Cocoa Zucchini Apple Cookies

  This time a year I find myself with loads of yummy fresh produce from the organic farmers at my local farmers market. That means I have been super busy in the kitchen making and processing things to freeze for the winter. If only you could see my freezer now. It is jam packed with mason jars full of zucchini, bell peppers, hot peppers, tomatillo salsa, tomato, sauce apple sauce and berries. So you can imagine I have been a busy bee preparing for the winter when it is impossible to find organic and USA grown items. 

   Anyway, I have been wanting to make a zucchini cookie but add cocoa powder and apple to it but my dad thought otherwise. I took that as a challenge. So this is what came out. A brownie like cookie that is moist from the grated zucchini and apples. I don't like my desserts super sweet so it only has a 1/2 c. of sugar which normally should be a 1c. Plus, the added apple adds a little sweetness. 

   My family loves these and my mom says it is her favorite cookie. She took some of them and made them into ice cream sandwiches. I haven't tried them yet but I am sure they are great.

Makes 2 dozen cookies
I used all organic ingredients. 

Ingredients:
1/3 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 medium zucchini

3 firm apples ( I used zesters), shredded, or it you want little apple chunks throughout, chop up one of the apples finely. 

1 egg

1/2 c. cocoa powder ( I used 100% raw cocoa powder) 

2 1/4 c. flour, I used white spelt flour but have done it with whole wheat

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).

2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Mix in the baking soda, salt, egg and the grated zucchini and apple.
4. Stir in cocoa and flour.
5. If, you are adding apple chunks this is when they should be folded in.
6. Place a tablespoon of batter onto a greased cookie sheet. Placing each cookie 2" apart.
7. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. The edges should be firm and the center soft. Let the cookies rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing.

Tip: If the batter seems too thin mix in a 1/4 c. of flour. The batter should be loose but not like a pancake batter.

Last Two SBC Sizzling Summer 15' Sketches

   Today is the last day for the sizzling summer event over at Scrapbook Challenges. I am going to share the last two reveals today in this one post. 

The is today's flashback Friday post. 

Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio and Die Cuts With a View), pattern paper (Jillibean Soup, Cosmo Cricket and K & Co.), stickers (Studio Calico, October Afternoon and Fancy Pants Designs ), rub-ons (Making Memories), twine (Timeless Twine), washi tape (My Mind's Eye and Scotch Brand), journaling spot (?), stamps (K & Co. and American Crafts), tags (K & Co. and Chic Tags), wood veneer (Studio Calico), brad (Eyelet Outlet, safety pin (Karen Foster), chipboard (Um Wow Studio), pen (Project Life), flower (K & Co.) and doily (Doodlebug Design)

   Here are the close-ups on this 8x8 page. 

   The "dog" was done in Making Memories rub-ons I have had in my stash for a very long time. I can't believe they are still good. 

   That fabric flower was from aK & Co. that has been in my stash for about 7 years. 

   This sketch was #15. It was yesterday's reveal. 

   Here is my take on it. 

Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio and Coredinations), pattern paper (Fancy Pants Designs, Echo Park, Crate Paper and American Crafts), stickers (Carta Bella, Crate Paper, Fancy Pants Designs, October Afternoon and Jillibean Soup), die cuts (American Crafts and Elle's Studio), paint (Tattered Angels), doily (Doodlebug Designs), journaling card (Project Life), electronic die cutter and cartridge (Provo Craft), twine (Timeless Twine), stitching templates (American Crafts), brads (Eyelet Outlet), sewing machine (Singer), thread (?), nail file and pen (Project Life) 

   Lately, I have been embracing the wonkiness of handmade. I would have normally drew a circle on my page and than follow the line when I wanted to stitch around an object. 

   I love the die cuts American Crafts has. I am addicted to them.

   I did it. I ended up doing all 20 layouts for Scrapbook Challenges this month. First time that has happened since I joined the team in 2013.

Watch Him Grow -SBC SS 15' #14

   Morning everyone, I am going to make this a quickie, since I am about to head out the door to the Farmers Market.

    Today's sketch reveal is #14 over at Scrapbook Challenges is a super simple one and I kept my version of it simple.

   Here is my take on it.

Supplies: cardstock (The PAper Studio and Core'dinations), pattern paper (Colorblock), stickers (American Crafts and Basic Grey), chipboard (Um Wow Studio), wood veneer (Studio Calico kit), marker (Faber-Castell), stain (Tim Holtz), and washi tape (Scotch Brand)

Here is a close-up of the title work. This page is of my Uncle and two cousins, circa. early 80s.

A War Reunion - SBC SS 15' #13

   This might be a shocker for some that I have today's post up at a decent time. Today's, Scrapbook Challenges sketch for Sizzling Summer 15' is sketch reveal #13. 

   I changed it up a bit by playing with the length of the top pattern. 

Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio), pattern paper (Cosmo Cricket and Crate Paper), stickers (Echo Park, Carta Bella, Studio Calico and American Crafts), doily (Doodlebug Design) and chipboard (Um Wow Studio).

