Chocolate Zuchinni Muffins

My sister-in-law Emily is a garden queen. She has the world's greenest thumb. I often think about growing a garden in my back yard, but I will pale in comparison. (Although she is coming over to help me plant some tomatoes- let's hope I don't kill them).

One year, her garden exploded zuchinnis. They were everywhere. Literally all of her counter space was taken up by beheamoth zuchinnis. If you didn't know they were home grown, one might believe them to be genetically modified and pumped full of water. There was so much zuchinni, so, naturally some was sent home with me.

I turned some into meals and some into desserts, and in doing so I realized something: Zuchinni is fab. It's good in everything. Throw some into the next spaghetti sauce you make- I promise it won't disappoint. I made a few bread/muffin recipes and decided I liked this one best. It's quite moist with a lot of substance to it, but somehow it's still light feeling. And it's a really sneaky way to get your

I-don't-like-vegetables kids to eat them without turning up their noses.

Chocolate Zuchinni Muffins

recipe can be found here from Our Best Bites

-Jessica



Ginger-Pear Quick Bread



Bread. Ha. As long as you call it bread, it counts as breakfast, right? To be fair, it does contain flour, a main component to bread. And it's baked in a loaf pan. But I definitely wouldn't toast this or make a sandwich out of it. It's pretty much an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.

Fair enough, though, there are pears in it.  Fruit for breakfast. Justified.

My middle guy is the herbivore of the family. His favourite snacks include cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and pears. The other he asked for a snack. I said he could have whatever he could find in the fruit bowl. I came to check on him about 10 minutes later, and there he was, polishing off a pear. "Good choice", I said to him. Then I looked in the fruit bowl to find a bunch of bananas and some avocados. No pears. I knew there were 3 earlier, and I hadn't eaten any. "Did you eat ALL of them?"

"Yep, mum, I did! Did you know pears are my favourite?" Well, I do now.

We went to Costco and bought the biggest bag we could find. I grabbed 3 before he devoured them all so I could make this "bread". No surprise, he had about 4 slices for breakfast this morning. (This kid could eat a large pizza and still be hungry.) If you have any pear lovers at your house, you should probably make this for them.

Ginger-Pear Quick Bread

3 large, soft pears, peeled, cored and chopped (I used D'Anjou pears)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/3 cup oil

1  1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

• Combine chopped pears with sugar and spices; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees ferenheit.
• Grease and flour a standard loaf pan (or a few minis)
• Beat eggs, combine with vanilla and oil and mix with the pears.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix in with the wet.
• Pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.



-Jessica

Lemon Loaf

Is there anything better than lemons? I dare you to find another fruit that tastes just as good with salmon as it does caesar salad. Or one that is refreshing enough to make into a drink to cool you down on a hot day, and yet is just as delicious in a pie, a cake, or a bread? Good luck. I think that lemon takes the cake. Or in this case, the loaf. A good friend of mine gave me this fabulous recipe.

One the holidays are over, I am completely done with winter and impatiently awaiting the spring. Well, summer really, but I'll take what I can get. I can't wait for the cherry blossoms, daffodils, blue sky...the list goes on. For me, lemons and spring go hand in hand. I think it must be something to do with the fresh yellow colour. Or maybe the association comes from a lifetime or spring cleaning with lemon scented cleaning products. Either way, bring it on. I am waiting.


Easy Lemon Loaf

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix all ingredients up to salt in a mixer or with beaters.
- Generously grease 2 loaf pans with butter or non-stick spray.
- Pour mixture into pans and bake for 45-60 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.
- Immediately after removing from oven, combine 1/2 cup of sugar and lemon juice, poke holes in the loaf with a toothpick, and pour lemon sauce over loaves.
- Leave in pan to cool for about 15 minutes before removing.

Eat it and think of spring!