Recipe Round-Up: Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Fresh Fruit

Even though the 4th of July is over, you still need cake. And cream cheese frosting. And fruit...in any design you want.

This cake knows how to party. It is incredibly versatile and delicious and can be made every single month of the year. It is divine in November with a hot cup of coffee. It is delightful in April for a perfect Easter lunch. And it fits nicely on your patio table when you are singing the Star Spangled Banner.

What else do you know that has that track record?

Exactly.

This cake is where it is at. And it can be personalized.

Peaches on top?
No problem.

What about blackberries? Strawberries? Mango?
Yes.
Yes.
And yes.

How about pecans and walnuts?
You're brilliant.

What if you just want it plain with extra frosting?
Absolutely.

Not only can you have conversations with yourself about this cake, but it is simple to make. Combine wet ingredients then dry ingredients, mix, bake, frost, eat.

It is fail-proof. For reals.

Let's get started:

Combine sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and grated zucchini. Bam! Done!

SIDE NOTE: My mama grows zucchini every year in her garden. They are the rabbits of the vegetable world because they multiply like crazy. Together, we grate them up, measure them out into freezer bags and store them in the freezer. When you are craving a zucchini cake or bread, they are ready to go! It almost makes you feel like you live in the pioneer days, except for the electricity and your cell phone.

Now, mix it up.

Once it looks like this...

...add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Total flavor explosion.

Mix it up and pour it into a cake pan.

Put the cake in the oven and whip up some frosting.

*Let's pretend I took pictures of me making the frosting.*

Once the cake is baked and cooled, pile on as much frosting as your little heart desires. My little heart desires a lot.

WA- LA! Finito! See how easy it is? I adore this recipe.

HOWEVER...

...if you would like to bust out the sparklers and host a 4th of July party (or any party, really), just grab blueberries, raspberries (strawberries will also work) and some additional frosting. Proceed like so:

First: blueberries.

Next: raspberries.

Last: Pipe on stars and stripes.

(Sorry about the blurry photo. I blame the frosting.)

 And there she is. God bless America.

Enjoy, hungry friends!


Zucchini Cake (high altitude instructions in parentheses)
3 cups sugar (minus 9 Tbsp)
1 1/2 cups oil (minus 5 Tbsp)
4 eggs (5 eggs)
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups grated uncooked zucchini
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder (minus 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
11/2 cups pecans, if desired

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and zucchini together until well blended. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add nuts. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (I usually set the time for 1 hour and check on it every 10 minutes.)  Cool completely.


Cream Cheese Frosting
2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature
4 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add salt, vanilla and sugar and slowly mix to incorporate. Once the sugar is mixed in, turn mixer on high and beat for 2 minutes. (Start with 3 cups of powdered sugar and work your way up to 4 until you have the consistency you want.)

Frost cooled cake and decorate with fresh fruit if desired.

DIG IN!

Six Months In

So, today is my half-birthday! I realize I may be alone in the celebration of this. It's not like Hallmark has half-birthday cards. But they totally should.

When I was young, my grandma and my mom would make a cake and serve half of it with half a candle. It is one of my favorite memories and needs to become a tradition because it means we have survived six more months, and sometimes that is a miracle in itself.

I also love this day because it is the birth date I wish I had. You see, summer represents all things wonderful and happy and magical and winter is like a vast wasteland of coldness and death. What can you do in January? Ice skate (um, hello broken elbow!) and freeze. But in July, the sky is the limit! Plus, the daylight is around for nearly six extra hours!

Feel free to join my half-birthday pity party.

However, this day also makes me think of all the things I did not do the first half of this year. It is a mile marker of sorts, helping me gauge my productivity, or lack thereof. But it is also a wonderful motivator and confidence-builder because you realize you actually contribute to society sometimes.

First off, here are a few of the items I have either accomplished, experienced or navigated. Stand back.

