Zucchini, Potato and Green Bean Salad

It’s good to know that zucchini gets along well with other vegetables. The ingredients in this salad are few and simple resulting in a combination of flavours that compliment each other very well.

I’m not stating exact measurements for this recipe because there are none. It’s another “cooking without a recipe” recipe handed down from generation to generation.

In this case the presiding cook has total control over the preparation and may adjust the ratio of ingredients used after reviews on the dish are considered.

Making this salad with fresh zucchini and beans straight from the garden or even locally grown is a great taste experience. During the winter months however, I’ve been known to shovel my way to the backyard barbecue and grill steak or sausages. I then make this salad as a side dish with ingredients available from the grocery store.

This helps to get everyone through those seemingly never ending days of winter and somehow restores the hope that summer is coming.

Zucchini, Potato and Green Bean Salad

Zucchini
Potatoes
Green Beans
Olive Oil
Dry Oregano
Salt
Pepper

1. Wash and cut potatoes and zucchini, trim ends from beans and cut in half.
   
2. Boil or steam vegetables separately.
3. While still warm toss together and dress to taste with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.
4. This salad is best served at room temperature.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• When in season, add chopped fresh oregano instead of dry.
• Fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley also adds great flavour.
• For those who love garlic, finely mince or press a clove or two through a garlic press and add to salad.
• Yukon Gold and Klondike Rose are some good varieties of potatoes to use. (don’t peel potatoes if the skins are good)
• Any variety of green bean can be used. Wax beans are also welcome and will definitely add more flavour and a touch of contrasting colour to the salad.
• This salad loves to go on picnics!
  

Zucchini Muffins

2 large eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cups grated zucchini
1½ cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

1. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. Combine eggs, brown sugar, oil and milk in a blender and blend until light and fluffy.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients and grated zucchini. Mix until blended but do not over mix.
4. Fill paper lined or greased muffin pan wells and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
5. Yield 9 large or 12 medium muffins.

Notes Tips and Suggestions

• Try substituting half of the grated zucchini with an equal amount of grated carrots instead.
• Remember to fill any empty muffin pan wells with water to prevent scorching pan.
• The addition of ½ cup chopped walnuts makes a great variation.
• Try adding 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients, it gives a new dimension to the taste of this delicious, moist muffin and adds great colour.
• When you make a batch of these muffins or any other muffins for that matter, take the time to measure out a few extra batches of dry ingredients and store in ziplock bags. When you decide to make more muffins use a bag of premeasured mix and you will only have to prepare the wet ingredients.
• These muffins freeze very well.

The Scoop on a Great Kitchen Tool

Unfortunately, calling it an ice cream scoop only limits the possibilities of this great kitchen tool. Scoops are available in various sizes including 1, 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 inch diameters.

The 2 1/2 inch size is great for measuring out muffin batter. One full scoop is usually all it takes to measure out uniform size muffins. It’s so much easier and less messy than using a spoon.
The smaller ones are great for measuring out drop cookies, meat balls and makes scooping out melon balls very easy.

I suggest investing in good quality scoops that will last a lifetime. Less expensive ones break easily and only end up having to be replaced.

Only your imagination will limit the uses you will find for this great tool.
It may even forget that it’s called an ice cream scoop!

Zucchini Fritatta

By now, many have planted their little zucchini seeds into the ground and are waiting for that heavenly harvest.

At some point in time a new custom must have been established for people to share over sized zucchini from their garden with each other.

The time is fast approaching when many will desperately try to avoid their neighbours, relatives and friends for fear that they may have to add yet another Amazon size zucchini to their ever growing collection.

It seems that the abundant harvest of this vegetable brings out generosity in people and inspires a spirit of sharing.

I remember my encounter with a rather large zucchini plant. It started out very small but before I realized what was happening this one little plant had changed the entire landscape of the back yard.

It was planted in our garden by a family friend who assured us that we would harvest the largest best tasting Sicilian zucchini on the planet.

If it did yield any zucchini at all I don’t even remember but the image of this plant will certainly be forever impressed in my memory. It looked like something that came straight out of the rain forest.

