Zucchini Bread

I am currently visiting my family in Pennsylvania, it was a very last minute trip, and we were just here in May and June, but when you miss home... you miss home!

My dad is a fantastic gardener, it is what he loves to do in the summertime, so I was looking forward to his fresh vegetables! Every year there are literally a million zucchinis, everything for that month is made with zucchini in the household, neighbours receive zucchinis by the bag full and they are given away to whoever wants some.

He loves zucchini bread, my mom has a tried, tested and loved recipe, but I found one with a little more pizazz to it, and it is so good! There is a little bit of everything in it and you will love it just as much as we did!

Cece loves to spend time at my parents house, she helps my dad in the garden, my mom in the kitchen and helps with everything in between.  So, needless to say she loved helping to wash the zucchini!

Gingery Olive Oil Zucchini Bread with Poppy Seeds
Makes On 9- by -5 inch loaf


3 cups grated zucchini (from about 1 pound)2 cups granulated sugar, divided
Unsalted butter, for greasing pan
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
3 large eggs
Grated zest of 2 large lemons
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a small mixing bowl, mix the zucchini with 1/4 cup sugar. Transfer the mixture to a fine-mesh strainer set over the mixing bowl. Fill another small bowl—just large enough to nestle inside of the strainer—about halfway with water and set it directly on top of the zucchini so that it is pushing down. This will press the water out of the zucchini and into the bowl below
2. Butter the loaf pan, line with parchment paper, leaving some to hang over the sides, and butter the parchment.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, poppy seeds, and chopped ginger.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 3/4 cups sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla until well blended. Beat in the olive oil gradually, whisking it in until it's thoroughly incorporated.
5. Using a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well incorporated, with no remaining white spots. Working with a handful of zucchini at a time, use your hands to wring out all of the excess moisture. When all of the zucchini has been pressed, add it to the batter, and stir it in gently until evenly incorporated.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 70 to 75 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Cut into thick slices and Enjoy!

***it is very important to get all of the water out of the zucchini!

Stay tuned for some more yummy recipes with Garden Fresh Vegetable!

Cheerio!

Courtney

Retro Auto Festival

Lydiard Park (which I previously talked about in another post) held a Retro Auto Featival. Craig being a car lover, we had to attend!

It was a fabulous afternoon seeing all different makes and models of vintage cars. Besides the Volkswagens and Minis, I barely knew what any of the kinds were, but I still enjoyed looking at them all!

Besides the "retro cars", there were a ton of retro fashion and memorabilia stalls. There was one that sold old original vintage toys (the guy would not let me take a picture of anything!). But, the toys were very cool and very expensive. 

They had swing dancers performing to 50's music and there was a place you could get your hair done in a retro style! Which, was very popular at the event. 

There were food trucks and cocktail bars that were built into vintage cars, and the food was amazing. 

There was a classic "British Afternoon Tea" 

And some others:

My favourite, of course:

They served the British Classic: Pimms. Also, they sold ciders and glasses/bottles  of champagne. But, why buy a glass when you can buy the bottle? 

It was a great family day out. It was a very chilly day, especially for being summer, but that's England for you I guess!

Definetly mark it on your calendar for next year! The different events I have been to at Lydiard Park have been a lot of fun, if you are in the area and something is going on there, it is worth checking out! 

Cheerio!

Courtney 

Thirsty Thursday: RumChata coladas

It has been super hot here the past few weeks so I decided to make an extremely delicious drink for a day at the pool. 

INGREDIENTS

3 oz RumChata

1 oz light rum

1 oz pineapple juice

0.5 oz cream of coconut

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice and drain into glass.

2. Also is delicious blended with ice instead of shaken.

Enjoy!

xo

Chelsea

Craft Project for Cole

My latest craft project has been a "Taggie Blanket"... Cole's first birthday is coming up and I wanted to make him something. Crafts always look easy... but crafts always look better when someone else makes them! I admire anyone who can sew, knit, crochet, etc... But this is a simple sewing project, I know I can handle, I made one for Cecelia when she was in utero.

