cadmium_yellow

In case you were interested in pie disaster pics,sabotabby  uploaded them:

The last two weekends I've actually managed to accomplish some baking despite not getting much of anything else I want to get done done (Why is sleep something that I have to do regularly? Why can't I set up a daily schedule and stick with it?).



I made zucchini bread based on this recipe scaled down to 2/3 of the original so I could make one big loaf in my giant 9 x 5 bread pan instead of two in smaller loaf pans that don't exist in my home. I also had to reduce the sugar by a lot, which is something of an issue I have with so many recipes, and it was still way too sweet for my tastes. No one can accuse me of not having a huge sweet tooth with a straight face, but I constantly run into recipes that just end up too sweet if I use the sugar amount listed in the recipe. And I'm never quite sure if I can reduce the sugar without affecting the texture because nothing sucks more than things that need a crispy crust turning out chewy.

Anyway, here's the ingredient list I had for the recipe after scaling down and reducing the sugar:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup (170g) sugar
• 1 1/3 cups (200g) grated zucchini
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups (150 g) chocolate chips

I otherwise just used the smitten kitchen instructions to make it.

I'd probably take the sugar down to at least 150g, and maybe even 125g or 100g, if I were doing it again. The overwhelming sweetness could be from the chocolate too even though I used semi-sweet chips instead of milk.



I also made this giant ass cherry cheese danish braid based on a couple of recipes cobbled from books and the internet. The recipe is a bit involved since I made the dough from scratch and I'll put it up later this week when I decipher all the scribbled notes I have on it in my notebook.

I was planning to make brioche this weekend since I feel like making all the enriched dough recipes, but I've had requests to make more of the danish dough since it's delicious technology 100%. I was also told that I should try to do it with a savory filling so we'll see how that goes. :/ <--This is my not quite sure about this but I'll try face.

I made mini amaretto cheesecakes with amaretto soaked strawberries yesterday for dinner and they were delicious.

I posted the recipe on my tumblr, in case you're interested.