Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread

 Both last summer & this summer, I have been given gigantic zucchinis from friends' gardens.  This is my favorite thing to make with it!  It makes 2 loaves, so I get to stick one in the freezer for later.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and followed the changes suggested by many of the reviewers, plus threw in some mini chocolate chips for good measure. :) All of my kids love this, including my "I don't like bread" eater!

 This was my 3 cups of grated zucchini (I used a grating attachment on my KitchenAid to grate it).  My zucchini was so big, I still had 4 cups left over!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread
Printable version here

3 cups flour (I use half white & half wheat)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil (such as canola or vegetable)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 cups grated zucchini, loosely packed
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Grease and flour two 8x4-inch pans, set aside.  Combine dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a bowl and set aside.

2. Beat eggs, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and sugars in a large bowl until combined.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.  Pour evenly into the two loaf pans.

3. Bake at 325º for 65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry when poked in the middle of the loaf.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, remove from pans, then cool completely on the rack.  Store in a covered container at room temperature for a couple days, or freeze (wrapped in plastic wrap and foil) for longer storage.

Yield: Two loaves (Alternately, you could make this into 24 muffins, and cook those about 27 minutes)

Recipe source: Adapted from this recipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moms-zucchini-bread

Why I love it? I asked my kids, and they said: "It has chocolate chips, and the zucchini bread tastes good...  I like it because of the chocolate, and I might not have liked the zucchini by itself, but I couldn't even taste it!  It just tastes like chocolate chip bread, that's it!" There you have it!

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

 

Last night we had friends over for dinner, which was a good excuse to make a yummy dessert!  I've made this once each of the last 3 summers- and each time I wonder why I don't make it more often!  It is a great use for all the good summer produce around here!  The original recipe calls for just blueberries, but I like to mix it up with a little bit of peaches, as well.  I like that it provides some contrast.

Parts of the recipe can be made ahead of time.  I made the fruit mixture and put it in a dish (below), and mixed up the wet and the dry ingredients in separate bowls.  All I had to do when our company was here was put the fruit in the oven, bake for a little bit, mix the wet & dry ingredients, top with the biscuits, and bake.  It took less than 5 minutes of my time.

Also, I have made a half-sized batch of this before.  Don't let the size of the recipe keep you from making it! :)

Enjoy!!

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Printable version here

FILLING

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

4 cups (18 oz.) fresh blueberries, rinsed

2 peaches, peeled & cut into chunks

1 tbsp. lemon juice

BISCUIT TOPPING

1 cup flour

2 tbsp. cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cinnamon/sugar mixture for sprinkling on top

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375º. 

2. For the filling: Stir the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the berries, peaches, and lemon juice and mix gently with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Transfer the fruit mixture to a 9-inch glass pie plate (or similar sized dish), place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until the filling is hot and bubbling around the edges, about 25 minutes. 

3. For the biscuit topping: Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. One minute before the berries come out of the oven, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir with a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry pockets remain. 

4. To assemble and bake the cobbler: Remove the fruit from the oven; increase the oven temperature to 425º. Pinch off 8-10 equal pieces of biscuit dough and place them on the hot berry filling, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound of dough with cinnamon sugar. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack 20 minutes and serve.

Serves: 6-8

Adapted from: Baking Illustrated

(This website has the directions for how to make this using frozen blueberries.)

Why I love it? This recipe just screams SUMMER to me!  It's a great way to use up, and enjoy, all the fresh produce we're blessed with at this time of year.  As much as I love the fruit filling, the part of this recipe I find the most unique is the topping.  As usual, Cook's Illustrated has figured out how to make the perfect biscuit- it's completely cooked through, soft on the inside, and crisp on the outside.  Every recipe I have made from this book has been amazing!

 

Cornbread

 

Cornbread is a side dish I like to serve often- such as with chili, or this beef & bean casserole. However, I could never settle on which recipe to use.  I went through MANY recipes before finding this on Allrecipes.com, and adapting it a little bit.  This is exactly what I like in a cornbread!  It's quick to make, uses normal ingredients, and is light & fluffy.  It's not too dense or too cakey.  Someday I'll probably try making this a little healthier (like using some wheat flour), but for now, I'm happy to have a cornbread recipe that I can count on!!

After mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl, you make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients to that.

 

You want to mix the batter just until everything is incorporated.

Cornbread
Printable version here

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup white sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk*
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Mix dry ingredients, make a well, add buttermilk & eggs and stir until almost combined.  Add melted butter & mix until just combined.

2. Pour into a greased 9x9 inch metal baking dish.  Bake at 425º for 20 minutes.

*You may substitute 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice for the buttermilk. Combine and let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.

Recipe source: allrecipe.com

Why I love it? It has the perfect flavor & texture that I'm looking for in cornbread- soft (with slightly crisp edges), and just a little sweet.  It comes together quickly, too!

Cranberry Oat Bread

This bread has turned into one of my family's favorites!  It's healthy (low sugar, low fat, and whole grain)- but it doesn't taste healthy, know what I mean?  It's flavorful, hearty, and moist.  We love it with dried cranberries and pecans, but you could certainly swap those out for other ingredients if you'd like. 

In other news, I've been enjoying this summer with my kids & husband.  Since we finished our homeschooling year last month, we have: celebrated my oldest son's 8th birthday, done a lot of yard work/projects, gone swimming several times, and celebrated mine & my husband's 10th wedding anniversary!  We left the kids with the grandparents for 2 days and took a weekend trip to Victoria, BC.  It was great to get time away!  This is us eating lunch at a nice little pub.  It was fun not having to worry about if they had a kid's meal! :)

Cranberry Oat Bread
Printable version here

3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or other small dried fruit)
1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional

1. Combine the oats and buttermilk in a medium-sized bowl.  Stir to mix well, and set aside (only until it's needed in the next step- if you wait too long, too much of the liquid will have been absorbed).

2. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, and stir to mix well.  Add the buttermilk mixture and vanilla, and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in the fruit and nuts.

3. Coat an 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Spread the batter in the pan, and bake at 325º for 40-42 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. (Alternately, you can turn this into 12 muffins, baked at 350º for 18 minutes.)

4. Remove the bread from the oven, and let sit for 10 minutes.  Turn the loaf onto a wire rack, and cool before slicing.  Serving suggestion- this bread is great toasted and spread with cream cheese.

Recipe source: adapted from "Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking"

Why I love it? It's lowfat, hearty (but not dense), and flavorful!  I just love this bread with cream cheese.  It keeps fairly well, and I have also frozen it for later.  Like most quick breads, it freezes and thaws wonderfully!