Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I told one of my coworkers I made this and she said "you ruined perfectly good zucchini bread by putting chocolate in it?" - my husband said the opposite; "you put zucchini in there? with chocolate?" It didn't matter when I told him the zucchini magically disappeared, he was already biased. That's ok; more for me!

(pictures to come, when I get a free second and ok lighting!)

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
from JoyofBaking.com
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups shredded raw zucchini (about 1/2 pound or 227 grams)
1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (not Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup (120 ml) safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (125 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

Grate the zucchini, using a medium sized grater. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground allspice. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Fold in the grated zucchini. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.

Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

This bread turned out fantastically, with a somewhat crispy crust and a moist inside. I didn't have ground allspice, so I took a whole one and attacked it with my microplaner - it smelled soooo good. However, there is a little discord with something in my recipe - it tastes a little, maybe, salty? Almost like there wasn't enough sugar. I did sub 3/4 of the flour with whole-wheat flour, so maybe it's just an adjustment to that.





Verdict:

Gag me.

Seriously? This is newsworthy?

Do I really need TCOYF now?

We were looking at some old books at hubs' grandmother's house that she wanted to sell. Among them, I found a couple that were really old but in good condition, and she told me I could have whatever I wanted. I came across this gem, and picked it up for a closer look, and maybe some 1949 humor:



Yes folks, that title is "Successful Marriage." I thought it would be a real 1950's read, complete with recipes you should make your husband after a long day of work. I opened it up and browsed through the chapter titles:



Hmmm...this might be more interesting than I thought...And I turned to the chapter on fertility, where lo and behold:




Yup, those are charts. This book is amazing. I didn't even get to the charting part, but it has actual scientific information about tons of stuff, and how-tos for a whole bunch of crap. Like, how to handle it when your husband is the more 'amorous' of the two of you. It also had a sentence in there about how if the more 'amorous' of the pair (I think they use that instead of horny, lol) has no part in the contraceptive arrangement, then you will feel resentment. Aaaaaand I do. Thank you book, even though you smell like old dirty bookshelf, you're pretty nice.

I'll share more as I keep reading, but it's just starting to get interesting. This should keep me occupied until October!

**omg, scratch that. changed his mind. T- one week.

Put me in coach, I'm ready to...chart?

I bought one.



Yup, I'm joining those people. The people who chart. The people who join Fertility Friend. The people who don't shudder at the thought of CM. I'm not going to spell that one out, it still grosses me out at this point. Google it.

Hopefully, this will help me to know that everything is working...as it should. This plus my copy of TCOYF will give me cause to add another line to my (already large) siggy and join an elite group. Hopefully.

**update: ok, so I lied. after a much-beered discussion with hubs, I will not begin the charting until November 1st. Or, whenever CD1 is after Nov 1st. He's all about the "what happens, happens" school of thought, so the 3 months I planned to TTA are out the window. I didn't really try to explain charting to him either, I'm not sure he'd appreciate it.
I do plan to apeshit on him though if he ever again says "I don't wanna use condoms, they suck" because you know what? I don't want to take a freaking pill every night with hormones in it that are doing unknown things to my body. So, I don't think he's going to get anything in the bedroom department for a while, because I'm still angry about that little gem.
Meh. I'm ambivalent, because I do agree that we should wait longer to make sure he is out of school and has a job before popping a kid out, but at the same time... I just want to know what's up with my body and what AF is like fo real.
So, Halloween, here we come.

Psst, Fall, come a little closer

For today's Tuesday List, I decided to do the Fall list. I know, it's a bit early, but in reality, it's never too early for Fall! (for me at least. not for Hubs.)


Fall Things To Which I'm Looking Forward (see grams, didn't end my sentence with a preposition)
caramel apple upside-down cake
pumpkin muffins
butternut squash (for the 1st time!)
fall coffee flavors at Starbucks/local coffeeshop
raking leaves...NOT (said Borat-style)
mums!
all kinds of fall produce
fall festivals
carving pumpkins
Halloween candy
taking walks in non-humid weather

Finally, dinner

I'm going to try to attempt more meal planning, even though technically I'll only be making about two-three meals a week! But it will help with eating more healthfully.

Since this week's Ingredient Challenge is Parmesan cheese, I decided to make a risotto when doing my planning on Sunday night. Of course, when I tried to search, no one makes a plain risotto anymore (I could hear the internet scoffing at me), so I went back to the basics - Pioneer Woman's Risotto. You can visit her for the recipe, since it's pretty simple, and I made a few adjustments - I used olive oil, garlic, shallots, a cup of arborio rice, a half cup white wine (the bottle was open and sitting right in front of me), chicken broth, a bit of 1% milk, and of course, my giant hunk of Parmesan cheese.



