Blue Ribbon Zucchini Bread

(2 loaves)

I won a blue ribbon for this zucchini bread at the 1984 County Fair in Viroqua, Wisconsin. I had actually entered 10 different items in the food category that year and had to stay up all night to get everything made and to the fairgrounds by 9 am. Whatever was I thinking when I filled out all those entry forms? I also won a blue ribbon for my first large quilt. It was a hand quilted log cabin quilt for my son Joshua.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Directions:

• Mix the eggs, oil and vanilla by hand  until well blended. Set aside.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add them to the egg mixture. Blend together well.
• Fold in the zucchini and nuts.
• Grease and flour two bread pans (glass or metal).
• Divide the batter into the two bread pans.
• Bake at 325° for 50 – 60 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center to make sure the bread is done. It will come out clean if the bread is done.
• Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the bread pans and cool completely on a cooling rack.
• This bread will have the consistency of banana bread. It will have green flecks in it from the skin of the zucchini.