Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffin Recipe

With summer at it's end, I'm using the last of the zucchini from the garden. For some reason we didn't have as much of it this year, which is really a shame because I've come to enjoy finding recipes to cook and bake with it.

This recipe for these muffins is so yummy that my grandchildren gobbled them up even when they knew they contained zucchini. This is a big deal because they are always wary of trying things that their mom or I try to sneak veggies into.

Enjoy these muffins with a big cup of coffee or tea. I had one that was leftover for breakfast. I warmed it up in the microwave with a little bit of butter and it was heavenly. A perfect start to my day.

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup zucchini, coarsely grated
1 6 ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla with an electric hand mixer until it is thick and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
At low speed, mix in the flour until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Divide equally among muffin liners and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool muffins on baking rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Everyday Baking with Nordic Ware #MadeinUSA #BundtSquared #PrismBakeware

* I was sent Nordic Ware items for this review. All opinions in this post are my own.

I love to bake! I have been baking cookies since I was a teenager and truly love it. I now love to bake cakes and cookies for my own family. My son is old enough to help measure ingredients and stir the ingredients in a bowl, he is always eager to help with baking. I enjoy the whole process of baking from the bowls I stir in, the freshness of ingredients and the bake ware.  I even have a few favorite items. My favorite pan for baking has been a bundt cake pan but I have been wanting to have something different and special for the cakes I bake.

I have been using Nordic Ware cooking items for many years. I like that they are durable, made in the U.S.A. and BPA-free and melamine-free materials in their products. I recently had the opportunity to try a few new products from Nordic Ware and I am now obsessed with the Bundt Square Pan. It makes the most beautiful square bundt with geometric patterns. I have set aside my round bundt cake pan for now and I will be using this pan for many of my holiday baking creations to come. 

I baked a lemon blueberry cake for my first time using the Square Bundt Pan and I was wowed! The cake came out easily since I followed the directions of putting oil and flour on the pan. It made a beautiful golden crust and the peaks and valleys made from the pan perfectly held the lemon glazing icing I made. There is something about a pretty cake makes me want to share it and eat more of it. Be sure to tap the bottom of the pan a few times on the counter top before placing in the oven to get out any air bubbles. Allow for 10 minutes for cake to cool once it is done to ensure the cake does not tear, do not wait longer than that to remove cake or the sugars solidify and will make cake stuck in the pan.

For my recipe I used a premade lemon cake mix adding in lemon juice and blueberries. I made my favorite lemon glaze recipe from Martha Stewart website with 2 cups of confectioners sugar and 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. The glaze should thick yet pourable. It tastes amazing on the cake.

I also love to roast veggies and make oven baked fries making the new Natural Prism bake ware perfect for me. The herringbone grid pattern of the baking sheet allows for proper air flow to make your food crispier and easier release from the sheet. The rim of the sheet pan is galvanized steel making it resistant to warping during baking. The pans are non stick made of natural uncoated aluminum like pastry chefs all over the world use.  Next on my list to try on the prism bake sheet is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I was sent some of the new Prep and Serve bowls. They are microwavable with slip free bottoms and BPA free. I love the fun lively colors they add to my baking experience. They are great for making and serving cold pasta salads and fruit salads too.

I have my eye on another baking pan by Nordic Ware, the Botanical Pumpkin Loaf Pan. It would be perfect for the fall season.

To see more of Nordic Ware items and learn more about the family owned American based company you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Day of Fishing with Smucker's Snackation #Smuckers #sponsored

*This is a sponsored post from Smucker's and the #Snackation campaign. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. 

Summer is coming to end and we celebrated by taking a trip to our local lake and taking a Snackation. We were teaching our son about fishing and making our own power bait by mixing a few items and he asked the curious question, "Is there power bait for kids?" So I made my own version of power bait for kids, Flax Power Balls with flax cereal, seeds, nuts, dried fruit and Smucker's jam. You can read the recipe here.

The day we went fishing it was 100 degrees outside so we did a little swimming as well as fishing. Making sure we stay hydrated I also wanted to keep our energy levels high with our Flax Power Balls. They were perfect for one handed snacking.

