Chocolate Zucchini Cake

'Tis the season to be using all that zucchini you've been growing in your garden! Okay, so I don't have a garden and after watching my mom struggle to get anything to grow in Colorado's rotten soil for 10 years, I dug my heals in this year and opposed a garden of my own, though Marc wants very much to grow a garden. However, as soon as I realized I could grow zucchini and then make as much of this cake as I want next year without forking over any money for zucchini, however cheap it may be, I got on board. Zucchini garden (and rhubarb, pumpkin, and strawberry garden) here I come--in 9 months or so. Unfotunately, even though this cake has a vegetable in it, it cannot be thought of as healthy. Just look at the sugar and oil content. I've tried to substitute 1/2 of the oil with applesauce but it changed the consistency of the cake to one I didn't care for so I just ignore the ingredients and enjoy.

3 c. flour
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
4 eggs
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. oil
3 sq. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/4 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract
3 c. grated zucchini

Grate zucchini and squeeze out the extra moisture with paper towels. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Then add sugar and oil and cream together. Add vanilla and almond extract and cream. Add chocolate and mix. Gently put in dry ingredients. Fold in zucchini. Pour into greased, floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. I've never baked it for that long so watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. That would be a great disappointment!

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar (an update)

Last Monday night I swore off sugar, soda & fast food. It's not going so well:

Tuesday--a handful of raisinettes, one piece of cake
Wednesday--a few too many orange rolls that my mom makes, somehow I can't get mine to turn out like hers
Thursday--NO SUGAR!
Friday--rootbeer (I could only drink a small portion of the bottle though)
Saturday--rootbeer
Sunday--rootbeer, peach pie a la mode
Monday--Anderson's half eaten cheeseburger & fries Happy Meal
Tuesday--a tiny bowl of frozen yogurt, raisinettes & sprite

Like I said last week, this is going to be a tough habit to break. Tomorrow I'm making my favorite cake and taking it with a gallon of frozen yogurt and Fool's Gold to my friend's house to celebrate her birthday. Hopefully we don't eat the entire cake--yes it's that good. I'll post the recipe because you should all try it!

So tell that someone that you love, just what you're thinking of, if tomorrow never comes

A few months ago a story about Randy Pausch on TV caught my eye. He's the computer scientist/professor/husband/father who performed then published The Last Lecture after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006. After seeing his story once, it seemed he was making his rounds on all the shows--I saw or heard his story day after day. To some, his story having been made very public, he might be overrated because certainly his situation is not unique. Many mothers and fathers with young kids are diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer daily; they fight the battle, and the disease takes it's toll and eventually these mothers and fathers pass away leaving their children to miss them forever. It's a thought I simply can't bear to think. But, I think Mr. Pausch is unique--instead of living only to himself and his family during his last years of life, he spent his time inspiring the rest of the world to live today more fully than yesterday, reminding us what is precious in life. When I saw the headline this morning that Randy Pausch passed away today, I couldn't (and still can't) help but ache for his family. They are strangers to me, yes, but their reality is one that I don't know if I could bear to live myself. So, today, because who knows what tomorrow brings, I hugged my kids tighter, sat with Anderson while he colored and pretended to spell his name, lay next to Carter and read to him from The Friend, then let both boys help me make rolls. What are you doing with your little ones and loved ones today?

(I hope to read Pausch's book soon, but I've been on a reading freeze lately as my days have been consumed by Primary, Primary, and wait, more Primary!)

Amendment

It might not be a "commitment amendment" necessarily, but I do need to clarify. When I say "no sugar" what I really mean is no dessert. No candy, no cookies, NO CAKE, no ice cream. I may need to have the occasional sweet bread treat (only because I just found two recipes that I really really really want to try) and my commitment also excludes those cool Endurance Jelly Beans. I'll be consuming those on my long runs in the future.

