Try Something New - Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Today, I think I made the best thing God has ever put on this planet, Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Can you say yum? :) Anything that has chocolate in it HAS to be good, right? Last week, I picked up a couple zucchinis at the local farmers market and of course had to try something new with them other than grilling them up as a side dish. Below is the recipe I followed! As far as measurements, I winged a couple things. Additionally, you can substitute the oil for apple sauce to make it healthier and still have that moistness. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!


Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

2 c zucchini, shredded
1 c flour



1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil (apple sauce)
2 eggs - room temperature
1 t vanilla
1 c dark chocolate chips **optional, but highly recommended :)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Shred zucchini, set aside. Sift dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt). Combine sugars, oil and vanilla. Mix in zucchini and eggs. Slowly add dry mixture. After ingredients are combined, add in the dark chocolate chips.

Spray 9x5 pan and pour batter into pan. Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan and let it cool on a wire rack.

If you're anxious like I was to eat a piece of this deliciousness, go ahead and dive in! It's best when warm. Always make sure to store in an air tight container or wrap in aluminum foil.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread....this was delicious!

Enjoy this for breakfast or indulge in this rich chocolate-y bread with a dollop of ice cream on top! Yummmmmy! :) Now, it's your turn to go out and try something new! Whether it's making this recipe with your own twist or something completely out of the blue like zip lining, go out and do it. I'm sure you won't regret it!

Try Something New Tuesday

Starting every Tuesday, I will be writing about something new that I've cooked, crafted, sewn, whatever! It'll mainly be food related....because I love food! :) I am also a lacto-ovo-pescatarian (I consume milk, eggs and fish) and want to try new recipes and learn new stuff! I hope you enjoy what I bring to the table, whatever it may be, and possibly find yourself venturing out and trying new things too!

I am a huge advocate for buying literally everything on sale. I rarely pay full price anything nowadays. A couple weeks ago I bought some three cheese tortellini thinking I'd put something together...and of course never got to it, until now! Typical me, haha! I looked up multiple recipes on Pinterest and finally found one that looked and sounded amazing. So I got started!

It's called Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini. Holy goodness! It was amazing! And I know it's summertime so a warm pasta dish isn't ideal, but with this July weather we've been having, I'm going to say it's acceptable. As I went through the recipe I started doing my own thing and it still turned out great. Here's ingredients and directions! Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

1 12 oz package three cheese tortellini (refrigerated or dry)

2 Tbsp butter

All the spices, milk, tomatoes, butter, garlic
and spinach ready to get eaten! :)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp onion powder

3 Tbsp basil

1 Tbsp oregano

1 1/4 cups milk (anything but skim)

1 (14.5 oz) can of Italian style diced tomatoes (any kind will do) 

1 1/2 roughly chopped spinach (I love spinach so I threw in 2 1/2 cups)

Salt, pepper and parmesan to taste

Directions:

Cook tortellini according to directions on package. (I waited to start the sauce until after I boiled, drained and set the tortellini aside.)

In a large, deep skillet melt your butter over medium heat and add garlic. Saute. Add flour, onion powder, basil and oregano. Whisking constantly for about a minute. Keep in mind your mixture will look dry in the pan, but that's normal! Next, increase heat to high-medium and slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken. Once the mixture has thickened, add in the tomatoes and spinach and let it simmer. The spinach will wilt and that's totally normal when heat comes into play. Make sure not to stir too much though due to the delicacy of the spinach and tomatoes.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the tortellini and gently stir both mixtures together. (Note that the pasta will begin to absorb some of the sauce, so if need be add a little more milk or water to thin it out.) Top it off with parmesan and let the flavors sink in!

All done! It it such a nice colorful dish!

Make sure to whisk your
milk, flour and spices constantly
else it will become dry.

Add the spinach and tomatoes.

 I LOVED this dish! It lasted me five meals! (I even froze some for later.) It's definitely easy to make and can be changed to your desire!

Along with this, this past weekend was 4th of July. Unfortunately, I had to work both Friday and Saturday, but Sunday I had the chance to go to St. Louis for my sisters baby shower. It was such a blast. I was beyond excited to see all of my siblings together with our parents and everyone else. It was such a blessing for all of us to be there, even if it was for a few hours. Check out the pictures! :)

All of us kids! I am one lucky gal
to have all of these people in my life!

