Zucchini Bread (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
0.25 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 egg
0.25 tsp lemon zest shredded
0.5 cup chopped pecans (recipe called for walnuts)
In a mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. In another bowl combine sugar, zucchini, oil, egg and lemon peel; mix well. Add flour mixture; stir just till combined. Stir in chopped nuts.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack. (the recipe said to wrap in plastic overnight before slicing, HA!)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Great Gobs of Zucchini
It is only June 5th and we are already picking bunches of giant zucchini. I suppose it is the coloring of the zucchini or the location of the zucchini plants, but I have trouble finding them before they grow enormous. Today we picked three giant zucchini and one big zucchini. The zucchini I have bought at the stores are babies compared to these guys.
The first zucchini was sauteed for dinner, the second two were shredded up for zucchini bread and muffins and the last one was picked to make chocolate zucchini cake.
The zucchini bread/muffin recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. The zucchini chocolate cake recipe was from the a blog here: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000621chocolate_zucchini_cake.php
The bread is for a cookout tomorrow, but we were able to sample the muffins tonight. They were really good, with a nice crisp top and moist inside. I think they needed a little less sugar, hubby says they need a sugar drizzle glaze.
Today we picked 3.9 lbs of produce from the garden. 1 big patty pan squash, a handful of green beans and Italian flat beans and four zucchini. Starting June 2nd, I decided to weigh the produce as it comes into the kitchen. Our food grade scale has a temporary home near the sink for this very purpose. I missed the first month or so of early harvest, but I do hope to keep weighing produce as it is picked. It will be a neat way to record how the garden does this year.
The tops of the potatoes have started to die back, which means harvest time is soon. The tomatoes have also totally outgrown the cages and several tipped over during our last rain. This happens every year, so I was ready to support them with 6 foot t-posts. The garden has passed the pretty point and is now getting down to business producing lots of veggies.
The first zucchini was sauteed for dinner, the second two were shredded up for zucchini bread and muffins and the last one was picked to make chocolate zucchini cake.
The zucchini bread/muffin recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. The zucchini chocolate cake recipe was from the a blog here: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000621chocolate_zucchini_cake.php
The bread is for a cookout tomorrow, but we were able to sample the muffins tonight. They were really good, with a nice crisp top and moist inside. I think they needed a little less sugar, hubby says they need a sugar drizzle glaze.
Today we picked 3.9 lbs of produce from the garden. 1 big patty pan squash, a handful of green beans and Italian flat beans and four zucchini. Starting June 2nd, I decided to weigh the produce as it comes into the kitchen. Our food grade scale has a temporary home near the sink for this very purpose. I missed the first month or so of early harvest, but I do hope to keep weighing produce as it is picked. It will be a neat way to record how the garden does this year.
The tops of the potatoes have started to die back, which means harvest time is soon. The tomatoes have also totally outgrown the cages and several tipped over during our last rain. This happens every year, so I was ready to support them with 6 foot t-posts. The garden has passed the pretty point and is now getting down to business producing lots of veggies.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sunflower Seeds
Here is the volenteer sunflower that popped up in my tomato patch. It started off small and pretty with lots of pollen
(May 19th)
Then it got bigger and heavier
You can see the seeds forming
(May 21st)
Then it got go heavy the stem could not support the head and it tipped over
(June 1)
A few seeds have already been picked out, not sure if it was a bird or a kid...
My research shows that sunflower seeds are ready when the center of the flowers turn brown or the back of the head yellows.
Yes, on both accounts for this flower. Since something had already discovered the seeds, I cut the flower and it is now hanging in the house to dry. I tried one of the seeds and it tasted flavorful and moist. The seed itself was large and plump, on the same size scale as what is purchaced at the store. The sunflower seeds I am used to are roasted and salted, obviously, this was nothing like that, but it had a nice flavor.
(May 19th) Then it got bigger and heavier
You can see the seeds forming
(May 21st)Then it got go heavy the stem could not support the head and it tipped over
(June 1) A few seeds have already been picked out, not sure if it was a bird or a kid...
My research shows that sunflower seeds are ready when the center of the flowers turn brown or the back of the head yellows.
