“…but you’ve got weeds in your bread.” These fine words were spoken to me by my veggie hating husband. He of course would not touch this to save his life. His loss.

Living in Arizona a good portion of my life there weren’t that many gardeners. Well, I am pretty sure there were gardeners, I just don’t think their gardens produced very much. And what it did produce, they kept to themselves. So imagine my delight when I moved to WA state and had people offering me free fruits and veggies.
How exciting I thought. At first I thought they were being nice (which yes, they were) but I would soon come to realize you are just the dumping ground. The first time someone asked me if I wanted some zucchini I uttered the words that no one should say. I said, “sure, I’d love some, I’ll take whatever you got, whenever.” Very bad thing to say. Because though in AZ, that would me about 2 zucchini a year, up here it means about 200. Every time I turned around there was a bag of zucchini on my door step. And just like rabbits, it seemed to just multiply without even trying.
Zucchini fritters, zucchini/potato pancakes, zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini soup, zucchini just about everything. I got very sick of zucchini, especially since I am the only one in the household who eats it. Luckily that neighbor moved. Not happy they moved but happy that I would not be getting zucchinipoloza the next Summer. I learned also to just say that I will take a couple.
I got a couple. I decided that I wanted some white chocolate in them. I only used 3.5 ounces but you really do taste it throughout the bread. I learned the hard way that my baking soda was dead. I learned that last week and forgot. Opps. Oh well, it still tasted really good.

White Chocolate Walnut Zucchini Bread

1 pound zucchini, shredded
2 eggs
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature.
3 ½ ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325F.
Take shredded zucchini and place in a paper towel. Rink out the moisture. Do this about 5 times, each time with a new, dry paper towel. Set aside.
In a microwaveable bowl, add white chocolate and butter. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Then another 15 seconds. It should be melted at this point. If not continue to heat at 15 second intervals. Stir in mascarpone cheese until blended. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat eggs on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Add granulated sugar, in two additions, beating for 3 minutes after each addition. Add brown sugar, in two additions, beating for 3 minutes after each addition.
Add white chocolate/mascarpone cheese mixture to the batter and beat for 2 minutes.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Pour into bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated.
Add vanilla, zucchini and walnuts and mix on low speed until all is fully incorporated. You will see a lot of zucchini…that’s okay, you should actually see zucchini in zucchini bread.
Spray mini loaf pans (4) with baking spray. Pour batter into loaves and fill 2/3 of the way full. Place loaf pans on cookie sheet.
Bake in the middle rack for about 50 minutes. Make sure to use a knife or wooden skewer to see if it is baked through or not.
Let cool on wire rack.

“I want to do yoga, it makes you thin,” were the words spoken to me by my friend C.
She brought up a good point, you never see any fat people in yoga class (well, except when I go). But just like, which came first the chicken or the egg, I think the question that begs to be asked is what comes first, yoga getting you thin or being thin to do yoga?
I think the latter. As someone who has dragged her chunky butt (actually, my butt is pretty nice, it’s more like my chunky tummy) to yoga several, several times, I think that those of use with more cushion of the pushing just aren’t made for yoga.
When we are bending down and folding our bodies up like a suitcase, my body says, nope, not going to happen. It sticks my stomach in the way. I don’t fold, I squish. And well, squishing doesn’t feel all that good. I definitely miss out on the mind body connection yoga is suppose to bring. Mostly because I feel squashed all class and second because they have mirrors everywhere reminding me of what it looks like to be chunky in yoga class.
Why keep going back you ask? The hype. I have so many friends who love yoga. Who tell me to stick with it, it can change your life. Personally, if something is going to change my life, I’d really like it to be winning the lottery instead. But still I go and still each time I think, why am I here.
I will really be saying that next week, when my gym starts up Bikram yoga, or hot yoga. In case you don’t know what it is, it’s yoga for 90 minutes. Except in a room that is 105F and 40% humidity (sometimes more). I’ve done it twice. It sucked twice. And yet, I know somehow I will go. I just know one day the life altering something will happen.
Until that life altering something happens, I will simply just alter my waistline with cupcakes. One of my favorite desserts is Tiramisu. I had leftover ladyfingers from my Key Lime-Raspberry Tiramisu and decided to use them up. I didn’t have enough to really do anything with them, so they became garnish. I think the Espresso-Chocolate Mousse in the middle really makes these over the top yum.

Tiramisu Cupcakes
white cupcakes (recipe follows)
espresso chocolate mousse (recipe follows)
1/4 cup coffee or espresso
mascarpone frosting (recipe follows)
cocoa powder for dusting
crushed ladyfingers for garnish

White Cupcakes

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (you can use all-purpose if you need)
1 TBSP. baking powder
1 tsp  salt
½  cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
5 egg whites

Sift together flours, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
In a mixing bowl (if using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment), cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
In a liquid measuring cup, combing vegetable oil and milk.
Add flour mixture and milk/oil mixture alternatively to the mixing bowl. Beating on low speed after each addition.
Pour mixture into a large bowl. Scrape down to make sure you get all of the batter.
Clean out bowl and switch to whisk attachment.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, to “lighten” the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
Grease and lightly flour muffin pans. Fill each cup half full.
Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until done.
Cool on a wire rack.

