Let them eat (zucchini) cake!

OK - it's zucchini overload time, so before I get back to sewing, I need to use up some of these zucchini's. We've been doing zucchini for every meal - including dessert.

My mother used to make the most chocolaty and moist Chocolate Zucchini Cake. This time I used what appeared to be a more healthy version from Group Recipes. Although I like the ingredients, the taste was more veggie than I would like. Granted, I didn't make the frosting, which I'm sure would improve the flavor, but didn't have any cream cheese on-hand. I think the recipe is worth trying again - next time with the frosting.

Moist Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:

1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 unsweetened best quality cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 C sugar
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 C (+) olive oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 C sour cream or yogurt
3 C grated zucchini (about 4 medium sized zucchini)

Ingredients:

Butter and lightly flour a 9x13 - inch pan
Sift thee flours, baking soda and powder, and salt all together into a medium bowl.
In another bowl use a mixer on high speed to beat together the sugar, butter, and oil until well combined.
One at a time, add in the eggs, beating well after each addition.
Gradually stir in the flour mixture, blending just until smooth.
Stir in the sour cream, then the zucchini.
Spead evenly into the pan!
Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 45 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
(now, I top it with a cream cheese chocolate frosting I make up from a bar of Lindt excellence dark chocolate and cream cheese and a bit of powdered sugar.)

Cookies only Elvis (and everyone else) could love

OK - one more recipe and back to sewing. These cookies are addictive. I say this from experience because I made them last week and made them again today. I give you Peanut Butter Banana cookies from Rara Bakes blog. I added cranberries and cashews. I didn't even need to plug in mixer - all mixing was done by hand.

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed

- 1/2 cup peanut butter, chunky

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/8 tsp salt

- 1-1/2 cups flour

- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I recommend good quality dark chocolate chips)

- 1 tsp vanilla (not in original recipe)

In a medium bowl, combine bananas, peanut butter, and sugars.

Add baking powder and salt. Stir.

Add flour in 3/4 cup increments, stirring after each addition.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Flatten the top of each cookie with a rubber spatula.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 9-11 minutes. Makes 14 cookies.

Absolutely No Strawberries!

I can't for the life of me figure out why someone would want to ruin a perfectly good rhubarb dish (from pies to crisp to cake) by adding strawberries. In my mind, there are only two ways that strawberries should be eaten, fresh/raw or in preserves.

Instead of making my usual rhubarb crisp (or pie) from the rhubarb that grows in my front yard, I searched the web for rhubarb cake recipes and decided on this one located on The Rhubarb Compendium (section 10.3). I used non-fat yogurt because I made a mistake at the market and picked some up (I always buy Strauss whole milk yogurt).

Ravishing Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup applesauce or plain nonfat yogurt
3 cups uncooked rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Beat eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, soda and cinnamon. Add applesauce, rhubarb and nuts; stir until well blended.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Cool; dust with powdered sugar. Yields 20 servings.

Lettuce Give Thanks

Backyard lettuce patch - eating lettuce for lunch and dinner every day.

Blushing Bunny Egg

This is a Clark Summit egg, from laying hens that are truly free-range and organic, raised in Tomales, CA. I pressed the still-warm hard-boiled egg in a bento egg press shaped like a bunny. Looks like he's blushing!

Cafe Trieste Cannoli

One of my favorite treats are cannoli. John and I used to have to go to North Beach in San Francisco to get fresh cannoli, but now, we have our very own Cafe Trieste in Berkeley, not even a mile away that always has fresh (most of the time) cannoli.

Lacto-Fermented Veggies

Just canned my 2nd batch of lacto-fermented veggies. Aren't they lovely! Just red and white cabbage, beets, and sea salt. For recipes and information on the health benefits of lacto-fermented veggies, check out "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Katz and "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.