James. That's all. Haha :)

Shout-out Saturday Numero Dos

Hello Everyone! It's time for another day to write about who I want to show how much I love and appreciate them! But first, I want to update you on my week. Nothing too exciting has been happening. I have been working quite a bit and still trying to get through this summer class. It's almost done though! Rolen had his last t-ball game Monday evening. It was so nice to see him play out on the field one more time.

Suzanne and Brandon came up to visit on Thursday! I sure do miss those two and the dogs so much. Hopefully I can make it down to the big T in the fall to visit. We're having her baby shower tomorrow (Sunday.) It'll be nice to have everyone there and enjoy the beautiful weather and upcoming baby. :)

Yesterday was the 4th of July! The weather was gorgeous and set out for a perfect weekend. Sadly though, Kat and I had to work all day. We did get home just in time for fireworks though! :) Chaffee Fire Department sure did a great job with the fireworks display!

Now for the good stuff, I want to give a MASSIVE shout-out to.........drum roll please.........my mom and pops. They are our (us kids') world. Growing up, I never realized how much my parents put up with with six children plus more running around the house. Getting older, it starts to sink in how much they have been there for me and the rest of my family.

All of us kids with mom and dad! Taking it back to my high school graduation.

My dad, Donnie, is literally the most well-rounded person I have ever met. He's the only man in my life who can unclog a sink, change my tires, watch The Walking Dead with me, play a mean corn-hole game, build literally anything, continuously provide love, care and support and the list goes on and on. If he doesn't know how to do something, he will find out how or figure it out on his own. He's always curious and looking for ways to become knowledgeable about the most random things. And I love that about him! As a kid, anytime dad scolded me for something, I'd always say...."Well you're yelling at me!" to him and he'd always say "Honey, I've never gotten mad or yelled at you for anything..." As the years went by this was so true. As much chaos I have put my daddy through he has never once truly gotten mad about anything. He is one of the easiest-going people, but when it comes to doing something he loves and enjoys he becomes for very attentive to detail and critical (in a good way though!) Everything has to be perfect and make sense to him, which is one trait that I feel I got from him! Thanks dad!

Dad with us kids! We had so much fun snorkeling that day!

My mom, Loraine, is one hell of a rock-star. I cannot even put into words how much this woman means to me. Although I get frustrated and lose patience with her I can never thank her enough for always being there for me when something is going wrong in my life. She can cook, sew, do laundry, be my biggest fan, listen, give advice and always love and support me through anything. Her words of encouragement and just her presence are always nice to have! She has been through a lot and has not once complained. Whatever the great Lord above has thrown at her she seems to live life one day at a time. I hope to gain that characteristic one day! It makes life more enjoyable and a lot less stressful. I love when people say to me..."Oh, you must be Loraine's daughter! You look just like her." And I always have the joy of saying, "Yes, I am! Thank you!" So thanks mom for sharing the good looks and a fun-loving contagious personality that people see in the both of us.

Mom with us girls! This was our cousins wedding awhile back!

My parents are also some of the greatest grandparents around. Although, my niece and nephews are spoiled rotten and loved by many, they don't even realize yet how blessed they are to have the grandparents they have. So if you ever get a chance to meet these two amazing people that I have the pleasure of calling my parents, then you're one lucky person! They will feel your life with joy, love and kindness. They have set such a great example for the ones surrounding them whether it's through their faith or just everyday life. I love you both and am extremely blessed to call you my parents and to have you in my life!

Shout-out Saturday!

Alright folks, I'm starting this new thing called Shout-out Saturday! I want to dedicate every Saturday to a special someone in my life and reflect on how they have been a blessing to me. But first, I want to tell you what's been going on in my life since it's been awhile...

I just finished my first summer class and....wait...for...it....I came out with an A! It was called Research and Strategy and it was pretty difficult I must say. I was so happy to get that A; it was definitely better than I had expected. Along with this I started my second summer class called Communication Law about two weeks ago. Let's just say it's been a long two weeks... This class right here is why I know I would hate to go to law school, haha. On the plus side I've got only six more weeks to go and hopefully it goes by quickly.

Almost two weeks ago I got the chance to go to another Cardinals game! My sis scored some sweet baseball seats from work. I will say it was pretty warm even at night time, but the Cardinals won and we got home safely. So we had lots of fun!

Katherine and Sarah enjoying the baseball game!

