Another veggie that has been making a weekly appearance in my CSA box has been zucchini. As much as I love sauteing them up with summer squash, garlic and onions, I was craving something a bit sweeter and thought it was the perfect time to bake a loaf of zucchini bread. I’ve made this loaf a little heartier by tossing in more chopped nuts and zucchini than most recipes call for, and to brighten up the flavor a bit, zested a lemon into the batter. Result: deliciousness.

What’s your favorite zucchini bread recipe? Or how do you use up the copious amounts of zucchini growing this time of year?

Hope everyone had a lovely Fourth! We made a very last minute trip to Maryland to celebrate with the family, which has been lovely. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that our baby girl waits to come till we get home!:)

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On my drive back from visiting family in South Carolina there are tons of little roadside stands just South of the North Carolina state line. This time of year, I can never pass that strip without stopping at one to pick up at least one basket of peaches. They have to be one of my favorite things about the season. It takes a lot of restraint for me to resist eating them all before I can bake up something delicious, but I always try and set a few aside.

If you’ve been a reading my blog for very long at all, you may have noticed that I love my cast iron skillet. I’d definitely say it’s my favorite kitchen tool, and I’ll use it every opportunity I can. Something about it’s rustic, old timey feel maybe? Whatever it is, if you don’t have one, I encourage you to go out and buy one pronto.

Here I’ve made something similar to a cinnamony-peach loaf, but thrown it in a skillet and topped it off with an oat and sugar crumble and sweet drizzle. It turned into more of a desserty dish (hence the “cake” in the title), but we also enjoyed it as a next-morning breakfast.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m so ready for spring. We had a very brief glimpse of warm, sunny weather, but it seems like winters come back all over again. Our little produce market around here has drastically shortened their hours (understandably so) due to the slim pickings we currently have, and even when they are open it’s a sad little selection to choose from. Does anyone else feel uninspired in the kitchen? Please give me some tips for surviving till spring if you know of any!:)

One thing I can always count on making year-round is some variation of banana bread. It’s one of my favorites because it’s simple, delicious and comforting. I threw in some chopped up dark chocolate in this loaf and in my opinion, it’s better than ever.

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English muffins are an all-time favorite of mine. Whether they’re toasted with butter, served with eggs benedict, made into a sandwich, or in Nat’s riccotta with warm banana (new fave!), the possibilities are endless. I felt like they could perhaps be made even better if they were homemade, so I went for it.  It’s safe to say that they can indeed be even better. I’ve made them a couple of times now, testing out how they do with different flours. I’ve found that the best taste and texture comes with the unbleached all-purpose flour, but you can go with the healthier option with white whole-wheat, as long as you cut down on the flour content. Today I made the whole-wheat version, so that is why the muffins in my photos are a bit darker than usual.

I think on my next try I’d like to see how a cinnamon raisin or cranberry orange english muffin would be. If you attempt them before I do, let me know how they turn out!:)

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I was recently approached by the folks at ECOBAGS® about coming up with a fall bread to promote their Bread is a Gift bag, and to be featured on their website and holiday newsletter. I knew I wanted to do something fall-ish and really hearty, so after a couple of tries and tweaking, this is what I came up with. It’s loaded with oats, nuts, and cranberries, so it makes for a denser loaf. I had lots of taste testers around when I pulled it out of the oven, and it was a big hit! It definitely tastes best hot out of the oven slathered with butter. But I also toasted it the next couple of mornings and drizzled it with honey, and it made for a perfect light breakfast alongside some hot tea.:)

I’m currently visiting Clif’s family in Maryland, and I’m loving this chilly fall weather along with quality family time. Hope you all are having a great week.:)

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