Big ones, small ones..some the size of your head! (or baby)

The days are getting longer and finally we have had some heat. Work is picking up at the restaurant and our garden at work is beginning to share its goodies too! I'm heading up North in a couple of weeks and figured I should try this recipe before I make it for a vacation treat. The recipe was a keeper.

The garden is producing an overwhelming amount of green and yellow zucchini. They are coming in all sizes hence the title of this post. My mother and I have been trying to stay on top of picking them  before they get too big. The big ones aren't nearly as tasty and sweet as the little ones and I HATE having to fight with their seeds. If zucchini is picked before it gets too big you don't have to worry about any seeds at all.

 My favourite (and go-to) recipe with zucchini is lasagna breaded with panko breadcrumbs but since I'm trying new recipes I made zucchini loaf. I needed to lose a much as I could so I grated extra for the freezer for the winter months so that I could make these delicious loaves in the cold winter months. Mom bought a new loaf pan that is the same size as a regular pan but has four mini loaves spaces in it. Its so handy so I can make mini-loaves to share.

This recipe called for just cocoa powder but I added chocolate chips as well to get my chocolate fix! My nieces and nephews had no idea that there was zucchini in their chocolate loaf. Sneaky me. The new and improved Canadian Living cooking website is more aesthetically pleasing and the layout is easier to read when baking. I haven't been let down yet by any of their recipes and this was a crowd pleaser too. Find the recipe at the Canadian Living link above.  

Despite the increasing heat, get in the kitchen, turn on the oven and make this

sinfully chocolatey loaf.

We be jammin'

Good news! I have planted the entirety of my garden. It took me several hours and a painful sunburn to get everything in the ground. The day began cool and before I knew it I was peeling off my layers of clothes without applying sunscreen. So for the sake of an entire season of veggies I am currently in pain, soaking in a vat of aloe vera as I write this post. 

Seeds galore.

Strawberries have just begun and I cannot miss the opportunity to make jam from the first fruit of the season. My other, older nieces and nephews love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches especially when they aren't in school. Today kids are allergic to everything including the sun which makes for some sad lunches during the school year without the good ol' PB and J.  

I went to market, bought strawberries and my Mom and I canned until our hearts content. We like to use an easy and super quick recipe  from Canadian Living because it doesn't call for hours of simmering. Who wants to linger around the kitchen with the gorgeous days of summer ahead??

Get growing, fellow food lovers. Plant, jam and enjoy!

Spring has sprung!

Spring is always a rejuvenating time for me.  After a bit of a hiatus I'm back at my blogging and am more excited than a kid in Toys R Us because of my upcoming seed shopping extravaganza!  I know, what 26 year old can't wait to spend a Saturday afternoon at a seed store like Stokes or William Dam Seeds? 

Garden 2013!

Coming out of the long, dark days of winter I look forward to planning garden this summer. I have been fortunate to discover that there are many people in my generation who are beginning to understand and are curious about gardening for themselves and I am always eager to share my experiences. 

I have planned out my garden plot accordingly and look forward to the upcoming growing season, in the meantime it April has been a busy month. We are anticipating the newest arrival of the family and she is taking her sweet time, deciding to chill outside in my sister-in-law's womb it seems they will have to schedule an induction because baby Mila is in no rush to meet all of us. Also my partner's only sister and dear mother have birthdays back to back and just finishing school I am running short on funds. Naturally I decided to make a meal for them in celebration of their birthdays.

Chocolate brownie Reese's cheesecake was the dessert for my evening with the outlaws. What girls (and guys for that matter) of any age could resist chocolatey, cheesy goodness?  The cake was rich, decadent and delightful, having got the recipe from Pinterest it was easy to make. A little too time consuming for me because I prefer desserts that take no more than an hour to make but it was well worth it. 

Click here for the recipe to this awesome cake. Happy Birthday Laurie and Amber!