Cool Enough to Bake

July came in with a vengeance around here. Despite living "up-north," we got hit with temperatures in the mid-nineties (F) which translated into 98 degrees in our very unbreezy living room. We hope to put in some kind of attic ventilation to draw off some of the heat, but that's still in the "hope-to" category of life. So, we've been eating food that doesn't require any oven use. (Crockpots are a wonderful thing!). Taco salad is also wonderful.

But today was finally cool enough to actually enjoy baking. So I made a batch of zucchini muffins using frozen zucchini from last year's gardening, and I made a batch of dairy-free chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were the traditional Tollhouse kind with coconut oil instead of butter and dairy-free chocolate chips from Costco. They turned out very tasty.

The zucchini muffins are a recipe that I'd gotten from a friend way back in my college days and is so tasty and simple that I want to share it with you today.

I think the key to their simple deliciousness is the cinnamon.

Print recipe

Simple Zucchini Muffins

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease or paper muffin pans.
In large bowl, beat:       4 eggs
Add:                                      3/4 c. oil (I used olive oil)
                                                1  1/2 c. white flour
                                                1  1/2 c. whole wheat flour
                                                 3/4 tsp. salt
                                                  2 tsp. cinnamon
                                                 1  1/2 tsp. baking soda
                                                3/4 tsp. baking powder
                                                1 tsp. vanilla
Mix well with mixer.
Add:                                    2 c. grated zucchini (if frozen, drain off most of the resulting liquid)
Optional:                         1 c. chopped nuts

Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into prepared muffin pans and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Do not overbake.  Makes about 22 medium muffins.

You can also make loaves or mini-loaves by baking them a little longer, like 45 minutes for the mini-loaves.


I hope you try them.

Apron Fun

Boosted by the ladies of Jenny's Gentle Domesticity group, I made time this evening to make an apron which had been on my mental to-do list for a long time. I don't particularly need and apron because I often use the ones I made my daughters make for themselves so they could learn to sew.

But then...this fabric came across my path and I couldn't resist it.

So it became my new apron.

And I put it on and made Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake, a family favorite.

Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream: 1 c. soft butter

             3 c. sugar

Add, and beat, one at a time: 6 eggs

Blend in: 1 c. sour cream

Mix in: 3 c. white flour

             1/4 tsp baking powder

             1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Blend well.

Add: 1 c. chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet.)

         3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Bake in greased angel food or bundt pan for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool a little before removing from pan.

This is a heavy, filling cake that does not need frosting.

Enjoy!