First things first ... figure out the color scheme and find the right material, I found a soft flannel with jungle animals on it for the one side and and a brown textured cozy material for the other side. I shopped at Joann Fabrics they usually have a nice selection of nursery graphic prints and different textured material. The color scheme for the ribbons I went with is brown, orange, green, yellow, and turquoise.

Now to start the project I figured out what size blanket I wanted to make. Cut the material to size, then laid the material right sides together, I then pinned the material together. Next step is to cut the ribbon, I cut the ribbon in 6-8 inch pieces. With the material pinned and the ribbon cut... Now I was ready to sew! As I sewed along the edge of the blanket I put a piece of the folded ribbon between the fabric on the inside of the two materials every inch or so. I continued to do this till I was 3/4 of the way finished, or 3/4 of the way the around the blanket. I then turned the blanket right side out and continued to sew the ribbon. Quick and easy! (and I only had to rip it apart once! I was lazy and tried to sew without pinning the material together!)

A visual aid

Finished project... Happy Birthday my sweet Cole!

Making Sweet Memories...

Kelly

Thirsty Thursday: Sand in Your Shorts

Sand in your shorts. 

In the literal sense, über uncomfortable. Literally Hell on Earth. 

In the figurative (alcoholic) sense, fabulous! 

Really, though. This drink is delicious, and you're going to love it. Though there are a good number of ingredients, it's a very easy process. No shakers or any fancy equipment required. I'll get right to it. 

What you need (for 1):

**though the math isn't hard, it's even less hard when someone else does it for you. So, in parenthesis I've added how much you'll need for 4 (whether you want 4 for yourself or if you're going to share...)

- 1/2 ounce (2 ounces) Vodka

- 1/2 ounce (2 ounces) Triple Sec

- 1/2 ounce (2 ounces) Peach Schnapps

- 1/2 ounce (2 ounces) Midori Melon

- 1/2 ounce (2 ounces) Chambord Raspberry (or you can use Razzmatazz like I did, for an economical alternative)

- 5 ounces (20 ounces) Orange Juice

- 3 ounces (12 ounces) Cranberry Juice

- Ice

How to do it:

- Mix all of the ingredients together. Personally, I like to mix these in a measuring cup as opposed to the drinking glass, but that's a matter of preference. 

- Pour into a glass filled with ice.

- Garnish as desired. Cherries are delicious!

- Enjoy! Be careful not to drink it too fast.

Bonus Tip:

These are absolutely fabulous frozen. Especially On a hot summer day. 

Just pour the mixture into a freezable container and let it sit. I don't know how long this takes; I let it sit for 2 days, so it was good and solid. I would say let it sit overnight - don't rush it! When you're ready to eat it, scrape it with a thick metal spoon. Don't use a regular teaspoon; the metal will bend easily. 

At first, it will have the texture of shaved ice. This is great with a spoon. Or, you can let it sit for about 10 minutes and it will get a wonderful slushy texture, perfect with a straw. Have it whichever way you prefer! 

Stay fab!

Chloe

Thirsty Thursday: Tequila For All Hours Of The Day!

Chelsea has been über busy lately, so the responsibility of Thirsty Thursday bevies was placed on my shoulders.. no pressure. We had a carafe of orange juice in the fridge, and we always have tequila on hand, so I decided to make a minimum-effort, maximum-result drink. Actually, two of them. I made a Tequila sunrise and a Tequila Sunset (understand the title now?!). These are so easy to make, and sooo tasty! 

What you need (for 1):

1/2 cup (4 oz.) Orange Juice 

1 oz. Tequila 

1/2 - 1 cup ice

1/2 oz. Grenadine (for a sunrise) or Blackberry Brandy (for a sunset)

Glass and preferred garnishes (cherries are classic; sadly we didn't have any. Orange slices work well, and a sugared rim is always appropriate!)