1. I started my own business. I have two cooking classes this week so let's pray for safety for all involved.

2. I survived the month of June at work. I am now taking naps under my desk.

3. I have yet to break a bone or sprain a muscle. Amen and amen.

4. I have begun taking the extra fluff out of my life, namely the news and blow drying my hair. Those two things really save so much time.


However, I still have a few things I would like to do in the next six months:

1. Visit a new country. This is a goal every year. Anyone up for Greece? Norway? Peru?

2. See more of my cousins. I miss each one of them, all 46,720.

3. Find a new hobby. I am thinking fly fishing or ballroom dancing. Or both. Or not at all. I really don't know.

4. Fall in love. People do it all the time, or so I hear. And I am really great at it.

5. Rediscover joy. I seem to have lost some of mine and I would like it back. It's a tricky thing, that joy.

6. Run a 5K. Oh, did I just type that? That must have been a mistake. I am so funny.

7. Take a cooking class in something I have never tried before, like French pastry or sushi.

8. Be more kind, generous and patient. It should just happen.

9. Be unbelievably brave and courageous. It is hard to plan for this one but I want to be if the situation arises.

10. Save up now for Christmas presents instead of paying it off in January. You would think I would have this down by now but somehow December 25 always sneaks up on me!

And a bonus goal...

11. Eat more watermelon. It is freaking delicious.

So, I have my work cut out for me. I have learned that I need goals in my life otherwise I wither into a pile of nothing who only watches Hulu and eats yogurt. It's not pretty, trust me. These will hopefully keep me on track to actually living life instead of watching it. Sometimes I need these little reminders, these little motivators to get me out of a rut and into a groove.

Bring it on, second half!

My Most Favorite Holiday

Today is the day before the 4th of July, (otherwise known as the 3rd of July). It is the eve before my most favorite holiday.

Last night, I attempted to hang red, white and blue bunting from my front porch as an expression of my patriotism. I nearly catapulted myself into some shrubbery, but thankfully I stayed upright due to my amazing core strength. Due to a variety of circumstances, plastic siding and faulty Velcro being the main ones, I failed at my attempt. Nevertheless, I will try again. I consider it my civic duty.

The 4th of July is every good emotion and memory I have wrapped up in one explosive day. I love everything about it, even the possibility of losing a toe because of a wayward Black Cat.

I love the 4th of July.

I love big, juicy hamburgers on the grill, smothered in onions, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard and dill pickles.

I love cousins who spend their entire year's allowance on fireworks and happily light them off in the driveway.

I love the hot sun on my shoulders and the freckles that result.

I love the Star-Spangled Banner. I could hear it everyday of my life and not grow tired of it.

I love homemade ice cream and my Aunt Marge's homemade fudge sauce.

I love the endless possibilities of how one can use a water hose on your family members.

I love the sense of unity, of community, of celebrating something that people are still fighting for.

I love cream cheese frosting, especially in the form of the flag.

I love parades, floats, marching bands and kids riding their bikes with streamers flying off their handlebars.

I love tradition and celebration, using this day as an excuse to get together.

I love this country. Having traveled to over 25 others, I am still glad this is the one I come home to.

 I hope your 4th of July is fantastic in every possible way.

 

 

And the Trophy Goes To...

Do you remember when I said that my family was having a miniature golf tournament? I think I mentioned duct tape and a trophy were involved. Between work and a general lack of will, I never updated you on the results. It was neck and neck until the bitter end.

I will just tell you now that this was one of the most fun things my family has ever done. Trust me, if you want to have a good time, just go throw some boards together, add a water hazard and dig a few holes in your yard.

Not wanting to leave you hanging, I thought I would show you just how impressive our course turned out to be.

Correction: I may have gotten the word "impressive" confused with "ghetto fabulous."

Behold. The Course:

 

 

(Try not to be intimidated by our engineering genius.)

