Zucchini Bread

More of yesterday's hard work...

• Grease and flour two or three (depends on batter)  8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• Sift 1 1/2 C of Organic All Purpose Flour and 1 1/2 Organic Whole Wheat Flour, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 3 tsp cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Beat 3 eggs, 3/4 C of applesauce w/ 1/4 C Vegetable or Canola oil, 3 tsp vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. 
• Stir in (3 medium size) shredded zucchini and 1 C walnuts until well combined. 
• Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
• Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
• Enjoy or store for later use!

Banana Crumb Muffin

Here is some of what I accomplished yesterday:

Banana Crumb Muffins

Three nicely ripened bananas

Puree the bananas w/ 3/4 organic evaporated can juice (sugar),  

1/6 vanilla yogurt, 1/6 melted butter (both = 1/3)

Add one egg, slightly beaten to the wet

mixture shown above

In a large bowl, mix together 

1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt. 

Add wet mixture into dry mixture.

Mix until just moistened.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Optional:  For crumb muffins do this 

(for healthier muffins omit)

In a small bowl, mix together 

brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. 

Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. 

Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 16 to 20 minutes, 

until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Cool slightly and enjoy!

...or completely cool and store for a later date. 

I'm Loving It!

Banana Crumb Muffins, check
Zucchini Bread, check
Granola Bars, check

So far I have three items checked off the list!  And the best part is, I am not contracting, cramping, nor am I tired!




Wooohooo!  I feel so accomplished today and I'm Loving it!

Loooooong Day!

I am beyond exhausted right now, but I feel so accomplished.  The exhaustion comes from not sleeping well.  It's been absolutely horrible.  I've been up every single night for the past week for one reason or another: sick kid, can't get comfortable, mind's racing, contractions, etc.  The accomplishment comes from FINALLY knocking some errands out.  The big one being grocery shopping.  Because I can't lift heavy items or push heavy things, I haven't been able to do a full "compra" (grocery shopping in Spanish).  I've been picking up needed items here and there which is SO annoying b/c sometimes I am in the mix of cooking / baking and I find out that I am missing an essential ingredient.  Did I mention that bedrest sucks?

Well, I woke up very groggy this morning.  My hubby had military duty and one of his friends called early in the morn (like 5 AM) to get directions or something and the phone woke me up.  I couldn't go back to sleep, so after tossing and turning for a while I decided to just get up. I got the kids up and told them to get dressed, I showered and we left.  We treated ourselves to IHOP and then headed to Quantico to do our compra at the Commissary.  It was crowded!  Why?  Why did everyone have the same idea we did?  Come on people, it's early in the morning!  I had my coupons and my list (so prepared! :)  and my kids to serve as little helpers, big helpers actually.   We got almost everything we needed for the next two weeks.  I had prepared my recipes yesterday and gathered all the ingredients needed to make 'em.  After we left base we got stuck in a little bit of traffic and it took us a while to get home.  We were already tired, but after getting home, we had to clear the van, and put everything in it's place.  That took forever.  The kids were troopers and because of them I got so much accomplished.  I feel blessed, happy, and very successful.  I am now in bed trying to recuperate; the LAST thing I need are contractions.  Once I am well rested I will begin baking for the next few weeks.  My goal is to knock breakfast out.  I am going to bake a few batches of muffins, granola bars, breakfast bars / cookies, French toast sticks, and make some pancakes and freeze them.  I'll try and post my recipes at a later date.

Okay, let me go rest, so that I can get to baking!  Ah (sigh), feels so good to feel productive.  Thank you Lord for the strength, the health, and my wonderful children.

Buttercream Recipe

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 butter (not margarine!)
  
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use clear if you want a white cream)
  
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar and continue creaming until well blended.
2. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream blend on low speed until moistened. Add additional whipping cream if necessary (up to 2 ounces). Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.
3. You can add food coloring if you wish.
   

Cake Compromise

Okay, so I chickened out. I didn't make the beautifully decorated fondant cake that I had planned to make. Instead I made a cute buttercream cake. At least I ventured out and once again decorated a cake. The important thing is that my daughter loved it and it tasted great. I will definitely post this buttercream recipe. It's bakery worthy, very delish. Here are some pics...

