Lemon Zucchini Cake Loaf

After making zucchini bread, I ended up with still MORE zucchini.  A quick Pinterest search lead me to this recipe:  http://lilluna.com/glazed-lemon-zucchini-bread/ so I decided to try it out!  I absolutely love lemon.

It was a good choice.  I ran out of regular flour and I never have cake flour on hand, so I used bread flour.  The result was definitely like a soft cake.  You could probably eat this with frosting!

I've been experimenting with almond milk - bought my first carton at Trader Joe's last week - and I substituted for regular milk in this recipe.  I couldn't taste the almond but I think it's a good alternative.

Lastly, I definitely had to bake mine for much longer than the 45 min the recipe suggested at 350.  Mine took about 1 h 20 min - but it just depends on your over and pan so keep an eye out for it.

Greek Steak Gyros - Shaking Things Up

Ever just get bored of the same meals that you rotate through?  This definitely happened to me a few weeks ago so I went on a quest to find fresh new recipes.  This gyro is a great dinner idea if you are looking for something fresh, veggie filled, and delicious!

The special ingredient here is the Tzatziki:

1/2 cup of grated cucumber
1 cup of plain greek yogurt
about 4 tbsp fresh dill
1 clove garlic
salt to taste

My gyro comprised of grilled steak, onions, and bell pepper, spring mix, tomato, tzatziki, and feta.  Try it out! 

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Lava cake is one of our favorite desserts ever.  It's relatively simple to make and turns out great every time.  You can really vary the level of sugar and chocolate based on your preferences.  We like it not ridiculously sweet so I always lowball the sugar and chocolate chips in this recipe.

Don't leave the kitchen for the 14 minutes these are baking!  Ovens differ and yours could be done in 12 and at 14 could be a fully cooked cake - which is no fun when there is no lava!

From: Paula Deen/Food Network

Makes about 6-8 servings

6oz bittersweet chocolate
6oz semisweet chocolate
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
vanilla

Melt chocolate with butter in the microwave until completely melted and smooth.
Add flour and sugar.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Bake at 425 for 14 min (or less depending on your oven).

Zucchini Bread - it's what's in season!

We are Cat/House/Garden sitting for some friends for the next few weeks.  They graciously let us have the spoils of their garden while they are away.  Today we found this MEGA zucchini that probably should have been picked a few days ago.  I immediately thought of zucchini bread.  I ended up only using half of the zucchini.  I wish pictures could capture smell - the cinnamon/nutmeg combo in this bread is delicious.  I added craisins and pecans.

From:  http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/summer-of-the-bats/

Zucchini Bread 
Adapted from several sources

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally.  Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.