Yes, on both accounts for this flower. Since something had already discovered the seeds, I cut the flower and it is now hanging in the house to dry. I tried one of the seeds and it tasted flavorful and moist. The seed itself was large and plump, on the same size scale as what is purchaced at the store. The sunflower seeds I am used to are roasted and salted, obviously, this was nothing like that, but it had a nice flavor.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Cloth Diapers
We started using cloth diapers when our son was born in 2007, it has been a huge money saver and I think it is better for their skin because you have to change diapers more frequently. We have used the same diapers and wipes when our daughter was born a few months ago. I do not exclusively use cloth diapers, only when we are at home and on quick errands. I have found that both kids knew very quickly when they were wet with the cloth diapers, so I have to change them frequently. With a newborn, I use 12-15 diapers a day and as they got older it decreases how many are needed. By about 9 months of age, I found that my son was only going through 5 or 6 diapers a day, it took too many days to get up enough diapers to make a full wash load and the diapers got stinky in those few days. At that point, we quit using cloth diapers; however the cost savings in those nine months was amazing.
Materials:
24 prefold diapers (best quality Chinese cotton)
48 flannel baby wipes
6 Dappies diaper covers
3 Snappie diaper closure
Diaper pail
heated wipe warmer
To get started, it cost more than disposables, but after that, it has been essentially free.
Costs:
Diapers $1.67 each = $40
Flannel 2 yards = $5
Dappi covers $3 each = $20
Snappies $2 each =$6
pail = $8 (needed one for disposables anyway)
Wipe warmer = $20 (would have bought it anyway)
For just the cloth diapering stuff, it was about $75, the same cost as 5 packs of regular diapers, but it is a one time cost. Yes, you do have to do more laundry, but I found that I only need one small sized load a day, and that is about the same amount of water as a few flushes of the toilet--hardly a big waste of water compared to the bags of dirty disposable diapers that would be trashed. We also use a plastic trash bag liner to keep the sides of the pail from getting dirty, I can reuse this plastic bag for several days, if the pail starts to stink, the liner gets thrown away.
Diaper Wash Routine:
Soiled diapers and wipes are put into a diaper pail. Our pail has a lid, but I found that the pail actually smells better if you leave it open. I think it allows the diapers to dry out a bit and keeps the stinky bacteria from growing. I do a diaper load each day, so this also helps with the odor.
Just before bed, I fill with wash with hot water on the smallest size load and dump in the pail of wipes and diapers. With a breastfed newborn, the poop is very runny so pre-rinsing is not needed, I just let the washing machine handle the first rinse, rather than me. I allow the washer to agitate for about 5 minutes, then drain off the water and refill with hot water and a scoop of detergent, leaving the washer lid open. This water soaks the diapers overnight. In the morning, all I have to do is close the lid and allow the wash cycle to do a full run. Most days, I am able to hang the diapers out on the clothes line to dry. On rainy days, the diapers go into the electric dryer and often take more than one cycle to dry. Since the dryer is one of the bigger power users in our house, I hate using it to dry diapers.
We were so pleased with how well cloth diapering worked for our first child that we have happily used the same setup for our second child. The biggest draw back is what I call 'mushroom butt' not a gross fungus or anything, but just the giant padded butt the kids get while wearing the cloth diapers. Both kids needed a full size larger of clothing if they were weraing a cloth diaper instead of a disposible.
Materials:
24 prefold diapers (best quality Chinese cotton)
48 flannel baby wipes
6 Dappies diaper covers
3 Snappie diaper closure
Diaper pail
heated wipe warmer
To get started, it cost more than disposables, but after that, it has been essentially free.
Costs:
Diapers $1.67 each = $40
Flannel 2 yards = $5
Dappi covers $3 each = $20
Snappies $2 each =$6
pail = $8 (needed one for disposables anyway)
Wipe warmer = $20 (would have bought it anyway)
For just the cloth diapering stuff, it was about $75, the same cost as 5 packs of regular diapers, but it is a one time cost. Yes, you do have to do more laundry, but I found that I only need one small sized load a day, and that is about the same amount of water as a few flushes of the toilet--hardly a big waste of water compared to the bags of dirty disposable diapers that would be trashed. We also use a plastic trash bag liner to keep the sides of the pail from getting dirty, I can reuse this plastic bag for several days, if the pail starts to stink, the liner gets thrown away.
Diaper Wash Routine:
Soiled diapers and wipes are put into a diaper pail. Our pail has a lid, but I found that the pail actually smells better if you leave it open. I think it allows the diapers to dry out a bit and keeps the stinky bacteria from growing. I do a diaper load each day, so this also helps with the odor.
