a coffee-shop (another woo-hoo). Finally I’ve been consuming my time with something I enjoy just as much food: being outdoors! Couple that with exercising and that is what I’ve been spending a lot of my time doing. Regarding exercising, first it was walks, then it was jogging, and recently I’ve even been running (in short sprints, for under a minute). I’m still building my stamina and my lung capacity for the rigors of running but it is definitely worth it. Along with doing Pilates and dabbling with some Tai Chi, I’ve been biking and last week I biked 16 miles! Something that has kept me motivated is the Million Minute Challenge over at SocialWorkout. Every month or so SocialWorkout does challenges, the most recent being the Million Minute Challenge, the purpose being trying to log one million workout minutes with the help of its members. So far there are over 400,000 minutes logged and I have contributed 805 of those minutes. If you’re interested you should definitely sign up. The more people who join and log their exercise minutes, the closer the goal can be reached!

Now that I’ve boasted about my newfound fitness craze, let’s move onto food-related things, more specifically chocolatey, zucchini-filled, bread formed food things.

Zucchini bread sounds strange to me. You would think it would be gross and like the equivalent of a fruit cake zucchini bread is essentially a vegetable bread. But contrary to any doubters, zucchini bread is far more delicious than a fruit cake. And I will prove that with this recipe.

When I last went to the grocery store I bought one zucchini to cut and cube in chili. Looking back I don’t know why that sounded like a good idea and as of now zucchini and chili do not sound like a good thing. But I can still be swayed. So lest the zucchini spoil I decided to make a zucchini bread, which I had eaten before but never made. I wanted another dimension to the bread so I decided to add cocoa powder. And – okay, here is the unconventional part but try to stay with me – I wanted to add avocado. Instead of using the typical fatteners for baking such as butter or oil, another option is avocado which is full healthy fats (the mono-saturated kinds, I believe). The baking stars had just aligned because I had one avocado left that had just ripened. I substituted the recipe’s fat ingredient (which was canola oil) for one avocado and the results? Perfect-o. Honestly, everything turned out pretty damn good. There is no avocado-y taste as some people would think and the bread is really moist, almost melt in your mouth kind of texture. The zucchini bread is sweet with touch of chocolate and is good to nibble on. Or to eat the entire loaf in one sitting. Just kidding about the last one, I don’t eat entire loaves of bread in one sitting, that’s asking for aches and constipation. Onto the recipe, shall we?

I adapted the recipe from Joy of Baking. I substituted canola oil for one avocado and I only had one zucchini so I halved the recipe. I also did not have allspice.

Is my version of Chocolate Zucchini Bread a winner? I would say so. But hey, I don’t want to put words in your mouth, so make it yourself and let me know what you think.

everything else, food, photography, stories

May 23, 2010

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Did some drive-by’s…

Drive-by photography that is.

Pictures were taken in the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel, the other around the camera finger-ready on the capture button. Not recommended on busy streets. Take precaution if you choose to do this. Look out for cars, people, bicyclers, ditches, potholes, and swerving off the road. Doing drive-by’s could cause an accident. Was it fun? Yes. Exhilarating? A little bit. Produce interesting shots? I’d said so. Do at your own risk.

photography

April 18, 2010

2 Comments

Spicy Cilantro Hummus. And Some Geese.

Have you ever had a Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich from Panera Bread?

Here is my homemade version.

Grab some vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and red slices are a great place to start.

Smear spicy cilantro hummus on two pieces of wheat bread.

Put sandwich together and eat.

Would you like the recipe for the hummus?

Okay, I cheated a little. Instead of making my own hummus from scratch, I picked up already-made hummus at the store and then added spices. Of course you could can do the same or make your own hummus at home.

To make spicy cilantro hummus you will need one or two jalapeños and a handful of cilantro (I bought a little container at the store and used all of it  – I’d say 1/2 to 3/4 cup). Place both ingredients and hummus into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to put more olive oil into the mix to get things moving. I added some more minced garlic for a boost of flavor.

This is a great spread! I used two jalapeños and it was the right amount of spice for me. The hummus tasted better the next day and stays good in the refrigerator for a week.

Upon making this spicy hummus I found a second use for it – as a salad dressing. I don’t like the tangy taste of most salad dressing and this hummus on top of romaine lettuce and some other sliced vegetables like red onions, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and then sprinkled with feta cheese – it has become the only way I will eat a salad. So if you do not like traditional salad dressing try a flavored hummus instead; it might get you to eat your veggies (it did for me).

Okay on to other things, park-related things.

There is one lone goose in the park.

