Keeping With The Times

living, learning, and keeping with the times

Old Fashioned Zucchini Bread

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Autumn’s definitely in the air; geese are honking, leaves are turning colour and falling, and the days are quickly getting shorter.

All summer long, I cook most of our meals on the barbeque, and dessert? Well, when we had it, it was usually an ice cream treat of some kind.

But now … things they are a-changin’. With cooler temperatures comes my urge to bake. First up … zucchini bread! and when I make zucchini bread, I immediately turn to my mom’s recipe.

It’s basic, and it’s tried and true. Hubby say it’s his favourite …

zucchini bread {keeping with the times dot com}

But first I had to play with some photos. I’ve been using LR to process and “print to file” and, oh.my.goodness. I am completely bowled over with the ease of it all, plus the template feature is a godsend!

Thanks to Kim for her clear instructions, I’ve left PS for LR once again. I’m going to turn into a template-making photo bomber! Now, I know this is old hat to many of you, but I’ve been a slow learner when it comes to LR … I was am such a PS lover.

zucchini bread {keeping with the times dot com}

I thought about combining zucchini and carrots, but decided to leave that for another day … I think they make a pretty addition to the photo though …

zucchini bread {keeping with the times dot com}

Fresh eggs …

zucchini bread {keeping with the times dot com}

Make sure to serve your zucchini bread with a glass of cold milk … and don’t forget the pretty, photogenic straw!

zucchini bread

So here’s my basic, tried and true, zucchini bread – enjoy!

Print
Old Fashioned Zucchini Bread
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup salad oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups zucchini (grated)
Instructions
  1. Mix together oil and sugar in a mixer.
  2. Add eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth.
  3. Sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, and baking powder. Run it through the sifter 2 or 3 times.
  4. Add flour mixture alternately with grated zucchini, blending until smooth and the zucchini is evenly distributed.
  5. Pour into two loaf pans lined with parchment paper.
  6. Bake at 325F for 1 1/4 hour. I used very dark pans so I reduced the baking time to 1 hour. Test with a toothpick, when it comes out clean, the loaves are done.
Notes
Makes 2 loaves.

I also have a recipe for Zucchini Quinoa Bread which is really quite yummy!

Have a wonderful Friday! But first, check out my newsletter! I’d love to be able to send you a little note on a somewhat weekly basis!

 

Meyer Lemon Lemon Loaf

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At this time of year I always buy a gargantuan bag of Meyer lemons simply because they are #1 in season, and #2 they’re pretty.

Then I have to do something with them … so I photograph them, then I bake with them, then I squeeze and freeze the juice in ice cube trays to be used later.

I’ve been using this lemon loaf recipe since we were married (almost 39 years ago). It’s my mother-in-law’s recipe and one of my husband’s favourites. The best part of a lemon loaf is the tangy sugary syrup that you pour over it while it’s still in the pan and still hot. Yumm …

Meyer-Lemons-Lemon-Loaf

Meyer-Lemons-Lemon-Loaf

Meyer Lemons

Print
Meyer Lemon Lemon Loaf
 
Ingredients
Loaf
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • Rind of one lemon - grated
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk
Lemon Sugar Syrup
  • Juice of one lemon combined with 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Cream butter with sugar.
  2. Add eggs and lemon rind and beat well.
  3. Sift flour, salt and baking powder.
  4. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk, a little of each at a time, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
  5. Pour into loaf pan.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven and drizzle the lemon sugar syrup over top while the loaf is still in the pan.
Notes
I added a couple teaspoons of poppy seeds for crunch (optional).

Hope you’re having a wonderful sunny Sunday!

Gingerbread with Apples and Caramel Sauce

by 15 Comments

This is a simple dessert, but there’s nothing simple about the taste! I’ll be serving this for our Christmas Eve dinner (so that tells you something)…

It can all be made ahead – bake up the loaf and have it ready in the freezer, then on the morning of the day you plan to serve it, take it out and let it thaw.

The caramel sauce should be made only a day or two ahead. Let it cool a bit, store it in a jar and refrigerate. To serve, pour it into a saucepan and gently reheat.

Gingerbread-with-Caramel-Sauce-1

Gingerbread-with-Caramel-Sauce-Collage

Print
Gingerbread with Apples and Caramel Sauce
 
Ingredients
  • Cake
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cloves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Caramel Sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar.
  2. In a separate bowl, sift together cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, baking powder and flour.
  3. Beat baking soda into molasses until foamy, and add to butter mixture.
  4. Add the 1/4 tsp baking soda to the boiling water.
  5. Add this alternately with the dry ingredients to the butter/molasses mixture.
  6. Fold in beaten egg (batter will be thin).
  7. Pour into greased, or parchment-lined loaf pan and bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  8. For the caramel sauce, melt butter in pan, add brown sugar and stir thoroughly. Add cream, stir and cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce bubbles a tiny bit and thickens.
  9. Place gingerbread on serving dish, pour sauce over and serve warm. Add sauteed apples if desired.
Notes
Recipe from The Best of Bridge

ummm… you may want to double everything… :)

Rustic Zucchini Quinoa Bread

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I love zucchini bread and I have a basic recipe that I’ve used my whole life. But for some reason I wanted to change things up a bit and experiment this year.

I don’t know why quinoa came to mind . . . it just did . . .

It turned out quite yummy  . . .

Quinoa is a complex carbohydrate, gluten-free and high in protein. It’s not a grain–it’s a fruit of a broadleaf plant and is in the same family as spinach and beets.

So I thought I’d substitute quinoa for half the white flour and see what would happen. First I had to process it in my food processor to turn it into quinoa flour (it ended up being a bit coarse).

Apparently you can buy quinoa flour and if you prefer a finer loaf–it might be a good idea to use that. We kind of liked the rustic nature and I think I would stick to processing my own. We eat quinoa often and I buy it in a big bag at Costco.

Print
Rustic Zucchini Quinoa Bread
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup salad oil
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups white flour
  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups zucchini--grated--I remove the centres of the zucchini before I grate them and I drain a little liquid off if it seems too watery
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
  1. Mix together oil and sugars and beat for one minute. Add eggs and beat until combined. Add vanilla.
  2. Sift together flours, salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to egg mixture and blend until smooth.
  3. Add zucchini and blend until it is evenly distributed and batter is smooth. Add walnuts and raisins.
  4. Line 2 loaf pans with parchment paper and fill with batter.
  5. Bake 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Test with toothpick. Remove loaf to rack and cool.
  6. Makes 2 loaves.

and guess what? it passed the ‘hubby’ test …

Got bananas?

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If you have a bunch of really ripe bananas and are wondering what to do with them – here’s your answer!

This truly is ‘The Best-Ever Banana Bread’! It’s dense, and moist, and is a bit like a pudding, I think.

The key is to use ripe ripe bananas and make sure you use cake flour as the recipe directs.

We’re enjoying our holiday weekend with family and this is the perfect thing to serve with coffee before the real breakfast hits the table!

Print
Best Ever Banana Bread
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 6 ripe bananas - mashed (3 cups)
  • 4 eggs, well-beaten
  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 2 tsps baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add bananas and eggs and beat until well mixed.
  3. Sift dry ingredients three times. Blend with banana mixture - but do not over-mix.
  4. Pour into two lightly greased loaf pans. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour; test for doneness.
  5. Cool on rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans. These freeze beautifully! Enjoy!
  6. *Recipe from The Best of Bridge