My sister, Sarah's, baby shower was last weekend. Although there were a few last minute changes to it, we pulled it off! It was so beautiful and simple. I still have a hard time believing that the sister I grew up and shared literally everything with is almost having a baby. Time flies, right? I am super excited for her to get here so I can spoil her like crazyyy.

So back to the purpose of my actual blog post. I want to make every Saturday special by giving the ones in my life a nice shout-out for why I love them and how blessed I am to have them in my life. My first shout-out is to someone who has been here in my life since day one. He is the one who continuously teaches me day by day how to be a better person and to keep on the path He made for me. Yes, I am talking about God. I'll admit I have a hard time making the right choices here and there, or saying and doing things I shouldn't do. That is what's so amazing about God, is that he continuously loves us and forgives us regardless of what we have done.

Unfortunately, I tend to question whether or not He's even there, but once the doubt creeps in, it completely disappears and that's when I know He's there with me. My faith in Him has been tested many times, especially this year. I had lost an extremely close person in my life. All I could do was get upset with Him and wonder why it ever happened. What did the ones who loved Cheryl do to deserve this? It finally hit me that I had to stop living in the past and open my eyes to reality. God puts these kinds of situations in our life to test our faith and make us stronger. Although I still struggle with this at times, I am trying to realize that these things happen and some day all will be reunited in Heaven.

I'm currently reading this book.
I highly suggest it!

Good in our world is starting to be overlooked as the terror is increasing. I live in a small town where waving to the person passing you or opening the door for a random stranger is common. The more and more I observe things going on around me, the more I realize that the world is becoming less hospitable. People don't wave and ask how you're doing; strangers don't hold the door for you anymore. Simple things like these are what made people out to be loving and caring. We have come to a stage in our society where everyone has their noses in their technology and passersby do not even notice when they walk passed someone. Hopefully this is just a phase and will pass with time.

I know I got off track a tad, but what I stated above brings me back to what the purpose of this post is about. If everyone opened up their hearts and lives and had a strong relationship with God FIRST, then everything else would fall into place. Bad things tend to happen once we push Him out. A lot of the reason God has been such a blessing in my life is because the way I grew up. As a child, I didn't care for going to church. I felt forced to go to mass on Sundays and grew bored very quickly. Years passed and I started realizing how important it is to have a relationship with God. Once that relationship with Him becomes nonexistent, the relationships you have with family and friends tend to start fading away too.

So to sum this up, I want to give God a huge shout-out on this beautiful Saturday. He has blessed me with two wonderful parents who have done nothing but support every decision I have made in my life. Five crazy and fun siblings who have taught me how to be patient and loving towards others. And a life that has its' ups and downs and "wirl-arounds." I cannot imagine my life any other way and it all happened because of Him! So before you go on and on about how great life is and how happy you are, make sure you're happy with God and have a steady relationship with Him. In the end, that is all that really counts!

A once in a lifetime experience, that still continues to change my life!

Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) can be described in one word and one word only: magical. Go ahead laugh, you probably think I am crazy, but I promise I'm not! I have been a part of HOBY for five years now - one year as an ambassador and four years as a facilitator. (These pictures don't do HOBY justice, but they'll just have to do.)

Before I go on, I guess I should enlighten you on what HOBY is exactly. This organization is for high school sophomores going into their junior year. HOBY is a three day seminar during the summer that allows teens to learn more about themselves as a leader and the capabilities they have to change their lives, school, community and society as a whole.

Comets was my group! Our theme this year was space!

I had the opportunity to facilitate an amazing
group of people!

During the weekend ambassadors are challenged through activities on how they view themselves and others from all around the world. This experience changed my life as an incoming junior in high school and still continues to change my life each day. I cannot express how much these types of leadership seminars should be valued in our schools. HOBY along with multiple other leadership opportunities are what allow students to go out and gain the confidence and skills to do great things, big or small. 

This was the set up for our reflections.
Everyone takes a candle and puts it
on the the city they're from.

Most of the 'locals' and me. I love coming
back each year with these people!
Left to right - Erin, me, Alex, Taylor

Gabe (left) and Alex (right) are some of the coolest dudes ever.
I can't believe how lucky I am to have people like this in my life.

The last night! We had so much fun dancing!

What's new?