Just before bed, I fill with wash with hot water on the smallest size load and dump in the pail of wipes and diapers. With a breastfed newborn, the poop is very runny so pre-rinsing is not needed, I just let the washing machine handle the first rinse, rather than me. I allow the washer to agitate for about 5 minutes, then drain off the water and refill with hot water and a scoop of detergent, leaving the washer lid open. This water soaks the diapers overnight. In the morning, all I have to do is close the lid and allow the wash cycle to do a full run. Most days, I am able to hang the diapers out on the clothes line to dry. On rainy days, the diapers go into the electric dryer and often take more than one cycle to dry. Since the dryer is one of the bigger power users in our house, I hate using it to dry diapers.
We were so pleased with how well cloth diapering worked for our first child that we have happily used the same setup for our second child. The biggest draw back is what I call 'mushroom butt' not a gross fungus or anything, but just the giant padded butt the kids get while wearing the cloth diapers. Both kids needed a full size larger of clothing if they were weraing a cloth diaper instead of a disposible.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Menu Planning continued
May 17-23
Sunday- Deer sausage with mac n cheese
Monday-- Chicken spaghetti
Tuesday-- chili with cornbread and dried beans (first time without canned beans)
Wednesday-- Fiddler on the Roof, dinner out
Thursday-- Breaded chicken and spiral pasta
Friday-- out to Bells
Saturday-- at Bells
May 24-30
Sunday-- Homegrown chickens, garden potatoes, garden squash, box mix stuffing (can't grow that!)
Monday--Chicken,Spinach and Swiss chard enchiladas with avacado and garden squash and spinach salad
Tuesday--Stroganoff
Wednesday--
Thursday--
Friday--date night
Sunday- Deer sausage with mac n cheese
Monday-- Chicken spaghetti
Tuesday-- chili with cornbread and dried beans (first time without canned beans)
Wednesday-- Fiddler on the Roof, dinner out
Thursday-- Breaded chicken and spiral pasta
Friday-- out to Bells
Saturday-- at Bells
May 24-30
Sunday-- Homegrown chickens, garden potatoes, garden squash, box mix stuffing (can't grow that!)
Monday--Chicken,Spinach and Swiss chard enchiladas with avacado and garden squash and spinach salad
Tuesday--Stroganoff
Wednesday--
Thursday--
Friday--date night
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tomato Shade Research
One of my biggest frustrations with gardening is the month of July. This is when my previously beautiful garden wilts and burns in the hot Texas sun. This year, we hope to try providing partial shade for the garden--specifically the tomatoes as we try and prolong the growing season into the summer months. Here is my research:
The south, west and top exposure are the most harmful. Our tomatoes are located in the SW corner of our yard, so all we need to account for is top shading.
I have read a few times that tomato pollen become sterile at temps over 90F... that matches well with my observations that July and August I never have any tomatoes, but any plants that survive the summer will start to fruit again at the end of September.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SHADING LEVELS ON TOMATO PLANTS. 2. YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY
Authors: A.M. El-Gizawy, M.M.F. Abdallah, H.M. Gomaa, S.S. Mohamed
Abstract:
The effect of shading on fruit yield and quality of two tomato cultivars was investigated during the late summer season. The results are summarized as follows:
Shading of plants significantly increased the number of fruits per plant and total yield. The maximum fruit yield was obtained by plants grown under 35% shading.
Shading of plants significantly improved the physical characteristics of tomato fruits. The highest weight, length diameter and volume of fruits were obtained from plants grown under 35% shading.
All shading densities used led to a significant increase in the percentage of titratable acidity, whereas, an opposite trend was recorded for total soluble solids and ascorbic acid content of fruits.
Shading also led to a significant reduction in the percentage of sun-scald fruits. The highest percentage of puffy and blotchy ripening fruits were detected by plants grown under full sunlight and heavy shading (63%).
http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=323_32
The south, west and top exposure are the most harmful. Our tomatoes are located in the SW corner of our yard, so all we need to account for is top shading.
I have read a few times that tomato pollen become sterile at temps over 90F... that matches well with my observations that July and August I never have any tomatoes, but any plants that survive the summer will start to fruit again at the end of September.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SHADING LEVELS ON TOMATO PLANTS. 2. YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY
Authors: A.M. El-Gizawy, M.M.F. Abdallah, H.M. Gomaa, S.S. Mohamed
Abstract:
The effect of shading on fruit yield and quality of two tomato cultivars was investigated during the late summer season. The results are summarized as follows:
Shading of plants significantly increased the number of fruits per plant and total yield. The maximum fruit yield was obtained by plants grown under 35% shading.
Shading of plants significantly improved the physical characteristics of tomato fruits. The highest weight, length diameter and volume of fruits were obtained from plants grown under 35% shading.