Gluttony

For the past six months or so I've been living in gluttony. My tummy has gotten used to that uncomfortable full feeling, so much so that it's becoming comforting and I've indulged my sweet tooth a little too often. This habit is not not not conducive to my training schedule at all. I've been training for about six weeks and my toughest two runs were my last two. At this point in my training, when I've run a 10 miler, an 11 miler, and hiked a 13 miler, 6-8 miles should be a moderate challenge. Not a run that makes me want to puke, which after only 3 miles tonight that's exactly what I wanted to do. I'm sure my choice of fuel was the cause. You see, after six years of marriage, Marc finally made me a birthday cake for my birthday. Just in case it didn't turn out, he bought one at the store, too. But that's not all, no that's not all. My mom made one, too. Three cakes! One weekend. Not to mention some Maggie Moos with some of my girlfriends. Can we say sugar high? So, as my stomach was cramping while I ran tonight, I made a decision, a commitment. No more sugar, no more soda, no more fast food. At first, I'm sure I'll have to take a day at a time, maybe more like a food choice at a time but hopefully this will help me conquer two pitfalls that came along with Anderson's pregnancy 2 1/2 years ago: no will power and a major sweet tooth. Since I'm making the commitment public, I'll probably blog about it frequently. Feel free to join me or check on me in my quest!

A Day in the Life of. . .

The following story is not a portrayal of tomorrow at my house. In fact, the outlook is pretty poor because I will be cleaning up after days and days of house-neglect similar to the day depicted in the story. But don't feel sorry for me, just enjoy the story. Thanks for sharing it with me, Julie. I've printed it out and it will keep me company on my refrigerator tomorrow!

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter , the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor , a broken glass lays under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today ? '

She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me "What in the world I do all day?"

'Yes,' was his incredulous reply.

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

Today I Could Very Well Lose My Mind

Have you seen Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC? I catch an episode (usually a rerun) here and there. Part of the intro to the show really resonates with me--it's the part when Kate says ". . .the stress of having two sets of multiples doesn't always bring out the best in us. . ." Okay, I don't have any multiples, but I do have two young boys, a hard working husband, and a list of things to do that doesn't ever get shorter no matter how productive I try to be. And it's true--stress DOES NOT bring out the best in me. And right now--I'M STRESSED! (Maybe I shouldn't be blogging then, maybe I should go mop my floor like a good housewife!)

This morning, Carter asked to go to the library instead of to playgroup. I quickly obliged--I had an overdue book that I was going to return tonight but if we went this morning I'd get to do another errand that I wasn't sure I'd be able to fit in today if we went to playgroup. We headed out the door. When we got to the library, Carter shoved his door open wider than necessary and left a good chip in the door handle of the car next to us. More stress. Since it was a real good nick, I left a note on the car hoping the owner wouldn't find it that big of a deal--the thought of paying for a repair added more stress. The owner got to the car before I could get Anderson out of his seat so I talked to her and she was kind and didn't care. I was still frustrated with my four year old though so he was only allowed to check out three books instead of five. (Am I mean?) We headed on to LDS Chapter and Verse bookstore to get some supplies to make the birthday handout our ward's Primary is using his year. I took in two of the library books for the boys to read while I looked for the supplies. Carter read for maybe 3 minutes and then he decided to pull a basket off the shelf that had videos in it. In the softest, stern voice I could muster I let him know he was in trouble and that he lost the privilege of getting some cinnamon bears he'd eyed on the way in. Which brings me to the burning question--how do you discipline your child in an LDS bookstore when he definitely deserves some? In any other establishment, I feel fine being stern but with church music playing in the background and a sweet LDS grandma standing at the counter I felt embarrassed that my discipline might be too harsh and yet, discipline is important, right? When I got to the counter to pay, Carter grabbed the cinnamon bears and sassed at me--You're the one that's not treating me well. When I don't get candy, I am sad. When I get candy, I am happy. You should have heard his tone! Our punishment for sassing is cayenne pepper on the tongue (punishment should fit the crime, right? and soap, it's not meant to be ingested, so cayenne pepper it is!) so I warned him. A few minutes later, as we finished our transaction, the lady at the counter smiled at me and said, You're doing just fine. I had five boys and know exactly what it's like. So now I'd like to tell her, Thank you for not judging me because I am definitely not a perfectly patient and soft spoken mother. It's just not my strong point.

