Laters, Baby Shower!

Today I co-hosted a baby shower for my good friend Danielle, who's expecting number three.   Since she got pregnant shortly after reading the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy, our "inner goddesses"  decided to have some fun with the theme.   The food and décor turned out so fantastically that I had to share the photos, so enjoy.   Now, "laters, baby!"

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, America!

We spent a rainy Fourth of July with Greg's youngest sibling, Sara, this year.   Despite the never ending barrage of rain, we squeezed in lots of fun activities to include the Peachtree Road Race, Avery's bowling debut, the High Museum, the Red Hare Brewery tour and Marietta Square.   Here are some pictures of our adventures.  Take that, rain!

Overzealous Zucchini

There’s an absolute zucchini explosion in our garden – I literally think it’s been raining Miracle Grow. Over the last two weeks, I’ve blazed through my zucchini recipe repertoire: parmesan roasted zucchini, garlic and red pepper roasted zucchini, grilled zucchini and fried zucchini. So, in an effort to avoid giving the harvest to all my friends and the nice neighbors, I turned to zucchini bread. Specifically, I gave this recipe from King Arthur Flour for Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread a whirl. Well, one batch in and I can officially say it’s changed my life!   Here's the recipe so you can join me in zucchini zen.  Do note that I adapted King Arthur Flour's recipe below by making 18 regular sized muffins and baking them for 25 minutes. 

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional but I used it)

1/3 cup baking cocoa (I used Hershey’s dark cocoa)

1 2/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed

1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F; lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

2) In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

3) Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa, and flour, mixing until well combined.

4) Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

6) Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, until the loaf tests done (a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean, save for perhaps a light smear of chocolate from the melted chips).

7) Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack.

8) Cool completely before slicing; store well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Yield: one 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf (or about 18 muffins)