When Friends give you apples...

Lots and lots of apples :)

(gotta love a fun apple picking day with the kiddos...

... gotta love it even more when it's FREE!)

... You make applesauce...

Lots...

... and lots of applesauce.

ahh, I love the smells of fall canning season ;)

(except the canning of beans...

... yea, that one stinks pretty bad...

... it's worth it, but it does stink.)

When life gives you zucchini...

You make super yummy zucchini bread!!

Since our garden was non-existent this year, and our poor tomatoes that we tried to grow on the porch still look like mini granny apples, I thought our plentiful produce dining would be also non-existent.

Enter sweet friend, who also happens to be ultra green thumb, and our counters are suddenly overflowing with zany zucchini, sweet squash, and cool cucumbers.

And when I see zucchini, I pretty much turn into pavlovs salivating dog as I think about scrumptious zucchini bread fresh from the oven.

The dietitian in me always cringes at the sight of the recipe of such scrumptious bread, which usually includes about a bottle of oil and a carton of eggs...

So, after researching a few recipes and experimenting with many mushy/soggy/too-dry/too-wet/too-heavy/too-light versions...

I proudly present the yummy-not-kill-your-arteries-version of yummy zucchini bread:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white flour, or 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white... you get the picture)
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 or 1 tsp salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 -1/4 tsp all spice
1 cup sugar
1 egg plus enough milk to make 3/4 cup
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 tsp lemon extract (optional - can use vanilla here)

1.  preheat oven to 350 degrees spray one loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans - my preference...)
2.  Mix milk, egg, and sugar together for 7-10 minutes, add zucchini and lemon extract (or vanilla), mix.
3.  mix dry ingredients all together in separate bowl, then add and mix just until blended
4.  Pour into loaf pan(s) and bake 1 hour for regular loaf pan or 25-30 minutes for mini loaf pans
5.  Take out, flip onto cooling rack, wait as long as you can stand (hopefully cool enough so it doesn't burn your mouth), and dig in!!

Oh Fudge!

Yep, we love us some fudge around these parts.

Though we usually limit it to the holiday season,

There are some rare occasions in which brownies just don't cut the chocolate craving.

Sunday was one of those days.

Jerry was in the middle of his second trip in 2 weeks time

We were in the middle of moving

Had just started soccer season for 2 kids,

And had picture day for said soccer kids

And watched two soccer games in the bitter cold freezing wind

And still having car issues

Yep, come Sunday, it was a 'we need more than chocolate' chocolate days.

It was a fudge day

I must have felt the premonition coming on, because throughout the week, I made sure that we had the ingredients on hand for our "better than brother-in-law's-fudge" (yes, John I said it, and yes, it really is :) ).

If you've ever entered the realm of homemade fudge making, you have learned that fudge tastes the absolute best right after it's mixed, (yes, we have had a few burned tongues in our house over not being able to wait even 60 seconds longer for this deliciously delectable moment)

the kids have at times come to near blows over who gets which mixing tool to lick clean

It is not beneath them to find a little hide out to indulge in the spoils in solitude

(which I only charge them a few licks in order to keep my silence about their hideout - hey when it comes to fresh fudge, even I will sink to new lows :) ).

And some will even try to sneak snatches of the motherload before it's yet set

Joshy got a bit perplexed when he went for his 3rd snatching, and it had been moved...

... and soon discovered the new hiding place...

Yep... gotta love fudge.

Have you had your fudge fix today?

Panini Palooza!

... so a couple of weeks ago, hubby and I were watching a food network show that was featuring paninis and we both instantly got the craving to expand our culinary cuisine to include this delectable sandwich.

... but since we are about to sign over our life for a new house, it had to go on the wish list.

... enter freecycle mormon style - aka mormon mom networking at it's finest (we have a listserve here where different members post different thoughts, questions, or things they want to give away).

... not even 5 days after our little panini craving, one woman listed that she was giving away her panini maker

... I called

... I got it!

... when I picked it up, I found that it had never even been taken out of the box!!

How's that for frugality?!

And I couldn't wait to try it out...

... even ventured with ALL FIVE kiddos (5 hungry and tired kiddos!) to the store to get the ingredients while Jerry was at meetings at the church.

And Jerry made it home in time to help make the inaugural panini press

yummm... pesto chicken panini
superyummy was the declaration by the kiddos at dinner :)

panini party, anyone??!

There's something about cooking with colors...

That just makes you feel like a good mom :)

Thanks, Janie, for the yummy sweet and sour meatball recipe!

This is one that we pretty much never have left overs -

the kiddos eat them up

In fact, this is the recipe that brought Joshy the name of

"meatball monster"

I think he eats more meatball from this dish

than all of the rest of us put together.

The End

EAT...

YOUR

HEART

OUT

I am always so anxious for January to be gone, and this year it has seemed to drag on forever, so I couldn't wait even one more day to start the February celebrations...

The kids and I did a layered Jell-O heart dish (finally I found an advantage to having 1:00 church... enough time to let all of the layers set!!)

... and this is about how long they could handle it until they dug in and demolished the hearts :)

Happy Heart Month!