I’m starting a new series on this blog: Cinnamon Free Sundays. As you may know, I am allergic to cinnamon. Cinnamon is in a lot of dishes. I have learned to read labels and avoid various home-cooked foods at potluck dinners. Sometimes people remember when they’re cooking for holidays or dinners. And sometimes they forget. Furthermore, as my allergy didn’t develop until middle school, I remember what a lot of foods taste like and I miss certain things. And that brings us to Cinnamon Free Sundays.
I’m going to be presenting you with a recipe that usually calls for cinnamon and I’m going to give you a few small changes to make it taste good. I’ve learned some tricks over the years. I’ve also learned that, dang it, some things still taste just fine without cinnamon so, dang it, leave it out!
Also, because I’m so witty and funny, I chose Sunday for this theme because… get it? Cinnamon starts with… “sin.” And so, it’s a “sin” free day. Oh, I’m j ust hilarious sometimes, no? I also tend to do a lot of cooking and baking on Sundays for family meals so it just plain old makes sense.
However, I baked yesterday. What did I bake? Zucchini bread! Zucchini is coming in season and I grabbed some at our local Farmer’s Market this past Friday. My first thought was, “Mmm, zucchini bread.” My second thought was, “Flippin’ cinnamon!” So, I improvised. This particular bread will be more “sweet” than “spicy” for you spice loving people. So, take that as your warning and jump into this delicious little recipe.
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup raisins
1. Grate your zucchini. I used the larger holes (as opposed to the smaller ones) on our grater. This took almost two smaller zucchini and so logic would tell you that one larger zucchini would yield two cups of grated zucchini. I’m sure this is hit or miss.
2. In a large bowl (no, really, use your largest bowl; I’ll tell you why in a minute), combine your sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Once mixed together, add in your grated zucchini and mix that all together, too.
3. In a separate bowl, but still somewhat large, sift together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground ginger.
4. Now here’s the reason that you have your smaller amount of stuff in your biggest bowl: slowly blend your dry ingredients into your wet zucchini mixture. See? Told you. I made this mistake when baking and had to pour things into yet another bowl. Don’t be like me.
5. Pour the mixture into two greased 8×5 bread pans. Or, if you don’t bake much bread and you only have one pan, pour half of the mixture into the bread pan and cover the remaining mixture so you can cook it second.
6. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Remove pan. Let cool for approximately ten minutes and then remove the zucchini bread from the pan and place bread out to cool. If you’re like me, wash out and dry the pan and pour the rest of the mixture into the pan, place it in the over and bake (WITH HEAT*) for an hour.
* = I managed to turn off the oven after I baked the first loaf but didn’t seem to notice so I baked the second loaf, without heat, for a full hour, only discovering my error when the timer went off and I went to remove my uncooked loaf of zucchini bread. Yes. I am that awesome.
Zucchini bread tastes great as a dessert or an addition to your breakfast. Put a little butter on it, heat it up and it’s a great little snack. It’s also a great way to get your kids to eat some vegetables. You know, plus loads of sugar so they’ll bounce off the wall. Some people also add various nuts but I only like nuts in banana bread so, no nuts for me. Do whatever you please.
Just don’t add the cinnamon!
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If you’re interested in baking and cooking, even with cinnamon, how would you like to win a free cookbook? I’m giving away a copy of Heart of the Home: Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen by Susan Branch. It has a bunch of fabulous recipes including one for Stuffed Zucchini. No cinnamon there! Leave a comment on this post telling me that you, too, have cooked something for an entire hour in an oven that wasn’t even on and you’ll be eligible to win! (Or, any comment will do!) The contest will close on Saturday, June 29 at 3:00pm. I will then draw a winner via Random.org and announce it on Sunday with our next installment of Cinnamon Free Sundays!
82 Responses to “Cinnamon Free Sundays: Zucchini Bread (+Giveaway)”
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I cooked a lasagna once in an oven that wasn’t on. We had some pretty hungry guests that night!
Also, I just put a loaf of zucchini bread in the oven. It has cinnamon though, sorry. I love cinnamon! I can’t imagine being allergic to it.
Hmm…I don’t know that I have put something in the oven without it on, but I have definitely forgotten that something was in the oven until I smelled the burning smell..oops. I don’t know how you live without cinnamon, it is so yummy. I’m sorry you can’t have it.
Well, I never did that, but how about “blackies” instead of “brownies”? I didn’t remember the brownies were in the oven before I left for one activity or another — and when we got home — we had “blackies”. I am seriously thankful that’s all that happened. My kids still remember that!
I dont think I have forgotten to turn the oven on. But,I usually turn on the wrong burner on my cooktop and wonder why the water is not boiling probably at least once a week. Im a goober like that
I was making crockpot yogurt, and needed to use the mixer to mix up some gluten-free bagel dough. Since the crockpot was set on warm, I figured that I could unplug it for 15 minutes of the 9 hours and replug it back in to finish the yogurt when I was done with the bagel dough.