I like to think he is the cranky goose that no other geese wants to be around so he hangs out by himself.

But this is just a story and probably not true.

Also, look at this set of dinnerware I found at the thrift store for $5. Good find, no?

food, photography, stories

food/cooking, life, nature, photography

April 11, 2010

2 Comments

No more fast food update

Sorry everyone, I failed. Within the 9 days from starting a month of no fast food to today, I ate out 3 different times: once at Panera Bread, once at Dairy Queen, and once at Jimmy Johns.

Let’s just say the shit hit the fan and I found one source to my problem: I eat when I’m stressed out.

I can’t believe it has only been 9 days since swearing off fast food because it seriously felt longer than that. I did not miss fast food at all but I quickly felt the change in my body: I felt better, I had lots more energy, and I was choosing healthier foods to eat.

About having lots more energy, I mean LOTS! For a few days I was exercising morning, afternoon, and evening – yes because it was gorgeous outside and I wanted to get out of the house but also because I didn’t feel like I was lugging my body around. I felt lighter even though I hadn’t lost any weight.

So even though I did not complete being off fast food for 30 days the first time I’m trying again for a second time.

So starting today, Thursday April 8 2010 until Friday May 7 2010 I will start NMFF (No More Fast Food) Round Two. I think I will be even more successful this time. From the last nine days I’ve seen what triggers me and here are some tings I’ve found out about myself –

1. Stress makes me want to eat. I think this is something many people can say and it can be hard to get over. I have found that working out, exercising, moving – doing anything else that exerts energy – makes me feel SO MUCH better afterward than eating. I like the feeling I get after working out WAY BETTER than the feeling I get when I eat because I am stressed.

2. I feel awesome when I am active. The very day I swore off fast food I also picked up a Tai Chi workout DVD (something I have never tried) and I have been doing Pilates and have been going for walks and bicycle rides. I was surprised to feel the quick change in my body

3. Eating every meal either at home or that was made from home is hard. Sometimes it is just easier to pick something up some place other than my kitchen. But I wanted to do this to see the change in myself, my eating habits, and my body – so I will just have to suck it up and spend a little extra time preparing meals (which luckily I don’t mind too much 🙂 )

4. Even though I did not complete my mission I am not discouraged. I made a decision to change something and I tried it. I did not win but I tried. And I am trying again. And I believe this time I will be successful.

So here I go for a second time.

I’m a little bummed that I failed the first time because now I have to start from the very beginning.

But I won’t get anywhere without hard work.

food, stories

exercise, life, no more fast food

April 8, 2010

4 Comments

Honey Wheat Bread with Homemade Honey Butter

The past few days I have been craving a fresh loaf of bread. Adam really likes whenever I bake honey wheat bread so that’s what I made.

I have also been seeing around the interwebs how to make your own butter. So I did and IT WAS SO EASY! I’ll show that below too.

Recipe:

Honey Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 package of active dry yeast (or 2 1/2 teaspoons of bread machine yeast, if using a bread machine)
• 1 cup of warm milk (80-90º F)*
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 1 cup all-purpose flour*
• 1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of rolled oats

*Scald milk first and let sit until it reaches correct temperature.

*You can use all wheat flour if desired.

Okay, so I dumped all the ingredients in the bread machine and let it mix and rise in there (I know, I am so lazy).

If you want to do this by hand, just dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and then begin adding the other ingredients. Let rest for a few minutes in between mixing. Once all ingredients are throughly mixed, cover with a towel and let the dough sit to rise.

NOW THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART:

You will let your bread rise initially after mixing for about an hour. Then shape your dough (into a loaf pan, a baguette, a round, rolls, whatever you please). After you have shaped your dough, let it sit for 3 -4 hours: the longer the better. Letting the dough rise for a few hours is the difference between a thick, quickly sink to the bottom of your stomach bread to a light, fluffy and soft loaf that you will want to hug.

After 3 or more hours of rising, preheat your oven to 375ºF and place your loaf in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

A SECOND IMPORTANT PART:

When the loaf is removed from the oven and from it’s pan, let it sit still for 5 – 15 minutes before you tear into it. I know it is hard to not slice a piece immediately after it is taken out of the oven but letting the bread compose itself from being in a hot oven and then to your kitchen table will greatly help the bread and will (hopefully) produce better slices and better taste.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Okay now onto homemade butter.

The only ingredients you will need is heavy cream (sometimes called heavy whipping cream) and honey. Salt is optional. I forgot to add – and this goes with the bread recipe too – use quality honey, pure grade A honey. No imitation honey. If you are taking the time to make a fresh loaf and fresh honey butter you want to use quality ingredients to get the best taste possible.