Let me know what you think!

Eating my words...

So, I took a cake decorating class a few years ago and was obsessed with my new talent. I made a cake for every occasion.

However, I had never ventured into using cake fondant until last year. I volunteered to make my best friend's son's birthday cake. The theme was basketball and I thought "I could totally do this!"

My idea was to make a basketball jersey and a basket ball. I found an awesome recipe for a marshmallow cake fondant (taste way better than the regular kind). Anyway, I prepared it the night before and the morning of the party was ready to go. My cakes were cooled, my butter cream made and I was ready to get rolling...

So I did my crumb icing / dirty icing and I waited for it to dry. I then rolled out my fondant and cover my basketball. BOOYAH! Perfecto! I was so happy. I mixed my colors and brushed them on. Not bad! I am impressed! Looks so good!

Okay, so I am ready to do the same for the sheet cake (the basketball jersey), I roll out my fondant AND dun dun dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUN! It's too short, not enough, poquito, little... Ugh! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Did I mention that it was 100 degrees that day and super humid? My AC was going full force and I was still sweating and hot! So I am a nervous wreck. I only have 3 hours to shower, get dressed, and drive for a half hour!

So I make new fondant. The process was a pain in the (ahem) neck. It was so greasy and would not roll out well because of the humidity. I was getting so frustrated, so I decided to take a break. I started cleaning my supplies and sweeping all the powdered sugar from the floor. I then go back to the fondant and finally get it rolled out. I put it on the cake, but cannot add the numbers or the edging of the jersey because the dough is still sticky. I decide to chill it in the fridge while I shower and get the kids ready.

Okay, so I am dolled up and ready to go. The only thing needed is to put the edging and the numbers on the jersey. I go into the fridge to get the cake out and realize that it didn't clear! All of my fondant was stuck to the shelf above the cake! Flood gates open and I start to bawl. I call my BFF and tell her that I will be late and explain my debacle. She tries to calm me down. She tells me to bring it as it is, all that is important is my presence. Are you kidding me?! Bring that mess to the party?! Oh, heck no. So I wipe my tears and try to salvage the cake. I ended up doing this half butter cream - half fondant mess! Everyone at the party was polite - they told me what a great job I did..blah, blah, blah. I smiled and tried my best to believe them.

After that day I have NOT been able to bring myself to decorate a cake. I've made plenty of yummy cakes since then, but my excuse for not decorating them is that as long as they taste good, they don't have to look good. That day, while wiping my tears, I had promised to NEVER ever decorate another cake.

So, anyway, did I mention that hubby and I love the show Cake Boss? Anyway, (with a sheepish look) I was thinking, that-maybe-I-may-try-and-decorate-a-cake. My daughter's birthday is coming up and it would mean a lot to her if mommy went back to decorating her cakes.

Anyways, I'll keep you posted...

Making a Father's Day Carrot Cake...

...for my husband.

He loves, loves, loves my carrot cake, so although it's lots of work - he deserves it.




















That golden delicious apple is part of my secret recipe.
"An apple in a carrot cake?" you may ask, maybe, I reply... hehehehe.










Okay, here there are, finally in the oven.









And now they're cooling off and are ready to be iced.
Will be back later to show the finished result.
Now I have to make another mess.
Love making icing from scratch.
Despise the messy confectioner's sugar.
Oh, and don't bother looking at these pictures for hints of my secret recipe,
I kept most of the ingredients out of the camera's view... BOOHAHAHAHA.

Okay, I am back. My cake got it's first layer of icing - the crumb icing and it's chilling in the fridge (hahahaha, no pun intended).










An hour has passed and I have finished icing the cake and putting the nuts on it. It looks so yummy. I cannot wait for him to see it tomorrow. He will be so happy.



















Now I have to go marinate the pernil (roast pork shoulder) for his dinner.

Oh, one more thing - I will share with you one of my secret ingredients,









I use only 100% organic Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. Yummmmm!