I finished the bagel dough, unplugged the mixer, and replugged the crockpot back in…but didn’t turn it on. Luckily it had enough heat retained when I went back for the yogurt in 3 hours it was okay – just a little less thick and tangy than ususal.
(no contest entry for me – too many food allergies and intolerances; just wanted to share my story! I’ll let someone else who can use more of it partake!)
Have you ever made a Chocolate Zucchini Cake? Absolutely delicious! I have never forgotton to turn the oven on but numerous times I didn’t check the temperature setting. I’ve had burnt cookies and French bread, and an Angel Food Cake. Those are only the ones I remember.
Girl, if I counted up all the mishaps I’ve had over the years I could write my OWN book. Just this week, I was so proud of myself for planning a four course meal to the minute for everything to come out at the right time. It was going to be the bomb. Then realized that alas, water doesn’t boil unless you put it on the burner that’s you know, turned on. And for some reason, heated air from the unused burner on high heat just WON’T cook your pasta.
I know I’ve done this…but I can’t remember…I do however, remember all the times I didn’t turn it off!!!! LOL
Family came over for Thanksgiving! The Turkey was in the oven cooking all morning or so we thought! The oven was on but the power was out and we didn’t even know it! After cooking the Turkey as we thought we had to put it on the barbeque came out better I thought!
Ok, so I had been married less than a year, and I got my mother-in-law’s beef stroganoff recipe. I made all of these perfect little meatballs and made a delicious sauce for them. My noodles were cooked and everything smelled soooooo good. I grabbed what I thought was pepper, and I poured it over the meatballs when I quickly realized that it was CINNAMON! It had come out very fast and there was a thick coating all over everything. I could have cried as I tried to rinse them with water and as I tried so hard to mask the flavor.(It was horrible!) I should have realized that it was far too late as soon as the first shake of cinnamon sprinkled the meatballs. I think we ordered pizza for dinner that night. To this day when I cook stroganoff I get asked if I remembered to use the cinnamon.
I attempted to make ginger-molasses thins with pomegranate molasses.
Um.
Have you ever tasted pomegranate molasses?
Yeah.
I seem to remember a turkey dinner where the oven wasn’t on, but I don’t think it was me that did it – or maybe I just made the whole thing up.
But I have preapared candied yams (with lots of cinamon, sorry – but probably delicious without) & then left the whole prepared dish on the counter beside my front the door & went out to dinner at the in-laws’ house, where the yams were an expected side-dish. D’oh! And now it’s mentioned at *every* T-Day & Christmas dinner (& some Easters, to boot).
You should join Tuesday’s with Dorie. I just cooked my second recipe and it was a lot of fun.
http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com
Somehow my oven got turned off while making sweet potatoes for Cameron as a baby. However, I discovered, if I bake them for about half an hour and then turn the oven off, they keep baking and I use less energy! Score!!!
I work (nights) at a group home, and atleast twice a week I will make a crock pot meal so the evening staff have some more free time on thier busy days. I have (on more then one occassion) went though the whole prep work, got it in the pot and FORGOT TO TURN IT ON when I leave at 8am. Therefore, evening staff come in, they see it’s a crockpot meal and don’t even think about dinner until 5 when it is suppose to be done. Only to find out it’s not! OPPS! So my helping, causes a lot of stress, and residents don’t mind, b/c it’s usually such a busy night, and staff now don’t have time to cook dinner, so they get Pizza or McDonalds.
Last Thanksgiving I volunteered to belp my mother-in-law bake all the pies (she is famous for her pies). I, on the other hand, have never been able to claim any such talent in the kitchen. Still, I wanted to be the good daughter-in-law. So while she’s making her awesome crusts, she asked me to assemble ingredients for one of the fancier pies — and I began to read the instructions — er, recipe.
Since the first line of instructions called for three egg yolks, I cracked and separated. Cracked and separated. Cracked and separated (like I was a pro, of course, knowing she was just a few feet away and likely keeping an eye on me!)
Then, trying to look efficient and “clean as I go,” I dumped the bowl with the seemingly unwanted egg whites right into the garbage.
Then I moved on to the next line in the recipe:
“In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and add ….”
Rrrrrright. Lesson learned: Read entire recipe first. (Especially when with your M-I-L.) So if I’m lucky enough to win the cookbook, I promise to use it wisely.
I have put bacon in a frying pan without ever turning on the stove
jceko77@yahoo.com
You’re funny. Yes, I have done the same. Unfortunately it was a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone was all weirded out by it. I was then in a panic state not because of the screw up but because the stupid turkey seemed so almighty important to everyone!
Yes, this was the beginning of my OCD , checking the oven 20 times during baking anything
Love to win the cookbook; the food here has been very boring lately and I have a garden this year so want to try all kinds of new recipes!
Thanks much!
i have never cooked anything that needs to be cooked for an hour. how sad is that ??enter me feener44atgmaildotcom
I don’t know that I’ve tried to bake anything in an oven that wasn’t on (yet!) but I have tried to boil water on the stove and then realized I hadn’t turned on the burner. :-/
I would love to win this cookbook!
Thanks,
Lindsey