Espresso Chocolate Mousse

2 cups chilled heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
4 TBSP sugar
2 tsp espresso powder
8 oz fine-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Heat ¾  cup cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot.
Whisk together yolks, sugar, espresso powder, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined.
Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 160°F on thermometer. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool.
Beat remaining 1 ¼  cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one fourth of cream into chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly.

Mousse recipe adapted from Gourmet December 2002
Mascarpone Frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Using and electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
In a mixing bowl, fold 2/3’s of the whipped cream into the Mascarpone cheese, along with the powdered sugar.
Add remaining cream. Blend until cream is fully incorporated.
Place in refrigerator until ready to frost.

Assemble:
Using the cone method, fill cupcakes with Espresso Chocolate Mousse filling. Place top back on top of cupcakes. Brush top of cupcake with coffee or espresso. Go light on this as they are fresh cupcakes, and not hard like most ladyfingers. You don’t want to soak them.
Frost top with Mascarpone Frosting.
Sprinkle cocoa powder on top of cupcakes and garnish with crushed ladyfingers.

37.
It’s not a birthday that the average person looks forward to. Most people celebrate the 1st, the 16th, the 21st, the 30th, and all the 10 year ones from then on. And yet I, I have been waiting most of my life for my 37th birthday. For real.
You see growing up that birthday came to have a certain significance for me. From as far back as I could remember, if ever there was something I wanted to do that my dad didn’t really want me to do (because that meant I would be getting older and no longer his baby girl) he would give me the same answer to ever question. That answer was, “when you are 37”. I wanted to wear make up. 37. I wanted to get my ears pierced. 37. You see where this was going.
I had tried to outsmart him (shocking I know) by making my number on my sports teams be 37. I thought it was clever of me.

I think he just always assumed that 37 would never come. Not that he thought I would be dead by then (morbid thought). I am sure when a 15 year old, whom you still see as 5 years old, is asking you to go out on a date with a boy (a boy who is a senior and you are only a sophomore. A boy with a car), the thought of me being 37 seemed pretty far off.
And yet, here it is. Well, not yet, but soon. July 2nd for those of you wondering. I was born 7-2-72. Which pretty much makes me extra special. 
In order to gear up for the big 37, my father has been sending me random photos of my childhood…and a check, each time for $37 (yes, my weirdness does come from my family, no denying that).
So sorry dad. Time is up. The birthday you always worried would come, is finally here. I get to get my ears pierced. I get to wear make up. Shave my legs. Go on a date. Kiss a boy. Dye my hair some weird color. Wear something that makes you shake your head.  Drive a car. Go away to college. Move out of the house. I get to get married. I get to (Dad close your eyes) have sex (ps. My husband is looking forward to this one ).
Now granted (again Dad, turn away), I’ve already done these things, but the year 37 has always stuck in my head. The longest running joke if you will in our family. Guess it is time for a new one.
To ease my father’s pain I have made a grasshopper tart. My Dad is a huge chocolate mint fan and so I figured if the big 37 was approaching, this might make it easier on him.
Hang in there Dad. I may be turning 37, but I’m still your little girl.

Grasshopper Tart

Chocolate Tart Shell:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Green and Black’s)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled, diced into small pieces
2 large egg yolks
1 TBSP Crème de Mente (or 1 tsp peppermint extract)
1 TBSP whole milk

Using a food processor, add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar. Pulse for about 10 seconds until all ingredients are combined.
Add the butter. Make sure to spread the pieces evenly through out the bowl. Pulse until the dough forms into pieces (about the size of couscous).
Add egg yolks, Crème de Mente, and milk. Pulse until completely combined and it has formed into dough.
Divide in half. Form into disc shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to overnight).
Remove from fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out and form into tart pan/tart rings. Prick the dough with a fork. Cover with parchment paper and use beans or pie weights to hold dough down.
Bake for 8 minutes on 350F. Remove from oven. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Place back into oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Filling:
8 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
5 TBSP unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup water
handful of mint leaves

In a small saucepan bring 1 cup (but you will only be using ¼ cup of it) water and mint leaves to a boil. Remove from heat. Let sit for 1 hour. Strain out the mint leaves and set aside.
Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together, just until smooth. Set aside.
Bring ¼ cup of the mint water to a boil.
Whisk egg yolk in small heatproof bowl.
Gradually whisk in ¼  cup boiling mint water to temper the egg yolk. Place bowl over a small saucepan that has shallow simmering water (or you can use another double boiler) until instant-read thermometer inserted into egg mixture registers 160°F, about 3 minutes.
Whisk egg mixture into chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
Pour chocolate filling into crust. Cover and chill overnight or up to 2 days.
Garnish with marshmallow topping in whatever patterns you would like.
Before serving, let tart soften slightly at room temperature.

Marshmallow Topping:
1 ½ cups marshmallows
1 TBSP Crème de Mente
1 TBSP whole milk
couple drops of green food coloring
In a small saucepan combine all ingredients and melt marshmallows down over low heat. When marshmallows have melted and it looks sauce-like, remove from pan. Decorate tart.