Zucchini Bread

When I moved into my second house many yrs ago, a neighbor made this and sent some over to my house with her daughter. She and my daughter had become friends right away. I thought it was a nice gesture and my next thought was ......eeewwww zucchini. But I went ahead and tasted it so at least I could say I ate some and not lie about it. lol. But omg , this recipe is awesome!!! I had to get it from her and told her how wonderful it was. She generously shared it with me and now its become a regular in my own home recipe files.

This is the original recipe.....the only change that I made is , I peeled and seeded the zucchini. In this way you get all the good stuff even from the huge zucchini. There's no green flecks to gross some out and you de-seed the huge ones so all you get is pulp. Then I grate it on the lg. part of my grater. I like to use pecans but walnuts are yummy too. And imagine using another extract and perhaps some orange or lemon zest for a change. YUM!


Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 9 x 5 in. loaves

3 eggs
1 c. salad oil
1 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. grated raw zucchini
3c. flour
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. b. soda
2 tsp. b. powder
1 c. chopped nuts

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Fill and bake for 1 hr. at 350 degrees.

My Belated Mothers Day Dinner

I had a nice Mothers Day this weekend. I postponed it till bfs surgery was over since things were getting pretty hairy around here. I'm glad I did. My daughter would have had to run between two houses that day anyway to see her MIL. This way I did it on Saturday so nobody had to leave early to get home for work the next day and we could have a leisurely day. But I wore myself out cooking and cleaning. This house has been a terrible mess and this week was so darn hot, I just did nothing. So Saturday I had no choice but to cook and clean as much as I could get done.

I had a 4 rib prime rib I thawed overnight for our dinner. I bought a whole one at Christmas time and had them cut it in half. I froze half then,,,,cuz the price was just incredible. So we had prime rib, my tomato, zucchini gratin and sour cream mashed potatoes. My daughter bought a great chocolate mousse cake that was very light.


Seas Prime Rib

1 prime rib with bone, any size, mine was a 4 bone roast
lots of garlic, for this one I used about 6lg. cloves
S & Freshly ground P
Dried thyme, I used about a tsp for this

Preheat over to 500 degrees.

Make a paste of everything but the roast. I do this by hand by chopping the garlic fine and then adding the salt and smashing it together over and over with a knife. I do this when I make salad dressing too. Its a chefs trick. But if you don't have that you can use a sm. food processor. After the garlic is in paste form I add the Pepper and thyme and touch of Olive oil to ease spreading it all over the roast with my fingers.

Put roast in pan and put in preheated oven for 1hr. Then lower heat to 350 degrees and roast for another hr. From this point on test with an instant read thermometer. You want it to be about 130 degrees for medium. If you have a smaller roast test earlier.

Once it has reached the correct temperature take it out of the oven and just let it rest for 15 min. so all the juices distribute properly. It will continue to cook while this is sitting. I make a bit of au jus by adding some beef broth (not consommé, too salty) to the drippings and stirring up all the brown bits till bubbly. Then I strain it. If there is too much fat in the pan , remove it or the au jus will be a greasy mess. This will serve 6-8.




I have posted this recipe on my pesto blogs before but I thought Id post it here again for those that missed it. I have made this and changed it a bit. The original called for 2c. bread crumbs which for this amt. is just too much. I also doubled the mozzarella cheese cuz we love it. I substituted marinated artichoke hearts in a jar for the fresh and we just loved this. Its almost like a vegetable lasagna but no pasta.

Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin

For the topping::

1 cups Bread Crumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
dried Italian Herbs or basil/oregano/marjoram, to taste

For the veggies::

3 medium zucchini, sliced in long pieces, 1/4 inch thick
5 cloves garlic, chopped
A handful of halved artichoke hearts or a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed of most of the marinade
4 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
2-3 vine ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 pinch salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced - you can use garlic and herb marinated mozzarella also

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a gratin dish or large pie plate.Place the crumbs in a bowl and using a fork, toss with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to coat; season with Italian Seasoning or dried basil/oregano/marjoram.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the zucchini, garlic and artichokes, and sauté briskly just until the zucchini is a bit golden and still tender-crisp. Remove from heat and pour the veggies into a bowl to cool slightly. When cooled, gently toss the zucchini mixture with the prepared basil pesto, to coat. Layer the pesto veggies in the gratin dish/pie plate.