 

The Prize:

 

 

 

 A few of the players:

 

 

 

The game was intense. And brutal. And hilarious. No clubs were thrown but there were a few disputes about the score. The good part was that you maxed out at 10 strokes per hole. The bad part was that some holes required at least 15. (I'm talking to you, Hole #2.)

 

The game was close. As evident by the scoreboard, I had the lowest score for the first round, which I consider a minor miracle.

However, like all good professional backyard miniature golf tournaments, a playoff round was necessary for the top three players. So Sam, Noah and I hit up three more holes.

By the end, only one true champion emerged, and he gave a speech during the trophy ceremony and thanked his fans.

 

 

 

 

All in all, it was a highly successful, extremely robust game of homemade miniature golf. The yard is back to normal, Noah has found a spot for his trophy and we are already plotting next year's holes. It looks like this has now become a Father's Day tradition.

 

Good luck to whomever I marry, apparently "Miniature Golf Hole Construction and Execution" is now part of the criteria.

 

 

The Simple Life: Phone Home

I left my phone at home today.

Not on purpose, of course. Who in the world would purposefully leave their lifeline at home? That's just ridiculous.

I am partial to lifelines, particularly ones that tell me how much money I have in the bank and how many calories I will waste if I eat cookies for breakfast. It also has all the pictures I have taken in the month of June while I was buried in work and family birthdays and not having time to blog. I am sure you are dying to see those pictures and the first priority of my day was to show them to you so you didn't think I had run away or joined the circus or had forgotten how to type.

I also need my phone because what if I actually have wait in line for something and I don't have Pinterest to distract me?

Or what if I need to check the weather? People! The weather! How will I know?

And I am sure the Facebook world is missing me. I am an expert Facebook lurker and liker. It's just what I do.

And what if I wanted to run a 5K after work? (Let's just pretend, people!) My phone is the only one that can tell me when to run, when to cool down and when to pass out.

Oh, and just in case we forgot about the original function of a phone, it has all of my phone numbers in it. It probably has your phone number in it, especially since the only ones who still read this blog either share my last name or are trying to find out if I survived last month. And don't even begin to ask me if I memorized phone numbers because the only two numbers I have memorized are my office's fax number and my home phone in 7th grade.

Awesome.

That stupid phone. It is just sitting there on my bedside table, probably lighting up with texts and reminders and wondering where I am.

And all I can do is just sit here and live my Monday with carefree abandon that no one needs me right now and that the world is still turning without me making sure of it. I just have to struggle through my app-free day, without  a text, without an email, without the constant desire to make sure I didn't miss a status update from that guy I met three years ago who knows my cousin's husband's sister. I have to endure the freedom of a zero data day.

How will I survive?

I guess I'll just go outside to check on the weather. This Simple Life is harder than I thought.

The Epic Family Weekend of All Things Fun and Wonderful

Hello friends. Here I am. I was buried under a pile of things, namely work, but also a little thing called "I have no words." But, today is Friday and the weekend is mere hours away and somehow my words have found me again.

You lucky thing, you.

Let me begin by saying that this upcoming weekend could be the most epic of weekends in my family's history.

It could be bigger than the time we all decided to go white water rafting and almost got stuck in the swirling vortex that is called "Sydel's Suck Hole."

It could be bigger than the time we got lost in east St. Louis at night.

And it could be bigger than the time when we all got up and sang "OKLAHOMA" in front of strangers.

This weekend is going to be epic because we are celebrating Father's Day, my mom's birthday, Claire's birthday and we are kicking off the FIRST ANNUAL PUTT PUTT CHALLENGE.

Oh, and my dad will be home.

CAN YOU FREAKING BELIEVE IT!? I bet you can feel the anticipation of all the joy that will be had.

(I am sorry about all the all-caps letters. I have some pent-up excitement.)

(YES I DO.)

The birthdays and Father's day are fairly self-explanatory: cake, presents, hats, frolicking, napping and an overall good amount of cheer. But the putt putt challenge? Well that is a different thing entirely. And do you know why? It is because we are making our own putt putt course. In our yard. With our hands. And probably a good amount of duct tape.

