the weekend baker

The Flavors of Fall ~

Zucchini Spice Cake

If you're lucky enough to have a bumper crop of zucchini squash (or know someone who does), quickly whip up this incredibly moist, spicy and delicious Zucchini Spice Cake. It's wonderful on its own, or with a bit of applesauce. (If you really want to frost it, I would suggest a cream cheese frosting similar to pumpkin bars.)
The original recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks by the folks at Victory Garden; I've tweaked it a bit to suit my tastes but in general you can personalize the spices to your preferences. I've also considered substituting some of the vanilla extract with a tiny bit of maple, but haven't experimented with that yet, as well as versions with walnuts and/or raisins. I'm too busy enjoying this recipe as is!

The recipe is simple to adjust if you're up to your ears in zucchini and wish to make 2 or 3 cakes. It is also perfect for school lunches (how about baking the batter in fun cupcake form?) and it freezes absolutely beautifully. It's a recipe that you will turn to again and again.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil (I prefer safflower in this recipe)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups grated zucchini (or, you can use yellow squash as well)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius).

Combine dry ingredients. Beat together the eggs, brown sugar and pure vanilla. Beat in the dry ingredients, stir in the grated zucchini. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 inch (approx. 20x20 cm) baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (or if you can't resist the wonderful spicy fragrance a minute longer!).

the unofficial start of fall?

Above, "The Big Kahuna Burger," one of three Pulp Fiction-inspired artworks by Lonesome Road Studio.

September 1st, and many are calling this "the first unofficial day of fall." And, this weekend is Labor Day weekend in the United States, so grills will be up in smoke at least one more time before the snow falls. (Or, if you're on the Lonesome Road, you put on your coveralls, fire up the torpedo heater and grill anyway.)

An easy-going, casual holiday like Labor Day is best served with a low-key, fun menu and tops on the list is burgers. There's a burger to please everyone's taste: beef, buffalo, lamb, turkey, chicken, black bean, veggie, a huge portabella cap... the list is endless. And maybe more endless than the list of burgers themselves is the toppings that you can put on them. Want a Greek burger? Just crumble a bit of feta cheese, add fresh spinach leaves, tomato and onion and top with tzatziki sauce. How about an old-fashioned bacon barbecue burger? Have a pizza burger with mozzarella and provolone cheese plus marinara sauce, maybe sauteed mushrooms and pepperoni slices... or a Mexican burger with salsa, avocado, sour cream, jalapenos and olives.

If you think those are creative ideas, check out some of the ideas at Chicago's Kuma's Corner, one of the most heralded repositories of insanely inventive burger dining in the area:

• The "Judas Priest" - with bacon, bleu cheese dressing with apples, walnuts, and dried cranberries
• The "Slayer" - French fries topped with a ½ lb. burger, chili, cherry peppers, andouille, onions, jack cheese, and... ANGER
• The "Lair Of The Minotaur" - caramelized onions, pancetta, brie, bourbon-soaked pears
• The "Insect Warfare" - panko-crusted goat cheese, bacon roasted corn and green chili medallion, topped with roasted corn, cilantro, green chili salsa and paprika creme fraiche
• The "Black Sabbath" - blackening spice, chili, pepper jack, red onion
• Or maybe just the House Burger, complete with a fried egg.

You get the idea.
So while you're flipping (and not pressing, please) that burger, dream up a little something out of the ordinary and say good-bye to summer with the sandwich equivalent of a 21-gun salute!

And while you're at it, take the groovy poll in the upper right; poll closes at noon on Wednesday the 8th of September - come back to Bite This! to see the results!

welcome october!

The moon is full, the autumn nights grow longer,

In the north forests startled crows cry out.

Still high overhead, the star river stretches,

The Dipper's handle set to southwest.

The cold cricket grieves deep in the chambers,

Of the notes of sweet birds, none remain.

Then one evening gusts of autumn come,

One who sleeps alone thinks fondly on thick quilts

Past loves are a thousand miles farther each day,

Blocked from my drifting and my sinking.

Man's life is not as the grass and trees,

Still the season's changes can stir the heart.

- WEI YING WU

that silvery time again

What is it about the sunlight in September?

All of a sudden you notice it; the sunlight has changed to a silvery gleam and everything on which it shines takes on that crisp, cool shimmer: grass, leaves, even the air it seems. There is a sparkle in September that bridges the time between golden summer and snowy winter, even as trees are putting on a show of fiery reds, oranges, yellows and toasty browns.

Is it the southward movement of the sun at this time of year that creates this effect, and prompts deciduous trees to shed their leaves? Or is it because I just really love autumn and see things differently myself at this time of year?