How to do it:

I actually did mine 2 ways. The first was on the rocks, and the second was blended. 

On the rocks:

Prep your cup. Sugar the rim and fill glass with ice (about a 1/2 cup).

Mix together the orange juice and tequila. Pour into glass.

Slowly pour the grenadine or brandy over the top. This will sink to the bottom, since it is denser, giving a beautiful layered look. 

Garnish as desired and enjoy!

           

Blended:

Prep your cup. Sugar the rim. 

In a blender, blend the ice (about 1 cup), orange juice and tequila together until smooth. Pour into glass.

Slowly pour the grenadine or brandy over the top. Though the grenadine/brandy will make its way to the bottom, as it is denser, it will not be as clean as the "on the rocks" version. It's more of a tie dye. 

Garnish as desired and enjoy!

The Blackberry Brandy wasn't as colorful as I was hoping, but it tasted fab! 

I thought I would be creative and use sprinkles to cover the rim of one of my glasses. Sadly, this didn't go so well because I wet the rim with water. Learn from my mistake! Use honey or agave  if you're going to use something heavy to deck out your glasses. Easy fix!

I hope you enjoy! These would be great for a brunch too - orange juice is typical breakfast fare, and the ratio of alcohol to juice isn't very high. If you have any little ones that like fancy beverages, just skip the tequila and use maraschino cherry juice instead of grenadine. Voilà!

Stay fab!

Chloe

White Chocolate Mousse

When someone says they are craving chocolate and they go for a bar of white, I think they are crazy! And, that is my husband spot on.  Before him, white chocolate did not really exist in my life.  But, I try to incorporate in my baking now. The things you do for the ones that you love!

In the states, growing up I was not aware of too many white chocolate bars, but in the UK Cadbury does white chocolate buttons.  I admit, they are good! But, when I am craving chocolate, I still want milk chocolate.

Anyway, since we have two small children and no one to babysit, we try to have a "date night" at home once in awhile.  We take turns making an extremely good meal and try to make it special for each other.  It was my turn and I wanted to make something new and something Craig would love. I was on Pinterest searching white chocolate desserts and came across white chocolate mousse.  I put a blueberry compote on top and it was fabulous! Craig was in heaven!

White Chocolate Mousse 
Serves 4-6

2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ tsp. kosher salt
3 egg whites
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
8 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

1.  Place cream cheese and vanilla seeds in a large bowl, and beat on medium-high speed of a hand mixer until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add cream, and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes more; set aside. Place salt and egg whites in another bowl, and beat on medium-high speed of a hand mixer until soft peaks form; while beating, slowly add sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form; set aside.

2.  Place white chocolate in a medium bowl over a 4-qt. saucepan of simmering water, and cook, stirring constantly, until just melted; remove from heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Pour white chocolate into cream cheese mixture, and fold with a rubber spatula until almost combined; add beaten egg whites, and fold gently until just combined. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a ³⁄₄" tip, and pipe into serving glasses; refrigerate until set before serving, at least 2 hours.

Blueberry Compote

• 2 cups frozen blueberries, divided
• 3 tbsp. water
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½-1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 
  
• 1. Pour half the blueberries (1 cup) into a medium sauce pan and set aside the remaining 1 cup. Add the water, sugar and lemon juice, Cook over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce to simmer and cook for an additional 10 minutes. 
• 2. After 10 minutes, gently smash the blueberries against the pan using a wooden or plastic spatula. Add the remaining blueberries and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes to heat through.

If you have extra blueberry compote, you can always make pancakes or waffles for breakfast the next day and use it for a topping! Or, you could put it on vanilla ice cream!

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I hope you enjoy this dessert as much as we did! Let me know what you think!

Cheers,
Courtney

* junkfoodtastersdotcom credit for buttons photo