Zucchini the size of my arm .. We Make Bread!

Cole's best friend's mom brought me over a zucchini the size of my arm to make treats with. It was so large I was able to make 3 different treats to share!

The first recipe I started with was a bread, I found a recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction for Award Winning Zucchini Bread. I stuck to my diet and didn't eat any but I heard it was tasty. I love it had a crumble topping, which is my favorite thing on bread!  Enjoy!!

The best that started it all!

Ingredients:

BROWN SUGAR OAT STREUSEL

• 2/3 cups old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
• optional: 1 Tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips

ZUCCHINI BREAD & MUFFINS

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 large)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• optional: 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use pecans or walnuts)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x5 (or 8x4) loaf pan with nonstick spray. If making muffins, preheat oven to 425F degrees and spray a 12-count pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Make the streusel first by combining the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with two knives or a pasty cutter (preferred) - or you may use your hands. Mix until the streusel resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the beaten egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla until evenly combined. In a large bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate chips together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing.
4. Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for 20 minutes at 350F degrees. Remove from the oven and top with the streusel - press it down into the top. The reason you are adding it after 20 minutes is to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the bread as it bakes. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I covered the bread loosely with aluminum foil after 35 total minutes to avoid the top from getting too brown. Allow bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan and serving.

What all was made from the ONE Zucchini!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

What has been going on here ....

Work has been a bit crazy, I work for a financial advisor so the market activity has been making my calls go from busy to hold on to your seat busy ... LOL!  When I finally clock off I have been hitting the gym but I like to bake and create to calm down also. So a few things have been going on here! Recipes and tutorials to come in the coming weeks!

My bestie loves to post cookie recipes on FB!

I love to try to make them!

THEN take to her house so I won't eat any!!

Cole's best friend's mom brought over a Zucchini the size of my arm!

So I made 3 recipes using it (almost 12 cups of shredded zucchini used) 

Some Babies are coming!

Made a few diaper cakes!

The bottom Booty Diaper Cake is my 2nd attempt that I liked the best!

My first was done when Target doing inventory and they wouldn't bring out 2 matching sets of receiving blankets for me :(.

So there you have it busy all around!!

Have a GREAT Weekend!

Small little Portions …

I made the best little meatloaf cupcakes and zucchini bread cupcakes both were hits here and the cupcakes again got rave reviews at the women’s group with request for the recipe!  Got to love that!!

First off are the Mini Cheesy Meatloaves were so amazing with a little cheesy surprise!

And for the Amazing zucchini bread I made bread and cupcakes.  And does it EVER live up to it’s name!!!  It was packed with flavor, now the dough isn’t the prettiest but man I will be making this from now on.  It was a perfect balance of zucchini, pumpkin and craisins.

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!  I’m starting to feel a bit better but my tummy is still revolting against me … ugh.  Thank you for all your prayers the Monday regular babysitter was back.  The boys did so MUCH better not a bunch of noise, the teacher was up playing with them.  I’m so glad I don’t have to hid under a rock again … Tomorrow I’ll explain what happened again with a babysitter .. lol.

TMTT ~ Breakfast, Dinner & Bread

Wow what a day Monday I woke up going set up and made my first call to find I didn't have a voice?? What the heck just happened there? I don't talk to anyone before I have to start work so no sounds came out of me until then and let's just say it wasn't a pleasant sound, I sounded like a cross between a frog and a man! I'm on the tea, orange juice and salt water diet! UGH let's hope it comes back by Tuesday so I'm not out another day of work, my checkbook can't handle two days of no work :(.

Now onto some yummy recipes! Saturday my dad took me and the boys out and we stopped to have breakfast and we had Eggs Benedict. I haven't had this in so long I had to go home and make it.

Eggs Benedict from Rachel Ray

(click the link to find a cool video how to poach and egg)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 ounces turkey Canadian bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 2 whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted

• DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 150°. Fill a large, deep skillet with enough salted water to reach a depth of

     1 inch and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes; drain.

     Reserve the skillet.
     

  2. Heat the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey bacon and cook, turning,

     until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon and the asparagus to an ovenproof dish

     and place in the oven to keep warm; reserve the skillet.
     

  3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook,

     stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook,

     whisking, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the 2 egg yolks,

     1 at a time. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce into a bowl.
     

  4. Fill the reserved skillet with enough water to reach a depth of 1 inch and

     bring to a boil. Crack the 4 whole eggs into the skillet and poach for 2 minutes for soft-set.
     

  5. Place an English muffin half on each of 4 plates. Divide the bacon among the

     muffins and top each with asparagus, a poached egg and some sauce. Season with pepper.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used whole wheat flour and added a little dijon mustard for the sauce.

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Next for dinner we have our staples here chicken and rice :).

Broccoli Chicken Casserole from Family Oven

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup dry stuffing mix
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 pound broccoli florets, cooked

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
   2. Boil chicken until tender and shred or cut into bite size pieces. Meanwhile, steam broccoli until crisp but tender.
   3. In a small bowl mix together the soup and mayonnaise. Set aside. In a 9x13 inch baking dish layer the chicken, broccoli, soup mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle dry stuffing mix over the top and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used brown rice and fresh broccoli in the steamer also we didn't have stuffing so I used bread crumbs.

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And we end with a yummy bread, I had 2 zucchini that had to be used up and it was time to feed the neighbors :). My weekly thing I do for them.

Zucchini Bread with Crumble Top from Recipe Tips

Ingredients:

-		3 eggs
-		1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
-		2 cups sugar
-		3 cups grated zucchini
-		2 teaspoons vanilla
-		3 cups flour
-		1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-		3 teaspoons cinnamon
-		1 teaspoon baking soda
-		1/4 teaspoon baking powder
-		1 teaspoon salt
		TOPPING:
-		3/4 cup brown sugar
-		3/4 cup flour
-		3 tablespoons butter or margarine
-		2 teaspoons cinnamon
-		1/2 cup chopped pecans - chopped medium fine

Directions

• Grate zucchini. If using larger zucchini, cut out any large seed sections from the middle before grating. When the 3 cups are grated, set the zucchini aside.
• Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Mix all topping ingredients together. Mix butter into other ingredients using your fingers. When mixed, set aside.
• Add eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat together until slightly foamy.
• add the oil and sugar to the beaten eggs; beat with the mixer until well blended.
• Add the grated zucchini and vanilla; stir by hand until it is well mixed into the egg and sugar mixture.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir to mix evenly.
• Add the flour mixture to the egg and zucchini mixture; stir just until evenly mixed.
• Pour even amounts of the batter into the prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the batter in each pan. The crumble topping provides for a thick layer over the top of the loaves. If you do not want the topping that thick, don't add all of it.
• Place the loaves into the preheated oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Remove loaves from the oven and allow them to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before storing.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used my pan that has 4 and overflowed a bit next time I will just scrap the extra. I added a little pumpkin pie spice because I love it. I had extra of the crumble also, I should have to filled it so full made them hard to come out and I had to scrap two of the loaves. I also used half whole wheat flour. I also skipped the nuts.