Homemade zucchini bread

At one point this summer, I'd accumulated several large zucchini that I had no idea how to put to good use. I had a flashback to 6th grade when my friends were rotating through home economics, and they all got on the bus one day with warm, sweet smelling loaves of zucchini bread. I was so jealous I never got to make that bread.

So I called mom, and here's the zucchini bread recipe she shared with me. The following ingredients are enough for 3 loaves of bread. Divide accordingly for fewer loaves.

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinammon
• 4 eggs
• 1.5 cups vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (no raisins or zucchini). Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl and add to dry mix until moistened. Fold in zucchini, pecans and raisins.

Pour into pre-greased and floured pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes, remove and enjoy! Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a subtley sweet treat.