The back yard hasn’t seen a zucchini plant since!

I’ve decided to celebrate zucchini season by posting a few delicious recipes in the coming weeks. I hope this will help all of you who may end up with an abundance of this wonderful versatile vegetable.

Here’s to another heavenly harvest!

Zucchini Fritatta



5 to 6 medium zucchini
3 extra large eggs
1/3 cup grated cheese (parmigiano, or favourite hard grating cheese
2 medium cooking onions
¼ cup corn or vegetable oil
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste.

1. Wash , cut ends off and thinly slice zucchini.
2. Peel and thinly slice onions.
3. In a skillet, heat oil until hot, add onions and stir with wooden spoon until they just begin to soften.
4. Add zucchini and continue to cook stirring frequently until mixture begins to lightly brown.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. In a bowl, wisk together with a fork until light and frothy eggs, cheese, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper.
7. Transfer zucchini and onions from skillet to a very lightly greased 10 inch round or 13x9 inch rectangular baking pan.
8. Pour egg mixture over zucchini making sure it spreads over entire surface.
9. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven until top becomes golden, (approximately 25 to 30 minutes.) Cool.
10. Serve warm or cold.

Notes Tips and Suggestions

• The measurements of ingredients I have listed are just a guideline. For example, if you wish to make a larger quantity use a larger pan and increase the ingredients accordingly. Just be sure to have enough egg mixture to cover the zucchini onion mixture completely.
• Keep in mind that the zucchini will cook down and reduce considerably in quantity as you brown it in the skillet.
• This is probably the first time this recipe has ever met paper. It's something my mother always made when we were growing up. Come to think of it my mother has cooked her entire life without one written recipe, and she still does. (This is a Chef Michael Smith thing. He encourages his viewers to cook "without a recipe.")
• Any leftovers make an excellent sandwich especially in a crusty Italian pannini.
• A mandolin slicer makes the task of slicing thinly very easy. (see photo above)
• A very special thank you to Ethan and Ella for permission to use their lovely picture of last years zucchini patch. And also for the enormous three foot long zucchini they were so generous to part with and bring to us.

Carrot Cake

Sabrina and my daughter Elizabeth grew up together since grade school and even though Sabrina decided to pursue her studies and eventually a career on the Canadian west coast they still share a special friendship. I’m still sharing a very unique friendship with Sabrina myself.

I sometimes feel that I’ve actually grown up along with them.

Sabrina loves carrot cake and we would always bake one for her on her birthday. Since moving away, it hasn’t been often that she's been able to come back home for her birthday so we made sure to bake a carrot cake whenever she was in town.

A few years back Elizabeth had the "great" idea to mail Sabrina her cake. And so this little cake’s adventure began.

Having to divulge the contents and monetary value of the parcel to Canada Post was just the beginning. The cake then took the scenic route out west for about a week. A further delay in being picked up from the post office meant a few extra days hanging around in the mail room.

You must believe that this cake keeps very well and certainly must mellow with age because Sabrina confesses that the cake was so good she ate it all herself!

Since mailing another cake for Sabrina’s next birthday will definitely not be an option she will just have to come home to get it!

So here’s to many more years of friendship Sabrina…and carrot cake of course!

Carrot Cake

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 extra large eggs
2 cups peeled grated carrots

1. In a medium size bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl beat sugar, oil and eggs until light and fluffy.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until well combined. Fold in carrots.
4. Pour batter into a greased 13x9x2 inch pan and bake in a preheated 300 degree F oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Cool in pan on wire rack then frost if desired with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Beat together 4 ounces (1/2 of 8 ounce package) softened cream cheese and ¼ cup softened butter.
2. Add 2 ¼ cups confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3. Beat with electric mixer until it reaches spreading consistency.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• For obvious reasons the cake we mailed was not frosted. The picture above is basically how we dressed it up. Instead of baking in a rectangular pan it was baked in an 8 inch spring form pan. ( bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes)
• I confess… the truth is I dared to decrease the quantity of oil used in the recipe by ¼ cup. I only used ¾ cups and it paid off. The results were excellent and the cake was less oily. This recipe will also make between 12 to14 cupcakes.
• Adding ½ cup either walnuts or coconut makes a tasty variation.
• When a recipe calls for folding or stirring in the dry ingredients make sure to beat the wet ingredients until fluffy and light. This is the only time you will be able to incorporate air into the mixture.