Back to making homemade butter…

Grab some heavy cream at the grocery store. I bought a pint.

Let the cream sit out for an hour or so so it reaches room temperature. I let it sit on my kitchen table for about 3 hours while I took a bike ride.

And now the fun part…

Pour the cream into a mason jar that has a secure lid (or any kind of jar that has a very secure lid), I just happened to use mason jars.

A VERY IMPORTANT PART

Whatever kind of jar you use, make sure the heavy cream only fills 1/3 of the jar – any more and the cream will not turn into butter. Since I bought a pint of heavy cream I needed to use two mason jars.

Now the fun part…

Once the cream is in the jar and the lid is securely fit, shake the jar up and down, side to side, above your head, behind your back…okay you really only need to shake it up and down, just trying to be a little funny.

Within the first 30 seconds, the cream in the jar will turn into a whipped and creamy consistency. Keep shaking.

After about 1 minute or 2, the cream will separate into butter and buttermilk. When this happens, you will hear a “sloshing” noise. Shake for about 10 -15 more seconds. Then stop.

Grab a bowl and strainer and place the strainer on top of the bowl. Pour the butter and buttermilk into the strainer and squeeze the buttermilk out.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT PART

After you have strained the butter, take the strainer over to the sink and rinse with very cold water for 30 – 60 seconds or until all the buttermilk it out. This is very important because if you do not get all of the buttermilk out the butter will go rancid very quickly.

After rinsing, you’re finished. You have just made butter! Now sprinkle some salt in there or pour your desired amount of honey and stir. Slice a piece of honey wheat bread and spread some homemade butter all while basking in the fruits of your labor. Give yourself a pat on the back for making something from scratch and enjoy the moment.

The butter should keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. You can keep the buttermilk (I did) to make buttermilk biscuits or whatever people use with buttermilk. I put my butter and buttermilk in separate mason jars and reservd a spot for both in the fridge.

I’ll share some pictures to prove that making butter at home really does work.

This is what it looks like when the butter separates from the buttermilk.

Strain and rinse the butter.

Fresh slice of honey wheat bread with fresh honey butter. Yum!

food, photography

butter recipe, food/cooking, homemade butter, honey butter recipe, wheat bread recipe

April 4, 2010

4 Comments

Strolls and Bike Rides Through the Park

I haven’t posted anything new because I have been outside moving my limbs and enjoying the weather. I hope wherever you are it is as warm, sunny, and breezy as it is hear. No new recipes but here are some photos to enjoy…

The fields have been burned.

The trees are regaining color.

The daffodils have bloomed.

The motorcyclists are out and about.

everything else, photography, stories

daily life, everyday life, nature, outside, photography

April 2, 2010

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NO MORE FAST FOOD

This is the chant I said to myself last night as I fell asleep. I usually eat fast food late at night and that night I had just finished a McDonald’s Hot Fudge Sundae and chicken nuggets. Just about every time I eat anything not homemade I always complain about feeling sick afterward. Literally every time. You would figure that after a couple of times I would learn to stop eating foods that make me feel sick but I haven’t. It is oh so sad.

Since last night I’ve decided to not eat fast food for a month. I will start today March 30, 2010 and go until April 30, 2010 – the last day of April. So I am actually doing a little more than a month but hey, I don’t like to gloat : )

Here is the assignment:

• Absolutely no fast food. Even a soda or a cup for water, I will not consume a thing from any fast food eatery during this period.
• IF someone invites me to a sit-down restaurant (this is very unlikely but it it always good to plan ahead) I will ONLY order something that in unprocessed, such as a salad, fruits or vegetables.

Okay, that is it. And I am ready to begin!

Anybody else out there who has sworn off fast food? For forever? Or for a month, a week, or a day? I would like to hear from you if you have! Comment below!

UPDATE: I forgot to add a link that sort of got me thinking about this – The Great Burrito Challenge: Fast vs. Fresh.

everything else, food, stories

healthy eating, healthy living, no more fast food

March 30, 2010

8 Comments

PW’s Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Pizza

I made a pizza that is on Pioneer Woman’s website. It is a Caramelized Onion & Prosciutto Pizza. Here it is.

Spread olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese onto some pizza dough.

Top the pizza with caramelized onions…

and prosciutto. Bake at 500 degrees for 15 – 18 minutes.

Slice and eat.

