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.

Turtle Cupcakes Featured on Pin Me Linky Party 153

I'm so excited to see my Turtle Cupcakes were featured on Diana Rambles Pin Me Linky Party 153! These cupcakes are so cute and was so happy I was able to get 48 cupcakes done in one morning!

Have a GREAT Weekend!!

Baby Onesie Cupcake Tutorial

My last baby gift to make was for my co-worker in Boston. I needed something that could be shipped and stay in good condition. I came across a Baby Onesie Cupcake Tutorial on Club Chica Circle. I need to work on my cupcakes, her's were cuter but I still liked mine.

What you need:

• cupcake gift box
• colorful cupcake liners
• cupcake sleeves (optional)
• 6 onesies
• 3 pairs of baby socks
• Scotch tape

1. Fold each onesies long ways twice in on itself, so it is a very thin long piece.
2. Then take one sock and let the top of the toe area of the sock pop above the onesie.
3. Roll the sock tightly in the middle of the onesie to create the cupcake shape. The sock becomes the cherry, and the onesie becomes a swirled cupcake shape.
4. While holding the rolled onesie cupcake, take a piece of clear scotch tape to secure.
5. Place in cupcake liner and cupcake wrap and place in cupcake gift box. Repeat for all 4 onesies.
6. Finish off by tying a cut ribbon around the box!

Thanks for Stopping by!

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

Elephant Diaper Cake

Next on the diaper cake list was for a baby boy and I found a cute idea for a Elephant on top of a diaper cake! I saw tons of pictures of this elephant design but NO steps on how to do. So I had to wing it, I typed up what I did I hope this makes sense.

What You need
98 Diapers (to make the whole cake)
Ribbon or Rubber-bands
Receiving blankets
Googly Eyes
Glue

Take a diaper and roll it length wise to make a long tube that will be your legs, use rubber-bands or ribbon to hold. You need two of these. I then took a receiving blanket and wrapped around the two legs to make the back and hold them together (see picture below). Then take a diaper and stick half under the receiving blanket, leave the other half out to make a face. I used a ribbon to make a point like a nose, you can also use a rubber-band. I added some googly eyes onto the front, I found the hot glue gun was the best to use. for the ears I used another receiving blanket and made the shape I wanted, I then tied on with ribbon to hold in place. I added an extra ribbon that matched the bottom of the cake to tie a ribbon on for the ear. 

Thanks for Stopping by!

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

Baby Booty Diaper Cakes

I haven't done a lot of diaper cakes until these past 3 weeks I had 4 of them to do! Well I had 3 planned and one of Rick's co-worker's saw this baby booties I made and asked if she could have one made too. Which was great since I had a 2nd time to perfect the design. This cake I think is one of my favorites I've done in a while, it took me around 2 hours to make them.

I first found this design on Thom's Crafts and Treats Youtube Video, she is actually one of my favorite go to's for diaper cake designs.  I suggest watching her video to give you a better visual, I tried to type it all up.

What you Need:

84 Diapers (Size 1)

8 Receiving Blankets

2 Clip on  Flowers (or boy item)

1 roll of ribbon 1 1/2 inch

1 roll of ribbon 1 inch

Tape and Paper Clips (I used sewing pins)

To make the baby booty you will start with rolling around 30 diapers (like a cinnamon roll) then put a rubber-band on to keep it rolled. Line up the 30 diapers to make a oval shape. One very large rubber-band around all 30 and then push into a oval like a shoe shape. 

Then take around 18 diapers to make a round roll I use a round cake pan to make this shape, put a rubber-band around to hold this round shape. Take a receiving blanket folded around 3x to make the height of your round diaper shape. This is to cover the sides of the round (to make like the top of a high-top shoe). She uses tap to hold the blanket, I used sewing pins that are longer and have a pearl on top to be decorative and it holds better for me.

Then fold a receiving blanket three times to make the tongue of your shoe. Put in the back of oval just to the top of your diapers, attach with tape or pins. Then put the round on top of your oval towards the back. You then bring the receiving blanket up to cover the top of oval and front of the round. 

Then fold a receiving blanket in half or so to cover the outside of your oval. It will connect in the back where your back of the tongue blanket is up. Don't worry since it doesn't wrap all the way around the oval. 

Then fold your 4th blanket in half or so to come up the side of your cake. You need to fold in the front of the blanket so you can see the tongue.  

You wrap the 1 inch ribbon around the circle and this will hold your blankets. You can add a flower if a girl or you can do like I did and find things for a boy. I found a wooden mitt that I clipped to the ribbon in front. 

Then to finish off the bottom of the cake you wrap the 1 1/2 inch ribbon to be like the rubber of the shoe. 

It sounds very complicated but once you get going it's really easy but you have to watch the video to help get the picture. 

The first set I made I went to Target who was doing their inventory and didn't have 2 packs of matching blankets. So my booties didn't match, my second pair I hit Walmart and found matching blankets so my booties matched!

Diaper Cakes Done:

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!