language of love

a while ago, a friend introduced me to the five love languages. it's this book that gained popularity (especially, or primarily, among the christian set) by claiming that people give love and receive love in five ways: (1) words of affirmation (2) quality time (3) receiving gifts (4) acts of service (5) physical touch. honestly, it's a bit hokey. i just don't think you can distill love down to just five categories.

but if i had to choose, i'd say i'm a words of affirmation/quality time kind of girl. lately though, i'm realizing that acts of service may be one of my love languages, particularly when the act of service entails baking. i (obviously) love to bake. but as much as i love the end result, i love the whole process even more. measuring out flour, cracking eggs, kneading dough. it's soothing and stress relieving. and let me tell you, i've been under some serious stress these days. work. personal life. family. it all comes together and makes my shoulders tense, my head hurt, and my nights sleepless.

thank goodness for baking projects, you know?  i'm baking some zucchini bread for my dad for father's day. my dad has a host of wonderful qualities, but the quality i adore most is his sweet tooth. when we were younger, he usually brought home some peanut m&ms and would secretly eat them with me and my sister before dinner. and on halloween, he was just as excited as we were! those were the days...

while he still loves chocolate and candy, i think this zucchini bread is more in line with his health needs. it's sweet but not too sweet and is full of zucchini, cranberries, and nuts. healthy... but deliciously so.

ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cups of white sugar (you can do 2/3 cup of white, 2/3 cup of light brown)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
3 cups of grated, fresh zucchini
2/3 cup of melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons of baking soda
pinch of salt
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 cup of chopped walnuts (you can do 1/2 cup of walnuts, 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds)
1 cup of dried cranberries (or whatever dried fruit you like)

how to:

preheat to 350.
in a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
mix in grated zucchini, then the melted butter, and then the baking soda and salt.
add flour in three additions.
sprinkle in nutmeg and cinnamon and mix.
fold in the nuts and dried fruit.
divide batter equally between two buttered 9x5 loaf pans.
bake for one hour (but be sure to check the loaves at 50 minutes).
a wooden skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.
cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

and finally, present to dad with love and a hug.