Zucchini Bread
10 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: baking, bread, recipe, zucchini
This summer has been a chilly one. The family gardens have been struggling to ripen up. However zucchini still thrives. Being gifted more than a few I decided that it might be fun to make some zucchini bread. I hunted up a likely looking recipe and made my first loaf. It came out tasty but had a bit of a single note flavor to it. Upon making my second loaf I decided to remedy that by varying the spices as the originally only called for cinnamon. As I shredded, beat and mixed I discovered that the sugar thief had raided my kitchen. So I was forced to supplement the 2 cups of white sugar with some brown sugar. In addition to my sugar they also gobbled up the rest of my walnuts, so in went some golden raisins the result of which was way better than the original loaf. Here is my version of the recipe.
Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Bread
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• About 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Additions: 1/2 cup golden raisins or walnuts
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy.
3. Mix in oil and sugar.
4. Stir in zucchini and vanilla.
5. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts (use a whisk)
6. Stir dry mix into the egg mixture.
7. Divide batter into prepared pans.
8. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done
9. Allow to cool on a baking rack for 3-5minutes before attempting to remove them from the pan
Knitting Needles Are Fun
10 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in Craft, Hearth & Home Tags: crafts, knitting, scarf
I am growing a scarf:
I wish I had more time to devote to working on it. Shortly after I started learning how to knit life around our little home got more hectic than anticipated. I am hoping that things will find a balance again soon and I can resume my quest to master the knit stitch.
Matters of the Heart
25 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
This weekend I had the privilege of attending my cousin’s wedding. He is the cousin closest in age to myself but I always think of him as my baby cousin. Though we were much closer as children than we are now, I must admit I am still protective of him. Which is why I was so happy when he met her. They are perfect for each other, I see the happiness radiating off of them, the love that emanates from them. I know his heart is in the right hands. She is now part of our family and he is part of hers. I am so happy for them.
Stillness
13 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in The Times Tags: power outage, reflection
The Stillness Speaks
A sudden stillness settles over the house during a power outage. Though they can be inconvenient I kind of enjoy them. Having to run a home with no electricity reminds us that we are capable. Having no electricity means most forms of popular socialization and entertainment are rendered useless. Candles get dusted off, oil lanterns come off the bookshelf and we light our homes the way our great grandparents once did. Board games and cards are pulled down and the family comes together. We get outside more and talk to our neighbors, surround a grill or a fire pit. The silence and stillness, the absence of the electric hum is soon filled by the soft flicker of flame, and the laughter and cheer of good company.
Knitting Needles
06 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in Craft, Uncategorized Tags: knitting, tarot
One of my oldest friends is really good at knitting and has agreed to teach me how to knit in exchange for me teaching her how to read tarot. Our first session was last night, so with tarot decks and knitting needles in tow, off I went to Panera Bread. First order of business was supper, then on to the tarot deck card. I showed her a basic reading, taught her how to cleanse the deck, gave her a basic overview of the suits of cards. After some basic energy work it was on to the knitting. It took me a bit to figure out how to cast on (I kept wrapping the yarn around my thumb backward). After that I was shown the knitting stitch, which mercifully I was better at than I was at casting on. Those first steps were taught to me using my mother’s old flat panel knitting needles, next we moved on to knitting in the round and a new set of needles. I am enjoying it immensely. Here is the beginning of my first project, a double thickness scarf or as my friend refers to it the Harry Potter scarf.
A Scarf Begins
Kitchen Mischief
08 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in Kitchen Tags: chicken, recipe, salad
One of the great things about summer is all the great salads. Today was definitely a salad day. The flavors kind of drifted to mind, flitting around my mind all day until I came up with this:
Strawberry Chicken Salad
1 Cup Sliced fresh strawberries
½ Cup of Pecan Pieces
5 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
2 Hearts of Romaine
4 Chicken breasts, grilled or breaded (I used breaded)
4 Slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
¼ Cup of red onion slices
½ Cup Feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Cook chicken, and then set it aside. Fill bowls ¼ full with romaine lettuce, sprinkle basil evenly among the bowls. Then add ¼ cup of strawberry slices to each. Distribute pecan pieces, feta cheese crumbles, bacon pieces and red onion slices evenly among the bowls. Slice chicken breasts into strips. Lay sliced chicken breast on top of each salad.
I used a citrus vinaigrette, but I think a poppy seed dressing would be good as well.
Recipe for the Citrus Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a bowl combine the orange juice, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and salt then whisk in olive oil.
We enjoyed it immensely, hope anyone who tries it will too.
