Here we go ..... :)

Im not really sure how any of this works so please excuse my inevitable mistakes :)

My name is Jennifer. I am a wife, homeschooling mom of many and custom cake artist. I rarely sit, even setting up this blog was a bit of a challenge for this fidgety soul. I love to DO...well just about anything. I love to cook, bake, build, redecorate, tinker...you name it. I am the wife who's husband doesn't have to convince to buy power tools...the mom who's kids are used to making nearly everything from scratch....the neighbor who bakes far too much because I love it and then delivers goodies to those around me...the friend who brings food when your sick....the woman who while 7 months pregnant will build a new room for her new child....it is not because I'm unique...I JUST CAN'T SIT STILL  :)

I am starting a blog because people ask me frequently for recipes, tips on how to do home improvements, kitchen tricks, gardening, parenting experiences.. etc.  My standard answer is "I am FAR less impressive when you realize how easy the things I do really are"  Most things are easy...truly they are. I try to teach my children the difference between things that are actually difficult and things that are simply tedious and time consuming.  Most things in this world fall into the easy but time consuming category. In our life my husband and I have always had more time than money so we are happy to put in the work needed to fix or create things at a fraction of the cost needed pay someone else to do the same.  We have never seen this as a burden, rather an opportunity to gain the sense of accomplishment only achieved by a job well done (even if sometimes it takes several tries ;)

Fair warning, there will be no rhyme or reason to this blog. Some days there will be recipes while other days may find me posting about building furniture, re-caulking a bathtub, making a wedding cake or parenting challenges ;) Anything goes.

For this first post I am going to share a recipe.

Its mid summer and one of my favorite veggies is in abundant supply. ZUCCHINI!! I adore zucchini. Whether its zucchini parmesan (SOOO much better than eggplant parmesan...its ok I can say that, I'm Italian :)  sautéed zucchini with mushrooms, onions and garlic, grilled zucchini brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt....oh my goodness my mouth is watering just thinking about it all!  Today we will focus on something sweet.  A way to get some extra veggies into the diets of even the most suspicious veggie detesters, Crumb Topped Zucchini Bread with Fresh Blueberries!!  Do you hear that??? Yep, those are angelic voices singing hallelujah......haaaaaaaaaalllllleeeelllluuujjjaaahhh!  What do you mean you didn't hear them?....Listen closely, they're there, just you wait until you taste it :) Here we go, ENJOY!!!!

Crumb Topped Zucchini Bread with Blueberries 

I LOVE zucchini bread. It is one of the great pleasures of summer for me. The abundance of zucchini makes it an inexpensive delicious treat.  Add one of my favorite fruits to it and forget it, I'm a puddle :)

I decided to share my obsession with you fine folks.  The smell as it bakes will have you anxiously awaiting your first slice!

Preheat oven to 350 degree F

This Recipe makes four loaves, remember mom of many here lol  You can certainly reduced to suit your needs. You can also substitute half the fats with applesauce for a reduced fat version. You can also reduce the sugar by a third. I would suggest only reducing the white sugar so as not to loose the lovely depth of flavor brown sugar gives the bread.

BREAD

1 cup oil

1 cup butter (soft)

2 tblsp vanilla

3 cups white sugar

1.5 cups brown sugar

6 eggs

5 cups shredded zucchini (approximately three 12 inch long zucchinis)

6 cups flour (reserve 1/4 to toss blueberries)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 Tblsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 cups (approximately 2 pints) fresh blueberries

CRUMB TOPPING

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup oats

3/4 cup AP flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup cold butter (sliced)

First mix together your oil, butter, vanilla, brown and white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg  

Once mixed thoroughly add your eggs and beat well 

Shred your zucchini. Lay on a flour sack cloth (a cheese cloth or even a thin dishtowel will work).  Gather up your edges and twist very tight, ringing the liquid from the zucchini out into a bowl. If you skip this step you will have soggy bread :(

  

Set your zucchini aside and measure out your dry ingredients and whisk to combine setting aside 1/4 cup flour.

Add zucchini to the mixer bowl with the first several ingredients that you already mixed. Then add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. 

Now toss your blueberries in the reserved 

1/4 cup of flour 

Gently fold your tossed blueberries into your batter. 

  

Prepare your loaf pans by spraying with bakers joy and divide batter evenly into all four. 

I use the professional loaf pans found here 

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/chicago-metallic-45642-1-lb-4-strap-open-top-glazed-bread-pan-9-x-4-1-2-x-2-3-4/32645642.html

They are wonderful, bake evenly and I love them but any loaf pans will work :)

Now prepare your crumb topping. 

Combine your brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and flour in a medium size bowl.  After mixing to combine, add the sliced cold butter to the bowl and cut in with a pastry blender until it resembles a coarse crumb. I like to leave some larger chunks because…well…they’re delicious!  

Sprinkle evenly over each loaf pan of batter. You can freeze any leftover crumb topping for use later. It makes quick work of future crumb topped muffins and pies :)

Place pans in oven and bake for approximately 1 hour (begin checking for doneness with a bamboo skewer at 50 minutes just in case your oven runs hot) Remove once bamboo skewer placed in the center of a loaf comes out with only a few crumbs. 

After cooling for twenty minutes in the pans, turn out onto a cooling rack. Now in a perfect world you would wait until the loaves are completely cooled to cut them so they slice beautifully. Unless of course you are like me and my family who love hot zucchini bread dusted with powdered sugar and for some a pat of butter. Perfect slices are overrated anyway right??? :) 

ENJOY and have a blessed day :) !!