For the main course, hubs had requested pork chops since we had pork loin chops in the freezer, and we're trying to use what we have before buying more. I have been wanting to break in my new boobs Giada book for some time now, and this was the perfect chance. Whenever I get a new, relatively small book, I go through and post-it mark the recipes I want to make. Unfortunately, I didn't have any of the pork chop ones marked in this book! But I have to start branching out, so I picked one anyway: Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce.

Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
4 boneless (2-inch-thick) pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning meat
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning meat
2 fennel bulbs with fronds, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/3 cup
½ cup white wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
½ lemon, zested
2 tablespoons capers

changes: I used one fennel bulb, and completely forgot about the fronds; also omitted the parsley since it didn't look great at the store this week.

Directions:
In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the pan and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.
Add the fennel, shallots, and 1/3 cup parsley to the pan and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the pork back into the pan, nestling the chops between the fennel and tomatoes so they are mostly submerged in the pan juices. Cook until the fennel is tender and the pork is done, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Place the pork on a serving dish. To finish the sauce, add the lemon zest, remaining 1/3 cup parsley, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon over the pork chops and serve immediately.


This was fantastic!! I'm so glad I branched out. I even ate some of the sauce - those in my family know I'm not a huge fan of anything resembling an onion or of cooked tomatoes, but these ones were so flavorful. It almost reminded me of a chicken cacciatore sauce, which I'm now also wanting to make.

The risotto was great too, I halved the recipe but used a little more than a cup of my Parmesan (not the cat's meow to grate, FYI) so it was very cheesy.



Sorry for the awful picture, hubs was ready to eat and making fun of me (he even got my brother involved in the mockery) and I didn't have time to find good lighting so was forced to use the flash:


Verdict:

The one with Cloth Diaper information.

Someone on BOTB was asking about it today, so I figured I'd post it. I think I'm done with my list, but if you think there's anything missing, let me know!

So, cloth diapers. Sounds like the '60's to me, but apparently my Mom used them with me. Today's CD's are not like the cloths of yesteryear:



Instead, today's CD's are much easier to use and *dare I say it* cute. That's right, I used the c word.



So, I've compiled all the info I've been learning about these, which is a LOT, into one handy-dandy page (which brings to my mind via word association the handy-dandy notebook from Blue's Clues...) where I explore the types of CD's and links I have found in my travels. Feel free to peruse at your leisure and let me know if there's anything I'm missing, or if you have a blog to add.

Thanks! - Cat

Types of Cloth Diapers (CDs): (from Sunshine Diapers and Pinstripes and Polkadots)

All-in-one (AIO): All-in-one diapers are cotton with a waterproof cover, and are the most like disposable diapers. Put the diaper on the kid, close the tabs, done. This is the most expensive but most convenient, at around $16-$25 each, so most people have a few of these for outings/sitters instead of a whole collection. They come in 3 sizes. Example: BumGenius all-in-one cloth diaper

Pockets: Pocket diapers are just how they sound, a waterproof outer, a stay-dry inner layer, and spot for a pad to be slid into (the pocket). They are synthetic though, and susceptible to detergent buildup and hard water. They run around $15-$20. Example: Happy Heinys pocket diapers

Fitted: These are shaped like disposables, but usually use snaps instead of velcro, and require a waterproof cover. They are to be laundered after every use, but if the cover isn’t dirty/smelly, you can air them out and use again (use your best judgment here). You can get doublers for these for nighttime wear as well. Example: Kissaluvs fitted diaper

Prefold: These remind me of the old-fashioned cloth diapers that I used to see my mother use. They’re rectangular pieces of fabric that can be folded in many many different ways, but require practice and may not be practical for leaving your kid with people who don’t know how to use these. They require diaper covers as well. Instead of pins (ouch), you can use the Snappi fastener, which has grips that hook into the fabric. These are the cheapest option, about $2 and up. Example: Green Mountain prefolds

How many of each you need is up to you, but there is plenty of information out there on this. Sunshine Diapers recommends 24 diapers and 3 covers min, because newborns can use 12+ diapers a day.

Here are some links that might be helpful:
Diaper Jungle and Diaper Safari
Diaper Pin
Thanks Mama
Parenting Web

Blogs that have good info:
Mom2BinKC’s blog
A Time to be Green
Baby Rabies blog

The Detergent Chart: From Diaper Jungle