We were not catching any fish in the lake. We agreed maybe that it was the fact that there was only a small percentage of water than normal due to the terrible drought in CA so we changed up our bait a bit to see what would happen. My son put some of his Flax Power Ball onto the hook and cast as far as he could.

We did get a few nibbles but not enough to catch any fish. We did however capture the attention of a flock of geese. Oh my can geese be aggressive with food, especially something as tasty as a sweet flax power ball. They surrounded us and quacked at us very loudly! My son was giggling so much and I shared with him one of my stories I tell all the time, the time I was bitten by a goose as I ran from it cookie in hand when I was little. My son noticed that one of the geese had a hurt foot and hopped on one leg, he wanted to share some of his snack with another creature that was needing a Snackation. It is moments like this that are priceless and we will talk  about over and over.

It was a long hike back to the car being tired and hot but we were energized from our snacks. We finished them all and I plan to head back to Walmart to get ingredients for my next Smucker's creation for our next adventure.

Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

It's almost back to school time here in the Seattle area for my grandchildren. It's been a really good summer for them, their mom has kept them busy with fun activities that they have loved, but it's time to get ready for the school year ahead.

For some reason, peanut butter cookies always make me think of elementary school. It must be because my own mother packed them in my lunch on occasion, and I can still recall how wonderful they smelled, and how delicious they tasted. Good memories for sure.

This recipe for Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies is from Martha Stewart, and it's very quick and easy. They always turn out just crispy enough, but just soft enough to melt in your mouth. Pair them with a glass of milk, and they are pretty near perfect.

I know I'll be making a lot of  these cookies to tuck in lunch bags, and have on hand for afterschool snacks for my grandchildren. And if you have any leftover, they keep well in an air tight container for up to a week.

Recipe for Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter until smooth. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine.
3. Pinch off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a fork, press balls in a crisscross pattern, flattening to a 1/2-inch thickness.
4. Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Back To School Sandwich Ideas and Nature’s Harvest® Sandwich Art Photo Contest #sponsored

*The information and coupons have been provided by Nature’s Harvest® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Nature’s Harvest® bread. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Nature’s Harvest® bread.

Back to School is here in my house! We have had our first week of school with great success. Part of that success I believe is eating a healthy breakfast and a healthy lunch. Healthy food can fuel a learning mind to help kids stay focused. This is our first year packing school lunch since my son has just started kindergarten. I was so excited at the thought of making fun an tasty sandwiches to put in his lunchbox. 

I wanted to make a sandwich that had many flavors in it to give it a meal between to delicious pieces of bread taste. I started with one of my sons favorite dips I make, spinach dip with cream cheese. My spinach dip has garlic and onions in it, I find it to be a tasty way to get my son to eat them without him realizing it.

Next I added sliced tomatoes, ham and thinly sliced cucumbers. I am using Nature’s Harvest®18 Grains & Seeds whole grain bread in my sandwich. My son likes the seeds on the sides of the bread, I like that it has 8 grams of whole grains per slice.

To celebrate Back to School season Nature’s Harvest® is hosting a Nature’s Harvest® Sandwich Art Photo Contest from August 24^th to September 6^th parents can visit the Nature’s Harvest® Facebook Page to submit a photo of their sandwich art creations, using Nature’s Harvest® bread, for the chance to win fun prizes!  One grand prize winner will receive a “kitchen crash” from Celebrity Chef Kelsey Nixon, where she’ll cook sandwich-centric meals and provide tips to the winner’s family!

Nature’s Harvest® bread is available to consumers nationwide and come in delicious varieties including:

o   100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread

o   Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain Bread

o   Butter Top Made With Whole Grain White Bread

o   Butter Top Made with Whole Grain Wheat Bread

Each variety of Nature’s Harvest® Bread is baked with at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving which will put them well on their way to consuming 32-40 grams per day which is recommended by U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

My son added his own creation of a sandwich with the ingredients I was using. He said it was his turn to be a sandwich creator! He made a sandwich using Nature’s Harvest® bread covered in cream cheese with ham and sliced grapes in it. It was actually very tasty! So proud of my little chef.

This contest is a fun way to get your kids involved with the idea of healthy eating by letting them help you create sandwich art for their school lunch. What are your ideas for a creative and tasty sandwich?