Zucchini Bread- Sunset Magazine

My first blog post in too long. Mostly because I haven't been able to cook or tolerate being in the kitchen for extended periods of time. Morning sickness doesn't just plague me in the "morning" it's an ALL DAY EVENT, but I'm in my 11th week and it seems to be getting a little better. The mood swings are a whole other experience. I've read on other blogs that the crying, nervousness, and worry is normal but I'd really like it to go away now. I'm ready to be happy and excited to be a mom. Any pregnancy advice?

Last night I got a little kick of motivation to use some zucchini we had in the fridge and Sunset magazine had the perfect recipe. If you just got this month's issue, it's on page 90. It turned out really well- not at all dry which I was concerned about since there's only 1/2 cup of oil. I added some walnuts because for me it's not zucchini bread without walnuts. Yum!

Classic Zucchini
Sunset Magazine- August 2012

Serves 8-10

About 2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. each salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
About 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups packed shredded zucchini

1. Preheat over to 350 deg. Oil and flour a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan. Whisk 2 cups flour with other dry ingredients (except sugars) in a bowl.
2.Beat sugars, eggs and 1/2 cup oil until blended. Slowly mix in zucchini. (Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts *optional) Gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined.
3. Scoop batter into pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Cool 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack.  Turn over; let cool completely.

Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

I'm so far behind on my blogging and participation in Foodie Pen Pal. I had the best of intentions when I signed up but life got in the way so I'm finally posting now. Life meaning "morning sickness" that plagues me all day long....but more about that later.

Beth from It's Good to be the Cook sent be a box of yummy goodies from Trader Joes (my favorite place).

Thank you Beth!


And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals. In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:


-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.