Independence Day
06 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in The Times Tags: 4th of July, fireworks, Independence Day, veteran
Independence Day, the day that the colonies came together to become the United States of America. Today we share picnics with friends and family and set off pyrotechnics for all to see. Fireworks are beautiful and dynamic, but how many of us think about why they are the symbol of our independence celebrations?
In our national anthem we find the answer “and the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air”. They represent the explosions of war, the violence, fear and uncertainty that come with change, the sacrifice of life, and of property during turbulent times. They also represent the hope and possibility that comes with start of something new.
This Fourth of July I was fortunate enough to spend with my husband, it is only the second time in our 5 years of marriage that we have been together on Independence Day. That is because he was a Sergeant in the United States Army, and for the first two years we were married we were in separate states or on different continents. I spent the first two years with our daughter cuddled on my lap clutching my hand tight as we sat with my family on a hilltop to watch the beautiful colors in the sky, dancing to the tunes of patriotic songs blaring on a stereo. The second year was hardest, as we sat on that hill top, my husband sat in an army camp in the middle of the desert. Those explosions and bright flashes meant something other than celebration to him. Year three we were finally together, for the first time since we became husband and wife. We spent it at Ft. Gordon with some friends on a blanket in the middle of a field that any other time was used for training. This was the night that changed my view. Surrounded by soldiers who had just come home from war, I saw what those flashes and sounds did to them. The hand clutching mine like a vice that night was not that of our two year old, but instead that of my strong, capable and independent husband.
This year he is a veteran, he was medically discharged for combat related injuries. One not surprisingly is a severe case of PTSD. As we sat on that hilltop together this year, he held my hand like a vice, lay his head on my lap as he watched, his system surging with adrenaline, and his blood pressure through the roof, even with his medication.
It was a good reminder that our July 4th entertainment has a malevolent counterpart. That the freedoms we celebrate, the independence we gained all come at a cost. That maintaining our freedoms and independence requires sacrifice and work. Nothing worth having will come free, anything worth keeping is worth fighting for.
Water Lilies
23 Jun 2009 Leave a Comment
in The Times Tags: hope, nature, optimisim
The light breeze enticed me out the door today. The pixie and I took a walk down to the lake to see if we could find some frogs. As we rounded the oak trees and had a clear view of the lake I was immediately struck by the explosion of water lilies. Little dots of white drifted on the water dancing gently with the ebb and flow of the waves. Long a symbol of rebirth, good fortune, and enlightenment, I shall take their flourishing numbers as a sign of hope for these low times.
I look around at my beloved home state and there are days that I swear it is dying. That I will wake up one morning the last soul in a new ghost town. Then I take a look around, I see the water lily, the beautiful warm face of the sun, and I am renewed with hope. I know that this will pass, that our society is in the midst of a major change. Upheaval is an unfortunate side effect of change. It requires of us patience, faith, perseverence and an abilty to adapt to the ebb and flow of the times in order to make through to better days.
A Girl Thing
22 Jun 2009 Leave a Comment
in Sisters Tags: friends, Sisters, woman
My evening distraction from the disaster that is my kitchen came in the form of a chick flick. As I watched the predictable story line play out my mind wandered off to retrieve a statement I had heard not so long ago about how in the life of a woman, men come in and we hope they stay a while, they may or may not, but it is the other women in our lives that get us through, that lend us strength and who understand.
There is something about being a woman that can only be fully understood by another woman. I am not sure what it is, but there is something in us that even the biggest tomboy among us knows or feels.
I am lucky enough to have the same best friend I did growing up. I am fortunate enough to know what it is to have sisters, by blood or bond. I am blessed to know first hand this unspoken bond and understanding.
This fall I will have been married for 5 years to a wonderful man. Who has spent the previous 4 of our marriage enlisted in the military. Of our marriage we have spent a grand total of 13 months (non-consecutive) living in the same location. He was deployed for 15 months to Iraq, he was in Germany for 2 months on either side of that. Without my sisters there for me I don’t know what would be right now. I gave birth to our daughter while he was in training, he arrived the afternoon after her birth. In the room as our daughter took her first breath was me and my older sister, who cut the cord. She is also the one who went to lamaze with me, despite having a family of her own to care for. I have been hurt, had my heart broke, could have swore my soul was dying and every time there was one of the women in my family and my second family, there to help me back up, to help heal me.
Even with all the catty remarks, the occasionally petty fight, the quirks that drive us crazy, we still love each other. We will still stand, still come when needed, regardless of differences.
Its ok if we hurt one another but woe betided the outsider who hurts one of ours. All quarrels are put on hold in times of crisis. Its a girl thing.
When my husband piped up about gagging at the chick flick all I could do was smirk and laugh, you don’t get it, its a girl thing.
As a woman I am proud to be able to pass that on to my daughter, at ease to know that she will have this in her life, too.