All shading densities used led to a significant increase in the percentage of titratable acidity, whereas, an opposite trend was recorded for total soluble solids and ascorbic acid content of fruits.
Shading also led to a significant reduction in the percentage of sun-scald fruits. The highest percentage of puffy and blotchy ripening fruits were detected by plants grown under full sunlight and heavy shading (63%).
http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=323_32
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Menu Planning
The same discussion is repeated every afternoon: "What do you want for dinner?" "I don't care, what do YOU want for dinner?" repeat, over and over and over. We attempted a weeks worth of menus, but apparently this still required my questioning Curtis too much... so he printed off 5 weeks worth of menus from another blog. We spent some time making it our own and as of week 3, we are doing really great at it. The concept is that I do not HAVE to follow the plan exactly, but if I have no other idea, I can just refer back to 'the list'. After 5 weeks, we repeat. I know this will need some updating for the seasons, but overall, the idea has worked very well. I'm showing what we actually ate below for the first three weeks and our plan for mealas after that. I'll see if Curtis can link to the original list. The original list only gives 5 meals per week, but even I can be creative for two days a week.
Week 1
Sunday: Sausage and Beans
Monday: Navy bean soup with bacon and homemade bread
Tuesday: Baked chicken and potatoes
Wednesday: out--burgers at a friend's house
Thursday: Taco nachos
Friday: Enchiladas (with leftover chicken from Tuesday)
Saturday: Spaghetti and fresh bread
Week 2:
Sunday: Crawfish (80lbs for $20--wow!)
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (still leftovers from the previous week)
Tuesday: Crawfish Ettuffe
Wednesday: Mexican casserole and homemade tortillas (only because we were out of the normal kind)
Thursday: Crawfish Yvette over pasta
Friday:
Saturday: Meatloaf
80 lbs of crawfish is enough to fill a swimming pool and a large cooler. Good thing we have friends who love to eat!
Week 3:
Sunday: Steak and baked potatoes, corn on the cob(Mother's Day)
Monday: Chicken fried backstrap, mashed potatoes and gravy with lima beans
Tuesday: Lasagna and french bread
Wednesday: Chicken Fingers and oven fries with peas
Thursday:
Friday: out--to the lake house
Saturday: at the lake house
Planned Meals for future weeks
Week 4
taco soup
cashew chicken
chili and fritos
chicken spaghetti
sausage with mac n cheese
Week 5
Crockpot BBQ pork
grilled chicken breasts
burritos
pizza
vegetable soup and bread
The list has given me a shopping target each week, even if I end up making something slightly different, at least it is an idea for the meal. Curtis also responds much better if I give him an option, rather than asking an open question... now wait. I have heard that recommendation before... what was it, OH YES, it is how you pose questions to a two year old so as not to overwhelm them with too many choices. HA!
Week 1
Sunday: Sausage and Beans
Monday: Navy bean soup with bacon and homemade bread
Tuesday: Baked chicken and potatoes
Wednesday: out--burgers at a friend's house
Thursday: Taco nachos
Friday: Enchiladas (with leftover chicken from Tuesday)
Saturday: Spaghetti and fresh bread
Week 2:
Sunday: Crawfish (80lbs for $20--wow!)
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (still leftovers from the previous week)
Tuesday: Crawfish Ettuffe
Wednesday: Mexican casserole and homemade tortillas (only because we were out of the normal kind)
Thursday: Crawfish Yvette over pasta
Friday:
Saturday: Meatloaf
80 lbs of crawfish is enough to fill a swimming pool and a large cooler. Good thing we have friends who love to eat!Week 3:
Sunday: Steak and baked potatoes, corn on the cob(Mother's Day)
Monday: Chicken fried backstrap, mashed potatoes and gravy with lima beans
Tuesday: Lasagna and french bread
Wednesday: Chicken Fingers and oven fries with peas
Thursday:
Friday: out--to the lake house
Saturday: at the lake house
Planned Meals for future weeks
Week 4
taco soup
cashew chicken
chili and fritos
chicken spaghetti
sausage with mac n cheese
Week 5
Crockpot BBQ pork
grilled chicken breasts
burritos
pizza
vegetable soup and bread
The list has given me a shopping target each week, even if I end up making something slightly different, at least it is an idea for the meal. Curtis also responds much better if I give him an option, rather than asking an open question... now wait. I have heard that recommendation before... what was it, OH YES, it is how you pose questions to a two year old so as not to overwhelm them with too many choices. HA!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)