Zucchini Bread with & without Chocolate Chips

The summer solstice arrived last week, the Bay waters in the cove below my deck are once again dotted with the tiny sailboats bobbing with new students in the summer sailing school, warm afternoons continue to give way to cool evenings cloaked in fog, Sunday concerts in the park have begun…summer is underway.  But, despite these outward signs of a more relaxed season, our life remains intense.  The sense of relief that generally accompanies the end of the school year, as well as the downshift in the daily routine, escaped us this year.  It seemed as though as soon as Pomp & Circumstance finished playing at Maddie’s high school graduation we were knee deep into planning and preparing for her relocation to the East Coast next month.  Our days have become packed with physical exams, dentist appointments, filling out insurance forms for not only her but also for her horse, King…her companion on the next great adventure.  Normally, the reality of packing up your first~born and shipping her across country can be overwhelming in and of itself but add packing up a horse and getting him shipped roughly 3,000 miles to their new home and you have a whole new dimension in the overwhelming department.

This week, the intensity level reached a new highpoint…in order to diagnose a sore spot in King’s front end, we needed to transport him to an equine hospital in order to undergo a diagnostic MRI.   A seemingly simple procedure for us humans becomes a bit more nerve~racking for our equine friends as they must be put under general anesthesia and the test is done with them laying down on their sides.  Ironically, 24 hours after King’s procedure, Max went into the hospital to undergo surgery on his hand.  I am happy to say that both patients came through with flying colors.  Max’s stitches  will be out in 10 days and King is already back at work.

Needless to say, these days have not lent themselves to taking pictures of food and chatting with you here on this little space.  I have been cooking though, following my Weekly Dinner Menu as planned.  A brilliant new discovery was this recipe…a carrot~based sauce served over pasta.  The slightly sweet and spicy flavor was so different and unexpected yet absolutely wonderful…we all thoroughly enjoyed it!  I will be making it again soon so I can post my adaptation with a few minor changes {definitely seed those jalapeños and I used raw honey in place of white sugar}.  If “Meatless Mondays” have got you stumped or in a rut, give Hot Bunny Pasta Sauce a try…I think you will like it.

But for today, I reconnect with you via something simple and comforting…zucchini bread.  Nothing fancy but this bread truly satisfies.  At last week’s farmers’ market I spotted a bag of baby zucchini and summer squash tucked into a little bag and priced at $1 which is exactly what I had left in my pocket after making my rounds around the market stalls…

Laced with the flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg…

The finished bread is dense and supremely moist.  A slice, lightly toasted with a cup of freshly brewed coffee makes a wonderful breakfast and it stands up nicely with a cup of tea for dessert.  It is the bread that nourished the girls and I on our early morning drives to and from the equine hospital and it was the first bit of food that Max enjoyed following his surgery…comfort food when we needed it the most.

The recipe makes enough batter to yield 2 {8 x 4 inch} loaves and, after pouring half of the batter into one of the prepared loaf pans, I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the remaining batter before pouring it into the second loaf pan.  Both versions are equally delicious but the addition of chocolate chips definitely adds a layer of sweetness favorited by the children.