Each of us has to come up with our own hole. Whoever has the best hole wins a big shiny prize.

This week has been all about strategy. Various sketches have been drawn, materials have been collected, sweat has been poured and trash-talk has been spewed. Saturday, we will tackle our individual holes, whether simple or elaborate, for the big tournament on Sunday.

Oh, and you have to name your hole. That could be the best part.

The good part about this challenge is that we are all on a level playing field. None of us are engineers or carpenters. The bad part about this challenge is that I am not an engineer or a carpenter. You can pretty much guarantee that a hot glue gun and stickers will be used to hold mine together.

So, if you have any ideas or suggestions about constructing your own miniature golf hole, feel free to pass them along. Or if you have an idea for a cool theme song, let me know. I am all about psyching out my competition, and I am pretty sure my 8 year-old nephew is the one to beat this year.

That little punk.


And with that thought, happiest of Fridays, people of the internet!

Recipe Round-Up: Raspberry Hazelnut Tart (Gluten Free!)

Yep. This should happen.

 

 

I am totally and completely in love with this tart. It SCREAMS summer! For reals.

This recipe is very similar to the White Chocolate Blueberry Tart, however, I made some changes so it is gluten free. You see, my sweet sister cannot eat gluten. Not even a teeny tiny bit. She will totally explode.

Just kidding. She won't explode, but she definitely won't feel well.

Since she discovered that she has Celiac Disease, I have been on a mission to take some of my favorite recipes and make them Claire-friendly. Thus, the Raspberry Hazelnut Tart was born.

Let me warn you: the entire thing can be eaten in one sitting. It is that good. And you can essentially add any fruit you want to this recipe, I just happen to be loving raspberries right now.

Shall we dive in? I think we shall.

 

 

First up: grab some hazelnuts and throw them on a cookie sheet. Toast them in the oven until they smell nutty and divine.

 

Next, take some white chocolate and melt it over a low heat until it is smooth and creamy. Set aside to cool completely.

 

 

 

 

 

In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese and sour cream and mix until smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

Then add the melted chocolate.

Mix.

Zest a lemon.

Throw it in.

And squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture.

Mix again.

 

WA-LA! Done!

 

 



Now, take those gloriously toasted hazelnuts and grind them up.

 

 

 

 

Like so.

 

 

Then add some melted butter and a little sugar and mix. Press the nut mixture into your tart pan. I like my crust to still have a crunch but you can grind the hazelnuts finer if you wish.

 

Hey, it's your tart! Grind away!

 

Once the crust is in the tart pan, add your white chocolate filling:

 

 

 

 

Oh, that is some lemony goodness right there.

 

 

 

 

Then pile on the raspberries! You can add as many as you want.

 

 Go for it, you berry maniac!

 

Set the tart in the refrigerator for 1 hour and then dig in.

 

 

 

Totally, completely, heavenly.

 

This is the perfect summer dessert. Your friends and family will love you forever.

 

 So go forth and make some tart magic!



Raspberry Hazelnut Tart (Gluten Free)
9 oz. hazelnuts, toasted and ground
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white chocolate chips
8 oz. sour cream
1 block cream cheese
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
3 6oz. packages fresh raspberries

Directions:
Spread hazelnuts evenly on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until aromatic and toasty. Once cooled, put into a food processor and grind up until smooth (or preferred consistency). Pour ground hazelnuts into a bowl and add sugar and melted butter. Mix until combined and press into 9" tart pan. Set in refrigerator until filling is ready.

For filling, melt white chocolate over low heat until smooth and creamy. Set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream and cream cheese and mix. Add cooled white chocolate and mix. Add lemon juice and lemon zest and mix again. Pour filling into prepared crust and top with raspberries. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then dig in! To store, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Lasts up to 3 days.