Hot Artichoke and Feta Dip

This dip has never failed to please. Not at a playgroup potluck, a 4th of July BBQ, and not at a gathering with some new and very fun friends. So as requested, here is the recipe.

8 oz. of cream cheese, soft (originally called for 1/3 less fat Neufchtel, sometimes I use it sometimes I use cream cheese)
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced (if I'm too lazy to mince, I use 1/4 t. garlic powder--the equivalent of 2 cloves)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1 package of reduced fat feta crumbles (sometimes I don't use the reduced fat kind but I never use the entire package, probably 1/2 to 3/4 of it)
Triscuit thin crisps (the triangle kind)

Mix and mash the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, artichokes and 1/2 of the red pepper together in a dish and then spread out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining red pepper over the top and then the feta over that. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until slightly brown and bubbly.
Serve with Triscuits. Also pretty good with celery and carrot sticks.

I'm One of Those People. . . (part 2)

• whose cell phone goes off during church. I was sitting in primary when I heard my cell phone ringing--thank goodness it was muffled by being inside my wristlet inside my church bag, but I immediately got up, ran out of singing time and turned it off. When I threw my wristlet in my church bag that morning, I forgot my cell phone was in it.
• who lets her kid run around a store with out his shoes on because he won't stay in the stinking stroller/cart. You don't have to tell me how gross this is, I already know. Seriously, Anderson is a different breed than Carter. He can't run errands for longer than 15 minutes plus he takes his shoes off just about every time we're in the car. Sometimes, I have to throw my hands up in the air and let go of some of my stringent standards.

I'm One of Those People!

I'm one of those people who always has an opinion about something, says she'll never do this or that, and then ends up eating her words. I do it all the time. For example, after hearing about how my dad failed a class or two when he and my mom got married in the middle of a semester, I thought that was ridiculous. Why not wait an extra month, get the semester over with and then get married? Seriously, who can't wait an extra month to get married? Apparently, (no offense intended to those in this party!) men in general can't wait an extra month because approximately 22 years later Marc couldn't wait a few more months and it was I who ended up getting married in the middle of a semester at BYU. Luckily neither of us failed any of our classes. A few years later, after listening to my SIL talk about all the activities she was doing during July with her two youngsters, all the while being 8 1/2 months preggo, I swore up and down that I'd plan every one of my pregnancies around those hot summer months. Then, in December 2005, I got pregnant with Anderson--due in September. At the time, we lived in the San Fernando Valley in LA where temperatures didn't get below 100 the entire month of July. Then there was today. I always think it's crazy when I see moms and dads bring something to read to the park--don't people know that's exactly what predators look for--kids whose parents aren't going to notice them gone for a few minutes or longer? Not safe. But today, I just didn't feel like being bored while the kids played at the McDonald's playground after they ate their Happy Meals, so I took along a magazine to browse. And I truly only browsed it, glancing up a few times a minute to count--there's #1, there's #2. But in one of those split seconds that I didn't have my eye on Anderson, he creeped up all those tricky, leveled stairs to the tip top tunnel and then he got a little intimidated by the mesh openings in the tunnel. Luckily for me, (I did NOT want to squeeze my way up there!) Carter acted as a great big brother and successfully coaxed him through the tunnel and down the slide. And really, my point is--I always tell my kids, if they can't successfully maneuver an obstacle on the playground alone, they are not big enough for it yet--but after today (and all the other days that something happens to tell me this.) I have to finally admit that Anderson is no longer a baby. Boo.