Zucchini-Carrot Bread

You have to love the government. I have a job in our loveliest of capitols, but four weeks post-submission for my security clearance paperwork, I am still not allowed to step foot into our building! Not that I'm complaining - this time has allowed me to nest and explore to my little heart's content.

After an amazingly beautiful bike ride this morning (monuments? check. water? check. ending up where you didn't plan to? check.), I wanted to bake up a little something to keep the summer spirit alive.

This bread has a very unique flavor, due to the lemon zest that you throw in. I'm going to sum this bread up by saying that I've already had two pieces, and it came out of the oven about 10 minutes ago. Enjoy!

Zucchini-Carrot Bread
Adapted from My Recipes

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Shakes of: allspice, nutmeg, cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/6 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups sugar
1 medium shredded zucchini
1 shredded carrot
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) in a large bowl.
Combine eggs next 3 ingredients (through vanilla) in a large bowl; add sugar, stirring until combined. Add zucchini and carrots; stir until well combined. Add flour mixture; stir just until combined. Stir in walnuts.
Pour batter into 9 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (I would start checking at 50 minutes - mine could have done with a few minutes less baking time). Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Refrigerator Cleanout

Among the pre-departure rituals when heading out of town for an extended period is the systematic usage of every last smidgen of things in the refrigerator.  It's almost like a game.  You can give yourself mini-challenges like, "How can I use half a cup of cottage cheese, turkey, and half a bottle of wine in one meal?" (Solution: drink the wine first. After that, any combination seems like a genius idea).

This recipe was a homerun of a find.  It helped me knock out yogurt, cheese, jalapenos (those last two were looking so sad by their lonesome in the fridge!), and eggs. And it let me use my cast iron skillet, which I have decided I don't do nearly enough.  Something to keep in mind for resolution time!

Corn Bread with Cheddar, Jalapeno and Green Onions
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/4 cups yogurt
2 tablespoons butter, olive oil, lard or bacon drippings
1 1/2 cups (about 7 ounces) medium-grind cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, plus more if you like sweet cornbread
1 eggs

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the fat in a medium oven-proof skillet or in an 8-inch square baking pan over medium heat (Deb note: would you believe I lack both? I used three of my mini-loaf pans); heat until good and hot, about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the egg into the buttermilk, milk or soured milk. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, combining well; if it seems too dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk. Stir in jalapeno and cheese. Pour the batter into the preheated fat, smooth out the top if necessary, and place in the oven.
3. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown and the sides have pulled away from the pan; a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Serve hot or warm.

Thankful Thanksgiving

Growing up, Thanksgiving has traditionally been marked by a large gathering at my parents’ house in Maryland, with a feast of turkey, stuffing, and desserts galore.  One dessert in particular, Mom’s cranberry-apple crisp, has become my emblem for Thanksgiving.  She bakes it in a white Corningware dish that is approximately the size of Africa, and the moment it pops out of the oven, I go to town.

Knowing that I would be away for the holidays, I decided that if I couldn’t be at the traditional celebration, I would bring a piece of the traditional celebration to me.  I called Mom a few weeks ago to get this heirloom of a family recipe, and imagine my surprise when she tells me, “It’s on page 622 of your Jane Brody cookbook.”  So much for the multi-generational story I had cooked up in my head!  Then again, it doesn’t change how good it tastes!

It has been a wonderful whirlwind of a year, filled with good friends, love, strong family ties, and a whole lot of positive people.  Thank you to all of you who are such wonderful influences on my life--I truly am lucky to be surrounded by you.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

“Mom’s” Cranberry Apple Crisp
Adapted from Jane Brody’s Good Food Book
3 cups cranberries (1 12-ounce package)
2 large apples, unpeeled, cored and sliced thin
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup all purpose flour, divided
¾ cup rolled oats (regular or quick)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1. In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, apples, sugar, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of flour. Transfer the mixture into a greased 6 cup shallow baking dish.
2. In the same bowl (no need to wash it), combine the remaining flour, brown sugar, oats, and nuts. Stir in the melted butter or margarine and mix the ingredients well (the mixture should be crumbly). Sprinkle the oat mixture over the fruit mixture.
3. Bake the crisp in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the crisp is lightly browned. Let the crisp stand for 10 minutes before serving.

No-Knead Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Recipe from The Kitchn
Makes 2 dozen rolls
3/4 cup warm water
1 scant tablespoon active-dry yeast
1 cup (9 ounces) mashed sweet potatoes**
1 cup milk - whole or 2% preferably
1/4 cup unsalted butter - melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved. 2. Add the mashed sweet potatoes, the milk, the melted butter, the brown sugar, and the salt. Stir until all ingredients are evenly combined. Add the flour, stirring until a shaggy dough is formed and no more dry flour is visible. This dough will be very sticky.
3. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let stand until doubled in bulk, at least 2 hours or as long as 5 hours. The dough can be used immediately, but it’s easier to work with if you can refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
4. When ready to shape the rolls, sprinkle your work surface with a little flour and turn the dough out on top. Sprinkle a little more flour on top and press the dough into a thick disk. Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into 24 pieces. Shape into balls and place about 5 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise until the rolls are roughly doubled in size, about 45 minutes in a warm kitchen.
5. About 20 minutes before the rolls are finished rising, preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
6. Remove the cover, brush the top of the rolls with egg yolk, and bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, until they are puffed and toasted brown. Serve warm or room temperature. Rolls are best the first day, but will stay fresh for several days after if stored in an airtight container.

**To make the mashed sweet potatoes, roast a medium-sized (roughly 9 ounce) sweet potato in a 400° oven until completely soft. Strip off the skin and mash.

The great pumpkin

I love pumpkin. Savory or sweet. Baked or roasted. Breakfast or dessert. Pumpkin can do no wrong.  If pumpkin were a man, I would have married him yesterday. And if you know me at all, that is a heck of a promise.

That said, the pumpkin onslaught has begun. Exhibit one: Pumpkin Walnut Bread.  Quick and easy to make, with nutty flavor and hints of spice, this bread is a crowd-pleaser. The best part? It uses pumpkin beer!  (Pumpkin beer might have to be my boyfriend-on-the-side of my pumpkin marriage…it also holds a special place in my heart).  I think drinking a pumpkin beer while you’re making this bread really enhances the experience. Don’t want to? In that case, feel free to send them my way!

Pumpkin Spiced Walnut Bread
Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts.  I’m sure pecans would be great, too)
1 12 oz bottle of Pumpkin Ale (I used Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale…Yum!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and all the spices. Stir together until well combined. Stir in the nuts as well. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the beer. The beer will foam up –this is good. Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the center of the well to incorporate. Mix only until just combined – do not over mix or it will destroy the bubbles and the bread will be dense.
3. Pour the dough into loaf pan gently smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake in the oven for 50 – 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the dough comes out clean.

Guess who ate all of her bread before taking the picture?  Yep.  You guessed.  Thank you, Cozy Kitchen, for letting me share this picture!

*This bread is GREAT the day it’s baked, though it tends to dry out quickly in following days.  Solution: eat quickly!