Spread half of the crumbs on the squash mixture. Layer with slices of mozzarella. Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the tomatoes.Bake the gratin until it is bubbly and hot, about 20-25 minutes. Serves 4.

Heck, Id just serve this as a side dish or even just a vegetarian type meal with some nice crusty bread!


I make alot of these because my son just adores mashers.

Sour cream Mashed Potatoes

5lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into sm. chunks
1 stick of butter
1/2 c. sour cream
cream, half and half or milk
1 bunch of chives or green onions, chopped fine
S & P

Put potatoes in lg. pot and cover with water and about a tb. salt. Cook till tender, then drain. Put back in pot and throw in butter. For me when I'm busy I do it to this point and let the butter melt while I do other things. Once melted, mash potatoes. Add sour cream and mash again. If very thick add a bit of cream or milk to get the right consistency. You don't want them runny. Taste and adjust S & P. Then stir in chives or green onions.

The Zucchini Bakery

Well its that time of year where everything in the garden is bursting out and you try to figure out what to do with it all. I don't have a garden this year but I have had one almost every year for the last 35. I remember going on a trip once a few yrs back. I had two zucchini plants , that's all. When I came back and checked out my garden I found 3 HUGEEEEEEEEEE and I do mean huge zucchini. When I picked them to bring in the house I could barely carry all 3. They had to have been 3ft long and as fat as a cantaloupe around. I almost tossed them in the garbage. Then I thought no .....zucchini bread! So I took the first one, peeled it, shredded it to get it ready for zucchini bread. It made 10 loaves from that one zucchini!!! I sent some to work with my ex, and we ate some but I gave the rest away. How much of that stuff can you eat? I did end up tossing away the other zucchini considering I still had a few cups left of shredded from the first one that I froze. So in honor of that I thought Id post a few more kinds of zucchini bread types to help give you ideas to use it all up.

Zucchini Dill Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tsp. fresh minced dill, OR 1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter -- melted

2 large eggs

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

Heat oven to 400°. Grease muffin tins or line with 12 baking cups. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level off. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and dill. Mix well. In medium bowl combine milk, butter, and eggs. Stir in ricotta cheese and zucchini, beat well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened (batter will be stiff).Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and serve warm with lots of fresh butter! These are great with a nice luncheon salad.

Carrot, zucchini and dill muffins

2 cups self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1/2 cup finely grated carrot

1/2 cup finely grated zucchini, squeezed between your hands to remove excess moisture

1/2 cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons dill, chopped

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup extra light olive oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, carrot, zucchini, cheese and dill. Whisk milk, oil and eggs together in a jug. Add to dry ingredients. Use a large metal spoon to stir until just combined. Divide mixture evenly between muffin holes. Sprinkle tops with sea salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes in pan before turning onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12

Zucchini-Lemon Muffins

2 c All-purpose flour

1/2 c Sugar

1 tb Baking powder

2 ts Grated lemon rind

1/4 ts Salt

1/4 ts Ground nutmeg

1 c Coarsely shredded zucchini

3/4 c Skim milk

3 tb Vegetable oil

1 Egg
Vegetable cooking spray

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, milk, oil, and egg; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately, and let cool on a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.

Zucchini Cranberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

1 1/2 cups whole cranberry sauce

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs. Blend in sugar, oil and vanilla. Fold in zucchini, pineapple and cranberries. Add wet ingredients to dry. Mix just until blended. Fold in nuts/raisins. Pour into muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

3 eggs lightly beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups white sugar

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (you can use up to a Tablespoon. It just depends how much cinnamon flavor you want)

1 pint fresh blueberries, coat with some flour before adding to mixture (can use frozen blueberries for this bread, cheaper and works just fine. Quickly mix in 1 tsp. of flour with the measured out blueberries before you fold them into the batter so they won’t all sink to the bottom)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini ­loaf pans. Bake 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Do not eat the same day you bake it. It is much better if it is wrapped after it cools and then let sit on the counter for a day or two to mellow. Can also make one full loaf and then used the rest of the batter to make muffins. It freezes well too.

Zucchini Chip Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1-3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Top with pecans. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 2 dozen.