Zuc Suit Riot

What's your take on acting your age? Is age really just a number? Is it all in your head? Once you receive your 20-30-40 card on your birthday, do you have to change? Or are we always allowed to tell pseudo-innuendo jokes and give a noogie to an old friend?

I've met 20 year olds that I have their heads on straighter and sensible than most married 40 year old couples. But then again, I've also seen middle aged women with permed hair, mid-drift shirts, belly button rings, and eye makeup must of raised Avon's stock 100 points.

So, I think to myself... Balance. Act middle aged when it's time to budget and pay bills. Laugh, play, and learn the rest of the time. I think it's simple, and I plan on sticking to this for a real long time. I don't plan on ever being boring, but I plan on acting my age or older when it counts.

What's this have to do with food? Well, you see... Zucchini Bread is something of a childhood favorite of mine. My mother made it all the time, and I ate it light years before I ever ate zucchini raw.

So whenever that delicious veggie-cinnamon smell creeps out of the hot box, it time travels me back. I think about Transformers (which apparently is back now), Edward Scissorhands (kinda scary for a kid), and The Red Hot Chili Peppers (Great Album). I'm older now, but it's amazing what a certain scent can do for your hardwiring. I just bake these up, share with some friends, and think, dude we've come a long way.

I found this recipe over at Simply Recipes. I didn't change it much, I just tweaked the spices a bit, and brought the butter down a little because that's all I had left. The mix was still plenty wet because of the zucchini. I came out with 12 muffins, and a little extra. Definitely enjoy this while summer squash is cheap and in season.


Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from Simply Recipes

-3 cups grated fresh zucchini, grated up
- 2 or 3 medium sized ones
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
-1 1/3 cup sugar
-2 eggs, beaten
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350*. Butter or grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Break out your wooden spoon and some guns. Muffins are muscle work.

In a large bowl, add the sugar, vanilla, and eggs together. Mix until they are pale yellow and sandy creamy. Stir in the zucchini and melted butter gently, until a nice green buttery batter is made. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt on top and stir.

To the top of the batter, pour in the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold the dry ingredients into the batter until it smells wonderful and no flour bits remain. Try not to overmix the batter.

Fill up each muffin cup up until the brim. You will probably have used up 90% of the batter (it's alot of flour and batter). Bake for 25-30 mins, or until they turn a little golden brown and a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, and remove and let cool for another 30.

These muffins were a little dense, but still tender and the taste was pretty awesome. It had just the right amount of spice, and I love the green speckles throughout. Definitely a keeper, and a nice travel treat... in case you have a road trip to the beach like I do :)

And according to the Facebook poll I had... Zucchini Bread beats Banana Bread by a large margin. Feel free to discuss. Catch ya later Buddies :)