Carrot Zucchini Brownies

Carrot Zucchini Brownies
Dorcas Annette Walker

I was in my veggie garden this week harvesting pumpkins and the few remaining vegetables. I’m always sad to see the brown shriveled remains of what once were growing green vines loaded with zucchini and yellow squash signaling the end of the summer season. Long ago an ancient Hebrew writer penned the words, “To everything there is a season.., a time to be born and a time to die.” Right now our household is in a time of mourning a beloved aged pet.

Years ago I agreed to let my son have a dog out of sheer frustration as personally I was a cat person. Dogs chewed things, barked at night, ran through flower beds, and were more trouble than they were worth, but ever since Dwight was little, he kept asking for a dog. It wasn’t until my son went through two knee surgeries that backfired due to internal bleeding- undoing everything done to stop his knee bleed in the first place- that I gave in. Dwight, who has severe hemophilia and averaged two to three internal bleeds a week was no stranger to pain, but this episode had lasted five months with the orthopedic surgeon pressing us for another surgery brought me to the brink of desperation. Always on the skinny side, my son had lost twenty pounds and was in constant pain despite strong narcotics. I had tried everything I could to bring the spark of life back into my Dwight’s eyes without success until the morning I mentioned the possibility of getting a dog.

As soon as people heard about our situation, we were overwhelmed with offers of dogs and advice from friends and dog breeders. I was hoping my son would pick out a small dog, but Dwight fell in love with a six month old chocolate lab pup- the color of sand- and named her Sandy. From the start Sandy was Dwight’s dog, whining at the door every morning until she saw Dwight. My son began spending his days outdoors propped up on the porch swing with pillows or sleeping in the yard using Sandy for a cushion. He’d hobble around on crutches playing with Sandy to give “her” exercise or painfully limp down our gravel road to walk his dog. Then one day Dwight wanted to ride his bike so my husband rigged it up where he could drive it with his stiffened leg. From morning until night, Sandy and Dwight were inseparable. Dwight began going longer periods without his pain medication and slowly became a lively healthy-looking boy once again.

One month later we went back to see the orthopedic surgeon, who shook his head in amazement as Dwight bent his knee back and forth without pain, asking me what on earth we had done to get more movement in a knee than expected without another surgery. I smiled and told the surgeon it was God and a chocolate lab while Dwight chattered nonstop about his dog, Sandy.

Carrot Zucchini Brownies

1 c shredded carrots
1 c shredded zucchini
1 c sugar
2 eggs
½ c vegetable oil
¼ c orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 c self-rising four
½ c raisins
½ c chopped pecans
1 tb cinnamon
cream cheese frosting (optional)

In a medium-size bowl mix together thoroughly the first seven ingredients then stir in the flour, raisins, pecans, and cinnamon. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350º for thirty minutes. Makes twelve brownies. Let cool before serving!

Weekly tip: Dust nuts and raisins with flour before adding to the batter as this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom while baking!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com