MMM..... Zucchini Bread

Its that time of year when all of us who planted a garden are harvesting zucchini the size of baseball bats, well assuming the gophers didn't eat your whole garden.  That is a story for another day.  If you didn't plant any I am sure those that planted some are trying to pawn some off on you.  I would suggest locking your car doors at church to prevent such items being left in your car.  I have my grandparents supplying me right now.  You will notice in the picture that some of this is in muffin pans.  After my EUREKA moment that you can read about here.  I have been trying to come up with breakfast items I can stick in the freezer for later breakfasts when cereal won't do.  So I have been doing half in a loaf and 1/2 in muffins that I am freezing. (Thanks for the idea Kristen)
I am sure everybody has the perfect recipe, I am here to tell you, YOU DON"T!! 

I have tried multiple recipes in the past until I found this one.  It is so moist and the perfect amount of sweet.  I LOVE cinnamon.  Like I want to marry it, okay I don't but you get the idea.  This recipe calls for a lot of cinnamon.  I got the original recipe here at allrecipes.com.  Make it her way or try my slightly more nutritious version.
Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsps vanilla
3 cups flour
3 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 325.  Grease 2 8x4 inch loaf pans.  In a large bowl beat eggs until light an frothy.  Mix in oil, applesauce, and sugar.  Stir in zucchini and vanilla.  Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Mix into egg mixture and stir until combined.  Divide batter into prepared pans and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Gotta love a great idea!!

The bathroom makeover is going great.  I want to show you parts right now but I am going to wait till it is all done before you get any pictures.  
So I have had a lot more nausea this pregnancy than any of my others.  Cold cereal makes me want to vomit these days which is totally weird because I love cereal!!!  I knew this morning I wouldn't be able to handle it, so I decided to make french toast instead.  I was getting everything ready when a thought struck me.  French toast sticks.  If your house is anything like my house when we do any sort of any cooking we end up cutting everything for 2-3 kids.  I somehow end up all sticky and don't get to eat any hot food because I am cutting.  So before I cooked the bread I took a stack and sliced them into about 1 inch pieces.  Dipped and threw them on the griddle.  I poured them each a little syrup in a small bowl.  And let them go.  I got a hot breakfast and the kids loved them!!  Sometimes I wonder to myself "Why haven't I done this before?"  Maybe you had this idea a long time ago.

Okay, 1 pic of the bathroom and that is only cause my little guy is so cute

One of those days...

So today has been one of those unproductive days.  I mean I cleaned up after the meals and kids, but one of those days that has me crawling out of my skin, pull my hair out days.  I have mentioned that I totally have ADD (self diagnosed of course).  I have learned that I self medicate with crafts and projects.  I do have a big one in the works but it was on hold till I decided what color I was painting the bathroom.  So I have decided but the kids put a huge fuss when I wanted to go get the paint tonight.  So I would have something to do while Lance is gone and the kids are asleep.  Perfect time to paint a room right???  I think so, but I gave into their fights to not go.  At this point in time I am almost pacing the house trying to think of something I can work on to give me the feeling of having done something today.  So far I got nothing!!!  So here I sit writing about it so that maybe I can relax and say "I posted on my blog today".  Then hopefully be able to relax or focus and do something.  So if you made it through all of this I thank your for listening to my rant :).  A little glimpse into the insanity that is sometimes my head.

Makeover and an Apology

So lets get the apology part over with first.  So a little while ago I posted a teaser about remember this table?  Well there is a reason I haven't posted a pic.  First of all it turned out so good that I wanted to show you a picture taken with a nice camera and also by someone who knows what they are doing.  That didn't work out.  And second I wanted the picture to not be taken in my extrememly messy garage.  Since I am preggers moving furniture is not on my list of acceptable activities.  Any who here is the apology the person who bought it from me came and picked it up without me having a picture.  Never fear she has promised me a picture as soon as she can.  I am very sorry for the teaser.

In the mean time I have decided to redo my bathroom.  There really isn't anything wrong with the way it is now, other than it is kinda boring.  So here is the Before.  I even patched the walls myself :)

Hand Towel that covers the outlet.

 I really want to replace this fixture but not sure with what that might just be staying with some new bulbs

 Sideways shot of the mirror and counter.

 The one thing on the wall

 The Bow box this has got to go.

 Boring shower curtain  YAWN :0()

This where the towel rack was, I forgot to take the picture before I started.  I was too lazy to put it back up just for a picture.

Now I want to go get some paint chips and tape but alas the kids want to play out side :(  More to come soon.

Hmmmm... an End Table or a Nightstand

I have had a few people tell me I should sell the furniture I refinish.  I think I would like to but I am always afraid to take the plunge.  However if I want to continue to do this I am...
1- Run out of space to put them in my home, because believe me I have fallen in love with every piece I have done.
2- In order to purchase new(old) furniture to refinish it requires $$$ and lets face it my monthly allowance only goes so far.

So here is my first piece up for sale, I hope you like it or want to buy it or....  Tell me it is wonderful to help my self-esteem.

BEFORE

 Ouch

 AFTER

Do you remember??

Do you remember this table??  Well I sold it to a friend but before I did that I refinished it.  Would you like to see what it looks like?  It was too dark to get any good pictures tonight but tomorrow I will take some and you can see the transformation :)

Aebelskivers (Danish ball Pancakes)

Day 3 of pancake week brought us Aebelskivers (Danish Ball Pancakes).  So once again I have a lot of Danish blood in me too.  From both sides of the family.  As a matter of fact my family tells me that my stubborn side is my Danish side :).  I bought my pan in a Mercantile in the area my Danish relatives from my mom's side settled.  Aebleskiver pans are usually made of cast iron and very heavy.  I have a friend who is Danish and when her husband would have to go out of town he would tell her to sleep with the pan in case someone broke in. These bad boys were being consumed faster than I could cook them, so there was no staging for photos.  If you live near me and would like to try these little delights but don't have the pan, let me know and I would be happy to let you borrow mine.

So do you have a pancake recipe from somewhere on the globe you want to share with me?  I am thinking about German Pancakes tomorrow or crepes, but we have those all the time and I am game to try something new :)

 I have tried multiple recipes for these and this is the one I tried this morning.

This recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma.com
FYI You will need some special equipment for this recipe: namely, an ebelskiver pan and some of those long tooth picks or knitting needles to flip the balls over while baking.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 TBSP (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 pint fresh blueberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.
Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Put 5 or 6 blueberries in the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries.
Dust the pancakes with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm with maple syrup. Makes about 40.