This is a different kind of pizza and I like it. The onions were surprisingly sweet and if I were to make this pizza again I would probably lessen the amount of brown sugar on the onions. Or I might swap the brush of olive oil on the pizza dough and the caramelized onions for a sweet marinara sauce. Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I think PW’s Prosciutto and Onion Pizza is a great alternative to what I traditionally eat and it is also a great pizza to play around with by swapping out ingredients and adding your own flair to it.

To make this pizza I used my own pizza dough recipe that is very similar to PW’s. I would give you the recipe but I make it differently every time, sometimes with more water, sometimes with more flour – it is probably best to stick with PW’s recipe or your own. The only tip I will give about pizza dough (because any time you are using yeast it can be so damn finicky!) is after the dough had been mixed, kneaded, and left to rise and then you shape the dough into a crust – let the pizza crust rest for  2 to 3 hours. PW mentions that sometimes she will let the dough sit for 2 to 3 days – I have yet to try this. But I have noticed the difference even an extra hour or two makes. Usually when I am making any kind of dough I give a 3 and 1/2 hour time frame from when I start mixing to out of the oven, ready to eat. When I made PW’s Prosciutto and Onion pizza I let the dough rise a second time for 2 to 3 hours and the dough was lighter and spongy – not as heavy and hard as many pizza crusts I’ve made in the past have been.

The recipe is below, which can also be found on Pioneer Woman’s website. Also at the link is a recipe for pizza dough, if needed.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Pizza Crust
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling
• 1 whole Large Red Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Parmesan Cheese, Grated
• 10 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Thinly Sliced
• 8 slices Prosciutto (more To Taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet and heat on medium-high heat. Add onions and brown sugar to hot skillet and stir. Let heat for several minutes or until onions are caramelized or brown and cooked throughly. Set aside.

Grab a large cooking sheet and spray with cooking spray or sprinkle with corn meal. Roll out pizza dough onto the rectangle cooking sheet and spread thin into the corners so you have a nice flat rectangle-shaped pizza dough. Drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle on some salt, and a generous portion of grated Parmesan cheese.

Slice a block of mozzarella cheese and lay the slices upon the pizza dough. Grab the now-cooled caramelized onions and spread upon the dough. Grab the prosciutti and lay whole slices all over the dough. Sprinkle with some more Parmesan cheese if desired.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the lower half of the oven, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and cut into squares. Serve immediately.

food, photography

Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Pizza, cooking, food, onion, pioneer woman recipe, pizza, prosciutto

March 28, 2010

6 Comments

Flax Seed Month: Apple Walnut Bread

So I have been neglecting Flax Seed Month. I wanted to make a smoothie and crackers and bread but getting together the ingredients, making the recipe, taking pictures and then posting it – it has been daunting. Okay, it hasn’t been that daunting, I have been lazy. And while working with flax seed has been fun, especially since it is something I have never worked with before, I got bored with the recipes. Yes, I got bored using flax seed. The girl who tried to institute a Flax Seed Month grew a boredom for working with the stuff.

Whew, now that I’ve got that off my chest I will say that more flax seed recipes will eventually show up on this blog. But for right now my curiosity and innate experimental-ness have overtaken me. For example, today I decided to grocery shop at a large-chain store (instead of at a Super Wal-Mart) and I was so excited and overwhelmed by how many choices and variety of foods there was to choose from. I went to the baking aisle and there was Panko crumbs. I got so excited about these Japanese breadcrumbs being available in my town; it was ridiculous. Once I spotted them I kept thinking about how I could use them and how cheap a box of Panko crumbs was. And as I write this I realize that I was once this excited about flax seed as I am about Panko crumbs right now.

I am definitely somewhat of  a capricious cook and I think that is okay, as long as my readers and eaters can keep up with me. While I am particular about certain things in my kitchen, I just can’t help it that I’m curious like a cat and maybe just a little changeful.

And now to the purpose of this post: to lead to you to a flax seed recipe. Joy the Baker shared an Apple Walnut Bread recipe that uses flax seed on her site, so check it out!

Click on the image to see Joy the Baker‘s Apple Walnut Flax Seed Bread.

everything else, food

apple walnut bread, flax seed month, joy the baker

March 27, 2010

3 Comments

Martha Stewart’s Homemade Infusions

When I was reading the March issue of Marth Stewart Living there was an article about steeping herbs in a French press to make your own herbal teas. I loved this idea! You can pretty much create whatever flavorful and aromatic infusion you desire using fresh herbs and fruits. Just place a mixture of herbs and fruits into the French press, add boiling water and steep for 5 -10 minutes.

I do not have a French press but I do have a water boiler and perhaps I will try to make my own herbal infusion using it. I imagine as long as you have something to trap the “tea leaves” with, you could very well make this using any method you choose.