Thinking Outside of the Pan…..Again



I couldn’t resist, my curiosity got the better of me so I decided to bake this same carrot cake recipe into a cake roll. The results were excellent.

When I rolled the cake it did develop a few more cracks than the Chiffon Cake roll but nothing that couldn’t be camouflaged with a little coconut.

About the filling, since cream cheese and carrot cake make a great combination I decided to use a recipe for no bake cheese cake. I made the filling and spread it in the roll instead of into a crust.

Follow the method for preparation from the Chiffon Cake Roll recipe previously posted. Instead of sifting confectioners sugar over the tea towel sprinkle very finely grated unsweetened coconut instead.

It’s a good thing I took a picture because not one shred of evidence remains that this cake roll ever existed. Yes it’s that good!

Blueberry Lemon Loaf

Blueberries are so versatile and nutritious and make their way into many tasty recipes.

I’ve used them to make jam, muffins, cakes, scones, pies, waffles tea breads and more.

My recipe for Blueberry Lemon Loaf has always proven to be a delicious addition to any breakfast, brunch or tea. It has also made its way into many lunch bags for a tasty treat.

Even if I have a really good recipe, I’m always on the look out for one that is even better or at least a new idea I can integrate into an old recipe.

A while back I came across a new recipe for Blueberry Lemon Loaf that caught my attention. I filed it away under “recipes to try out.” You really can’t imagine how large this file is.

A few weeks ago I decided to make a blueberry loaf and remembered the new recipe I had previously come across. Now was as good a time as any to try it out.

The good news is that the recipe was on top of the enormous recipe pending file and easy to find.

I’m glad I tried this new recipe! I’ve made it three times since and all who have sampled it have given it rave reviews.

So I retired the old recipe and replaced it with the new recipe but the blueberries aren’t going anywhere… except into my next loaf!

Blueberry Lemon Loaf

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
2/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen

Streusel Topping

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

1. Make streusel topping by combining granulated and brown sugars and flour.
2. Cut in butter until mixture is very crumbly, set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar together using an electric mixer.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition then beat in vanilla.
5. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and lemon rind.
6. Using a wooden spoon and starting with flour mixture, alternately stir dry ingredients and milk into butter mixture, making 3 additions of dry and 2 of milk.
7. Gently fold in blueberries.
8. Transfer batter into a greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan and sprinkle with streusel.
9. Bake in center of preheated 350 degree F oven for 70 to 75 minutes or until streusel topping is golden and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw. Toss gently with 1 tablespoon flour before folding into batter. This helps prevent the blueberries from “bleeding.”
• Stock up on Ontario blueberries when they are in season. Wash, drain well and lay on a clean tea towel until dry. Place on cookie sheets in a single layer and freeze. Bag them and store in the freezer. No need to buy fresh blueberries for baking in the winter.
• Besides being economical you are supporting our farmers by purchasing local produce.
• Double or triple streusel recipe and use as a topping on muffins, open face pies and fruit crumbles.
• Make sure to spread the batter so that it’s higher on the ends than the middle of the pan for a more uniform size loaf.
• This loaf freezes very well.

A New Friend in the Kitchen

If you are anything like me you have at least two drawers full of kitchen gadgets and most likely only use half of them.

Recently I purchased a micro zester/grater that I’ve had my eye on for a while. I first saw it on a Martha Stewart show but convinced myself that I really didn’t need it.

Well a few weeks ago I finally gave in and bought myself one and highly recommend it.

It zests very finely only removing the very thin yellow layer of the lemon which melts right into the batter. (This works well for those who have an issue with finding strands of lemon peel in their food.) However, the wonderful lemony fragrance and taste is not compromised.

I think it will also do a “fine” job grating ginger and nutmeg.

This gadget has rendered three mini graters in my kitchen drawer obsolete so I removed them and made room for my new found friend.