Today is August 1st, my 4th of July. It's a national holiday here is Switzerland and is celebrated in a similar way to the 4th of July. Everyone likes to get together in the evening and throw Cervelats (sausages) on the barbeque. Later there are fireworks. I always look forward to it, going to a party or hanging out with friends. This year a friend invited me to an August 1st brunch, also a popular thing to do, I learned. She made reservations at a farm and we went there and had a great time. There was Rösti (hash browns) and fried eggs, of course, and freshly baked brioche and bread. The cheese, butter, meats and jams were also made at the farm. We laughed and stuffed ourselves silly listening to loud traditional music, where the bassist played horribly out of key. Afterwards we went for a little walk. As tomorrow is a normal work day for me, I passed on any evening festivites.

But that didn't stop me from making something yummy in the kitchen. Our neighbors were generous enough to give me a few of their many zucchinis, and I needed to do something with them. Fast. Zucchini cupcakes are not at all Swiss, but I'm sure my collegues at work tomorrow will enjoy something new! I flipped through my rebar cookbook and found a recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes which sounded good and thought I'd give a try.

Actually, they are very good. Yesterday I made a batch of mint ice-cream with chocolate chunks in it, and as I was styling this picture I tried a piece of cupcake. There was something about the spice mixture that had me thinking mint ice-cream would be perfect with the cakes. The ice-cream is very minty, almost like eating a very cold After Eight candy, perfect for a hot summer day or after dinner on a cold winter's night. I used this recipe as a base (without the corriander) and added mint extract to half of the mixture. Just a little at a time until I thought I had the right amount of mintyness. I swirled puréed raspberries into the other half of the base as a treat for my husband.

This evening will be loud with all the fire crackers, and I hope it doesn't go on for too long. The odd fire cracker has been going off ever since yesterday evening, and I always feel sorry for the poor animals who have to listen to them and not know what's going on.