Back to Baking

Well it has been a while since we've posted a new recipe, but unfortunately, an even longer time since I've been back in the kitchen trying something new. I find it difficult not to get stuck in that food preparation rut we all get caught in from time to time. The crazy work week routine of rushing in and trying to get dinner on the table, before the kids descend on you, squashes any sense of creativity you might have been feeling. But no more! I vow here and now to try and make a least one new "non-routine" dish or side a week so I can once more inject some life into my menu planning. Keep your fingers crossed for me - I'm going to need all the luck I can get to keep this resolution going!

I thought I would jumpstart my reaffirmed intentions with this recipe that I adapted from the "Joy of Cooking." I love serving this with any type of pasta dish, or as a substitute for plain garlic bread. My family's favourite is when I butter each slice and sprinkle some extra garlic powder on them. Pop the slices in the oven under broil for a minute or two and voila, dinner is served.

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 3/4 cup shredded old cheddar cheese (be as generous with the measurement as you see fit)
• 2 teaspoons dry dill
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350^o F and lightly grease 3 mini-loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and garlic powder.
3. Then add the zucchini, cheddar cheese, and dill. Mix the ingredients together until they are lightly coated by the dry ingredient mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter.
5. Gently mix in the wet ingredients to the flour-zucchini mixture until just moistened. You want the batter to look lumpy - not smooth and uniform.

6. Equally divide the batter amongst the three loaf pans and place them in the oven.

7. Bake for about 40 minutes. Everyone's oven is different so I always look to see if the edges have started to brown and of course, they must pass the toothpick test. Also good to note that they freeze very well, so I usually make a bunch ahead and then pull them out the night before to defrost.

Let me know how your cheese zucchini bread turns out - I hope it will become a family favourite.

Photography Sources: Simply Sophisticated