   Here is a close-up on the title work. Even with such a busy font background I still mixed up my alphas. I ran out of the letter "E" and "I" in the "reunion" so I just flipped the 3 and cut up to "Js" to create the "I". 

Receiving of Gifts - SBC #456

   Sorry for posting this late. I have been super busy today in the kitchen. Today, I made falafel and pizza (that includes the sauce and pizza dough). Let's just say that was the best pizza I ever had. 

   Today, is #456 sketch reveal over at Scrapbook Challenges.  I love the clean lines of this design. 

   However, I added my own twist. 

 Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio), pattern paper (American Crafts), stickers (American Crafts, Fancy Pants Designs, and October  Afternoon), twine (Timeless Twine), mask (The Crafter's Workshop), punch (Fiskars), journaling card (Project Life), mist (Tattered Angels), brad (My Mind's Eye), overlay (American Crafts), die cuts (American Crafts), tag (Studio Calico kit) and pen (Project Life).

   Here are some of the close-ups. To give the "gifts" stickers a little depth I outlined them with a 05 pen. 

   For guy pages, I have the urge that some sort of modeling paste needs to be on it so here it is. I just love the chicken wire design.

    The tag had a pre-punch  heart design on it. I just stitched it in with my favorite color of twine., Key Lime Sorbet. I also created the tassel and the arrow was fussy cut from a journaling cut-apart sheet from American Crafts, I believe on of the Amy Tan's line.

Recap

  Since mid- July my personal life updates here have been non-existent, so right now I want to give you a little recap on what has happened since I left for Ohio. Warning it is a long post.
 
   On July 10, my dad and I left for Ohio for my CXL study eye surgery. My family and I decided to go with the epi-on version since there is no chance of infection or vision loss. It took four hours to get to Brecksville, Ohio. The drive was nice but, man I got hungry for corn on the cob, I lost count of how many corn fields we past. :) We arrived an hour early but they saw me right away. The people at Clear Choice Custom Lasik we very kind and helpful. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for eye surgery. The whole pre-op exam took an hour. The surgeon and optometrist decided it was best if I also have conductive keratoplasty done too. I was shocked on this since I never heard of it but they said it would help with the contact lens comfort. Everyone knows I still haven't had a good lens for that eye so I am hoping it works, which I will find out late October after I have my 3 month exam in Ohio. The surgery was scheduled the next morning, It took about two hours and I was nervous while I was waiting in the lobby but soon relaxed after I listened to some music. However, I still had to take a sedative and painkiller before they started. By the time it was all over I was light headed from the drugs. Once I got my rx drops at the pharmacy, I ended up falling asleep in the truck while my dad got lunch. After lunch I ended up taking a two hour nap but that was it since I was not tired but I was under orders to keep that eye closed and sleep. By dinner time, I wanted to leave the hotel room so I decided to go to eat inside Panera's. During the whole day I had no pain so I didn't need the rx for painkillers.
  They sent me home with a flower and my dad a gift card for Starbucks.

   Five days later, I had another exam but this time at my eye doctor in town. He said, I have gained a little vision in the eye and was all healed up. Happy Dance. I was not expecting this and especially this soon.

  Since then my vision seems to be stable. I have gained some distance vision but I still have double. I am hoping that my eye shape has changed enough so I will be able to  just get my corrected vision through eyeglasses.

After we got back home it has seems like dominos have fallen because the things that have happened has been non-stop.
1. A storage unit became vacant. Left messy. Cleaned it up, added electrical, paint it and patched the floors.
2. Car needed to go into the shop, "fixed" it by charging $1200 to replace a part and still had the same problem afterwards. Now, they come back with another $1800 quote to fix these other two things we said no. They ended up taking our car out of All Wheel Drive, we will see how that works come the winter.
3. On August 22, Buster became ill. Had to take him into the 24 hour clinic. Was not sure if he would make it. He ended up having an abscess but they wanted to know if they should had if biopsy to rule out cancer. We had to think about it. We had to leave him there overnight. When we took him to our vet to get the drain tube removed he said it looked like a cyst that just got infected. Plus, he said Buster is healthy and we have nothing to worry about.
4. The last thing is the rain we have been getting. We had hit the daily record for a day a couple a weeks ago. Almost 4" within a couple of hours. I wish I could send our rain out west to the ones in need of it.
During all this I decided to start up my etsy shop again, so far I have 10 items listed and more on the way. 

Time to Celebrate Party Hat

Last month, I recieved a email from Susan Brown, the lady in charge of the Anything But A Card challenge site. She contacted all the previous remembers in order to celebrate the Anything But A Card challenge blog's last challenge before closing. This challenge is marking the 50th challenge they have hosted since it started back in September of 2012. The site was founded by Carla Heibert, she gave my first taste of being part of a design team.

For such a milestone and the sad ending of a great site that stretched your creative muscles, I decided to create a party hat for the "Celebration". 

Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio),chipboard (Paper pad back), tissue paper (Hazel & Ruby), paint (Tattered Angels), ink (Tim Holtz), marker (Bic), masks (Hazel & Ruby), gelatos (Faber-Castell), sequins (Hazel & Ruby), glitter glue (Stickles), twine (The Robin's Nest), trim (American Crafts), and electronic die cutter, software and cartridge (Provo Craft). 

   I first created the hat shape with the chipboard backing from a paper pad that I used up. Then I started having fun with tissue and the color mediums. Surprisingly, I didn't get my hands too messy.  For the glitter touches I saved myself a bei headache by opting for the Stickles instead of the loose glitter. 

   The little pom-pom was created with jute twine. I am still in love with pom-poms after 3 years so I added a nice amount to this little hat by trimming it out with pompom trim.

   Thanks for stopping by and helping the me and he rest of the ABAC family celebrate out time sharing and inspiring others with our creations. 

A Google Sighting - SBC SS #11

This is day eleven of the Sizzling Summer 15' month long event over at Scrapbook Challenges. The sketch #11 reveal is a fun one and can be interpreted many ways. 

   Here is my take on it. Since I have a hate/hate  relationship with my photo printer I had to opt for a smaller pic. 

 Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio), pattern paper (Echo Park and Glitz Designs), stickers (Echo Park, American Crafts and October Afternoon), sequins (Fancy Pants Designs and Studio Calico), washi tape (Studio Calico kit, Target and Doodlebug Design), paint (Tattered Angels), chipboard alpha (?), thread (DMC), stitching template (American Crafts), pen (Project Life) and doily (Doodlebug Design)

   Here is a close-up view on the title and journaling. 

Growing Up Haynes - SBC SS 09

Sorry, that my posts have been unpredictable the last month. Life has been busy in between eye recovery, working at the storage, having a sick dog and starting my Etsy store back up. Be sure to stop by Scrapbook Challenges to see all the sketch reveals that I have not posted, yet.

Anyway, here is #09 sizzling summer sketch reveal. 

This is one grid layout that I was not afraid of lining everything up perfectly. I embraced the wonkiness since the photos were cut wonky 20+ years ago with scissors.  

Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio), pattern paper (My Mind's Eye), journaling cards (Project Life), doily (Doodlebug Designs), die cuts (American Crafts, Studio Calico and My Mind's Eye), enamel dots (Queen & Co.), wood button (American Crafts), stickers (Studio Calico, My Mind's Eye and American Crafts), paint (Smooch), washi tape (My Mind's Eye), and mist (Heidi Swapp)

   The majority of papers on this page were cut up project life cards that were mixed with a "Cowboy" mini pad from My Mind's Eye. 

   The stickers I used on the "Growing" were originally tan  but they blended in too much so I painted them green with one of those cute smooch paints that come in a nail polish jar. 

Family, Friends & Fun - SBC #452

Scrapbook Challenges sketch #452 reveal.

   Here is my take on today's reveal. 

Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio), pattern paper (Cosmo Cricket), stickers (Fancy Pants Designs and American Crafts), die cuts (Studio Calico kit exclusive), chipboard (Bo Bunny), labels (Elle's Studio and Chic Tags), wood veneer (?),  resin ( The Paper Studio)twine (Timeless Twine), embroidery floss (DMC), washi tape (Scotch Brand). mask (Studio Calico), modeling paste (Liquitex), mist (Tattered Angels), embroidery template (American Crafts)  and diy enamel dots)

Here is a close-up look of the title work. I love the mixing of textures and fonts. It adds so much more interest and draws the eye in. 

   The pics on this page were back from the 60's of my mom, her brother and their friends enjoying the summer at the beach in Grand Haven.

Carpe Diem - SBC SS 15' Sketch # 05

   Sizzling summer sketches are in full force over at Scrapbook Challenges. I love this time of year, it allows me to take some me time and what normally is a busy time at home. Here is a little background info abo Sizzling Summer, everyday weekday in the month of August there is a new sketch reveal. Instead of the normal Monday and Friday reveals we fill the days in between this month with new sketches. 

This is today's #05 reveal. 

   

   Here is my take.

 Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio and American Crafts), pattern paper (American Crafts, Crate Paper and Kaisercraft), chipboard (Crate Paper), die cuts (American Crafts and Kaisercraft), paperclip (Maya Road), mask (The Crafters Workshop), modeling paste (Liquitex), washi tape (Scotch Brand), electronic die cutter and cartridge (Provo Craft), white thread and sewing machine.

   This photo has been on the to scrap to-do list. The only reason it was because it is the only photo I have of my dad, brother and uncle together. Since the photo is 25+ years old I thought to use the old cassette chipboard pieces that came in the Boy's Rule line from Crate Paper. 

   Here is a close-up on the modeling paste work. I just love the chicken wire stencil from TCW.
Also, don't take a very close look at the middle row of circles. I ran out of thread while I was stitching so I ended up with holes poked in it instead. Here is a little tip: make sure you have an extra spool of white thread hanging around.