I am mentally working on some posts about my adventures as of late, but for now a few recipes that make me happy.

The last few weeks, our CSA box has brought us lots of herbs, sweet onions, carrots, kale, beets, lots of lettuce, and today...summer squash and zucchini!

This is a recipe I watched Jamie Oliver do with zucchini. Penne pasta with bacon, zucchini, and a rich carbonara sauce. I really like watching him cook--measuring by handfuls and pinches not cups and teaspoons. We ate it too quickly to take a photo, but here is the foodnetwork version which is, admittedly, much prettier. Click on the picture for the link to the recipe.



And here is another recipe from the week. I have never had beets in any version but pickled (which I remember from my childhood being yucky), so I have a list of different recipes to try with this newfound veggie. This is a delicious cake, a little like carrot cake. If I made it again, I think I'd add some walnuts to the batter before baking. And don't forget the cream cheese frosting. Yum! I've posted the recipe below - click on the title for the original. I wish I had snapped a picture, because the batter goes in the oven bright red and comes out a speckled caramel color.

BEETNIK CAKE
INGREDIENTS:

1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups shredded beets 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice

3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2.	In a large bowl, mix together the vegetable oil and sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the shredded beets and pineapple with juice. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt; stir into the beet mixture until just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3.	Bake for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. When cool, frost as desired, or eat plain.