Long Weekend Bake-Fest

from the city...

I seem to be baking a lot lately.  I don't know if it's because I realized I could get away with eating it because I'm constantly feeding babe or if it's because there seems to be no shortage of people that want something sweet to eat, nevertheless, I am completely loving it.   

 This is my mother in law's pantry drawer.  I happen to believe that good things always come from the pantry, especially someone else's.  

 Before 

 After

World's Best Oatmeal Cookies 

(don't mess 'em up with chocolate chips or raisins because they are perfect, just the way they are)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cooking oats

• 
  
• 1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
• 
  
• 2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
• 
  
• 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

After that I was off to the farm for some hangouts with the boys.  I got to spend the whole day with Luc while Nate was off fishing with his bubba (grandpa in our family).  Luc had a cold so we made it a pretty low key day.  A walk down to Auntie Ann's, a game of Snakes Climbing Ladders (as Luc calls it) and some baking.  There are no shortage of giant zucchini at the farm so it was an easy decision to make a zucchini bread.  

 Never too young to start 'em on dishes.

 Wet Ingredients

 Dry Ingredients 

 Mixing

 The goods.

 Not fast enough.

Here's the recipe; it makes two loaves but it freezes well...but really, when are two loaves of anything a bad thing?

Zucchini Bread 
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F ( 165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until done.

Hope everyone had something sweet to eat for the last weekend of summer 2011.  I know I sure did.  

ab