Don't worry, I'm still here! This past month has been pretty hectic. Between work, school and spending time with my family and friends I haven't had time to write on here lately. Summer classes started literally the Monday after finals so I haven't had much time to enjoy my summer... :( Only three more weeks left though and I'll be done!

About three weeks ago we celebrated my neighbor, Cheryl's, birthday. On mother's day everyone went out to her graveside and did a balloon release. Her favorite color is blue, so everyone there let go of a blue balloon in memory of her. Unfortunately, Katherine and I couldn't be there due to work so we did our own balloon release on her actual birthday (May 15). It rained quite a bit that day so we ended up waiting so that's why the pictures are a tad bit dark.

Cheryl was ALWAYS happy, unless someone snagged
her purse or came into her room without permission. :)
Katherine picked out the best balloon possible
to described Cheryl perfectly!

Katherine and I about to release Cheryl's balloons.

The past two weeks have been hot and rainy. Fortunately, a couple of those days have been sunny and breezy. Rolen has had a few games since the summer has started. I have enjoyed watching him play t-ball with the rest of his friends. They are just so darn cute! Enjoy the photos!...

Rolen with his ball gear. He's so stinkin' cute!

Playing first base!

All of the players ran out into the outfield to retrieve one ball. It was hilarious!

I've got the HOBY leadership seminar this weekend so I won't be near my computer, but I can't wait to talk about how great it went. I'll be writing soon! :)

Here's a nice picture to start the middle of your week off on a good note. Isn't he a cutie pie?

Feeling Blessed!

With my junior year of college coming to an end, I thought to myself....SO much has happened throughout my third year of school. I thought I would reminisce on a couple of those memories... :)

Starting in August, Katherine and I started teaching Public School Religion class to 3rd-5th graders. Talk about PATIENCE. The kids we teach are some of the goofiest, fun-loving kids ever. Although, my patience was tested at times, I am grateful to have the opportunity to teach young children about God and the Catholic church. I am excited and interested to see what next year has in store for Katherine and I.

Katherine and I with our PSR students. We performed the Stations of the Cross - live!

This past fall I was promoted at my job in the Southeast Admissions Office. This has been such a blessing! I love the fact that I get to work with prospective families along with college students my own age. First, I was hesitant to even apply for the position, but couldn't be happier that I did! This job has opened many doors for me and I cannot wait to see what else is in store.

Student Ambassadors at Show Me Day! Love these people!

I also received the presidency position of the Homecoming Committee at Southeast. I am beyond excited to be working with the people on my committee. I have two amazing advisers helping out and 25 members to help plan next years Homecoming festivities. It has been an adventure and I cannot wait to see what Homecoming will be like in October.
 
I found out that not one but two of my sisters are expecting! Suzanne and Brandon are having a boy, and Sarah and Gabe are having a girl. I am beyond ecstatic to be an aunt AGAIN! Along with this, Becca and Josh have their son, Isaiah. I cannot believe he is already six months old.

Darn it, he's such a good lookin' kid!

Also, my niece and nephew are growing up way too fast. It amazes me how much they know. Every time they visit mama and papa's house, they have something new to say or show me. I swear they're going to be the next Einstein. ;) Brooklyn is almost done with the school year and Rolen will be in Kindergarten this fall. I can't wait to spend the summer with them going swimming, watching Rolen play t-ball and lots more! 

This past January, I started my internship at KRCU Radio as a reporter. This experience made me realize how different the radio side of mass media is compared to public relations. I have definitely realized that PR is my passion and that my writing skills need improvement. I had the opportunity to write short stories and record them to be broadcasted on the radio. SOOO much fun...although the writing part was a struggle at times, I am proud of myself for sticking to it and trying my hardest.

Although many would not look at this as a positive memory: I am. My precious sister and neighbor, Cheryl, passed away this March. She is now in heaven, watching over us all. Aren't we lucky?! :) I have learned so much about myself because of this. In the last few months of her life, Cheryl taught me how to be strong and to not give up. She also taught me that it's okay to be afraid and let my guard down. I will forever be grateful for that.

In less than a week Becca and Josh are FINALLY moving back to the big M O. I miss them so much! Virginia is just too far away. I can't wait to be able to take a weekend trip to visit instead of driving 13 hours.

This past semester I have realized how AWFUL people are at parallel parking on campus. I think these pictures speak for themselves....

People and their parking, never fail to amaze me...