So now I’m thinking about infusions I’d like to create. Hmm, orange and mint come to mind. Apple and mint. I have fresh mint in the house which is why I keep going there. Pear lemon rosemary. I don’t know; maybe that’s too much. Now curiosity has got the best of me and I will HAVE to try some of these herbal infusions.

So what do you think: Yay or nay on Martha Stewart’s Homemade Herbal Infusions? Do you have a different way to make herbal teas? Any herbal tea recipes you would like to share? Leave a comment below!

Click on the image to see Martha Stewart‘s Easy Homemade Infusions.

everything else, food

herbal tea, homemade infusions, Martha Stewart

March 27, 2010

2 Comments

Daily Drool 3.26.2010

Another two-in-one post!

Okay, don’t these look great!? Yeah, delicious. Yum. I always slather butter and maple syrup on my waffles, but the kiwi and jam look a helluva lot better (I love that helluva is not underlined as a spell check word. Yep folks, this is the direction the English language is heading).

Click on the image to see My Kitchen Addiction‘s Kodiak Cake Waffles.

And finally a one ingredient peanut butter! Duh, peanut butter is going to be made of peanuts but fresh peanut butter is unheard of today. Who makes fresh peanut butter when needed or wanted? Awesome people who should be my friends, that is who.

Click on the image to see Food Mayhem‘s Fresh Peanut Butter.

everything else, food

daily drool, fresh peanut butter, waffles

March 26, 2010

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Three Ingredient Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

Ever since I saw the recipe for one ingredient ice cream over at The Kitchn, I have been wanting to try this frozen treat. A few weeks ago I had my first taste of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream (I have no idea how it’s taken me so long to try such a great flavor) and while eating I thought I could make my own verison using only three ingredients: frozen bananas, walnuts, and chocolate.

To make the ice cream there is a tutorial over at The Kitchn. You will need two bananas and a blender or food processor.

You will also need walnuts and chunks of chocolate (this is CHUNKY monkey afterall).

Okay, let’s get started.

Grab two bananas.

Peel and slice the bananas into coins.

Both bananas have been peeled and sliced.

Place sliced bananas in the freezer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Note: Not my frozen dinner, bleh, it's the husband's.

Meanwhile grab some walnuts.

Grab a chocolate bar...

and a hammer and pound the chocolate into chunks.

Now that the chocolate bar has become a pile of chocolate chunks...

Fast forward about 2 hours later: Now let's grab the bananas from the freezer.

Drop the sliced banana into a blender and blend on high.

After a few minutes and some poking and prodding with a fork, the bananas turn into a smooth and creamy consistency.

One ingredient ice cream!

Note: The ice cream right out of the blender was a bit soupy so I placed it in the freezer for a few extra hours. After that I was able to scoop the ice cream into a bowl.

Three ingredient chunky monkey ice cream

You can add the other two ingredients whenever you’d like. I chose to stir them in right after blending.

Now this recipe is probably not for everyone since there is a strong banana flavor. But if you enjoy the three ingredients I say give it a try! It is easy and inexpensive and hey, maybe you’ll find a new frozen treat to enjoy!

Have you tried one-ingredient ice cream? Any questions, suggestions, or other comments you have? Leave me a comment below.

food, photography

banana, chocolate, cooking, food, frozen, one ingredient ice cream, walnut

March 25, 2010

11 Comments

Daily Drool 3.20.2010

Hey there. I know I’ve skipped a couple of Daily Drools but some of them had two recipes so I’m going to act like I’m all caught up 🙂

Sigh. Blah. Not a good week. Every day I think about putting  recipes together for The Modest Kitchen but there are other  responsibilities I must attend to first (like school).

I chose this post about making caramel sauce because there are a lot of good tips and making caramel sauce can be tricky. Check it out – it’s a good post with good tips!

Click on the image to see Marzipan‘s Homemade Caramel Sauce.

everything else, food

caramel, caramel sauce, daily drool

March 20, 2010

1 Comment

{drink} Apple Mojito

Looking for a green thirst quencher? Then this is your drink. I tried it and it was very, very good.

While you could just reach for the pre-made Mojito mix and stir in some vodka or rum, this recipe takes it up a notch by adding fresh ingredients. It really takes the cocktail from being adequate to superb.

Check out the recipe. Even though St. Patrick’s Day is officially over, a green indulgence is still acceptable.

Click on the image to see Boozeblogger‘s Apple Mojito.

everything else, food

alcohol, cocktails, drink, green apple, mint, mojito

March 18, 2010

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