Zucchini Chowder, Zucchini Pizza and...

We didn't just have zucchini for dinner each day this week we also had it for lunch and if I can figure out a way to serve it up for breakfast...

We had regular zucchini soup and we also had zucchini corn chowder.  I just sauteed some onion then added some grated zucchini and cooked for minute or two.  Then I added some diced, leftover cooked new potatoes, several cups of broth and some raw corn cut off the cob right into the pot.  I simmered it until the potatoes were warmed through then added some Bragg's and a bit of asiago.  Simple and good.

Then, when we were at the garden picking loads more zucchinis and I was trying to think of what we should have for dinner the boys decided they were NOT having any zucchini for dinner...they were going to make pizza.  So they made theirs and I made mine...

with zucchini.

But they also ended up eating zucchini that night...and quite happily.

Zucchini brownies from Simply in Season.  E was at the library and checked out this cookbook for me because he knows it is a favourite.  Now I'm armed with loads more zucchini recipes.

Peach Butter

We love peach butter - we use it as a waffle topping each weekend and there's just something delightful about having warm, sunshiny peaches on your waffles in the wintertime.  I love getting the canning equipment out of the coldroom each year at this time too, the squirrelly (?!?) part of me really takes comfort in the simple pleasure of this routine.

I like to use peaches that are so ripe that the skin just peels off and there is no need to dip them in hot water first to help loosen the skin.

I cut them in chunks and put them in a pot.  I used about 12  or 13 cups of chopped peaches to 3 1/2 cups sugar.  I added a couple tablespoons of lemon juice and then simmered it for about 1 1/2 until it was thick.  Do watch the bottom and stir every so often otherwise it will burn (or, as we like to call it around here, carmelize) on the bottom.

When it is hot I pour it into hot pint jars, put the hot sealer lid on and then put it into a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes.

This time I canned Every   Last   Drop of it and E was not pleased.  That's alright, I have to do several more batches so I'll make sure he gets a sample.

Finished Picnic Blanket and Tomato Pie(with zucchini)

I finished off handstitching the binding on my picnic blanket the other day and took it for a test run at the beach yesterday.  While it seemed Huge! when I was trying to work on it in the house when we spread it out at the beach it seemed just right - a good size to sit on with several good friends.  This is the backing and one of my favourite sheets.

When I looked through my stash of thrifted binding I realized that I didn't have enough of any colour that would work.  The finished edges of the striped sheet that I had cut off caught my eye and I had an idea.

I decided the use some more of the striped sheet to make a wide binding tape.  I love the way this finished off the blanket. Here's the front.

And the back.

Yesterday before heading to the beach E decided he wanted to learn to make our favourite tomato pie.  We had picked some of our tomatoes and had been looking forward to our first tomato pie since last Autumn.  I made the dough and then we did the rest together.

Dough

1 1/2 cup flour

5 Tbsp butter (my recipe is ripped on this part so I can't remember exactly what was called for but anywhere around 4-6 Tbsp works well)

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup grated cheese ( we used Asiago this time but have used all different kinds and find it delicious)

3-4 Tbsp water (just enough to give you a nice dough)

Cut the butter into the flour and salt until it looks like oatmeal.  Add the grated cheese.  Add water until it forms dough.  Can chill in fridge.  Roll out the dough and put it on the baking pan BEFORE you start piling on your ingredients - things will NOT go well if you assemble it on your counter top and the realize when you've got it looking beautiful that you still need to put it on a pan. Trust me.

We like to put pesto on the dough and then we sprinkle some bread crumbs (this helps absorb some of the tomato juices so it isn't a soggy mess by the time we eat it at the beach later).  Then we put on zucchini (you didn't think we would be eating anything without zucchini, did you?).

Then layer on the tomatoes.  Lots.  E is just getting started in this photo.

Put on the topping mix.   This is about 2/3 cup mayo, 1/2 cup of grated cheese, lots of fresh garlic, salt and pepper and some romano or parmesan.

Then fold the edges in.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!  If you only make one tomato recipe this summer then I really think this should be it.  It is beyond delicious.

And makes a great beach dinner with a fresh salad.

Zucchini Boats

Not the floaty kind of boat...the eating kind of boat.  I scooped a bit of the flesh (just the seedy part) out of a large zucchini and then made a filling for it.  I sauteed some onion and garlic with some grated zucchini then I added some breadcrumbs and feta cheese.  W wanted me to add cream cheese and E's idea was to add some Frank's Red Hot sauce, then I added some chopped tomato.  I put in some salt and pepper and used this mixture to top the zucchinis. 

I  baked them until the zucchini was cooked through and...edible zucchini boats.

We haven't only been eating zucchini though, there's been fresh tomatoes (this is E's first ripe one from his larger tomato plant this year),

there are some very looooong beans ready,

And a whole lot of cukes - Armenian cukes, long english cukes, Marketmore cukes, lemon cukes and more.

Anyone have any favourite cucumber recipes they want to share??

And I picked some peaches on my way home from working the other day so that this morning I can get started on making our yearly supply of peach butter - so good on our weekend morning waffles.

And, since we are heading to the beach with friends again today, I think I might take along this fellah

and see if the kids can make an actual boat out of him.  I'm sure a hollowed out zucchini could make a fun toy boat. ;-)

Zucchini...Hash?

I've made this concoction twice for lunches this week.  I have been keeping a bucket of raw zucchini already sliced into "noodles" in my fridge so I have it on hand ready to go.  I put a couple large handfuls  into a cast iron skillet with some oil and garlic and sauteed it for a bit until the zucchini was just tender.  Then I added some cherry tomatoes sliced in half, some raw corn I cut off the cob and a large spoonful of pesto and let this cook for a minute or two.  I added a squirt of Bragg's and some pepper and that was it.  Really simple and delicious.

Now if I could only think of something more appealing to call it than hash. 

A Week of Zucchini

We're having a week of zucchini this week (and that is different from the last two weeks how? my sons might ask).  I thought it might be fun to share some of the ways I am attempting to keep up with our abundance of zucchini.  Yesterday found me at the garden asking strangers if they would like some zucchini so you know that things are pretty desperate. ;-)

First up was Monday's dinner - Breaded Fried Zucchini

This is my boys favourite way to eat zucchini and I used to make it in lovely little sticks but found (as they and their appetites grew) that the sticks were too fiddly and time consuming so now I make it in great slabs.  I use a medium-largish zucchini and slice it lengthwise into about 1 cm thick slabs.   I dip it into an egg mixture (I didn't have any eggs the other night so I used plain yogurt instead and it worked almost as well) then into a breading mix (bread crumbs, flour and spices).  Then I fry them on a griddle until they are crisp on the outside and tender inside.  Delicious.  I made lots so that we can have some of the leftovers as a sandwich filling.

Beach Blanket in Progress

A creative friend of mine recently made a very fun quilted beach blanket.  The same friend (who is also very generous) gave me some of her sheets when she was decluttering.

I knew I wanted to make a beach blanket with them as soon as I saw them and seeing her blanket motivated me to get going.  I decided not to use the sheet with the purple flowers after all but found this perfect sheet with bold stripes at  a thrift store.

Trying to decide how to arrange them.

Hmmmm...some help from the boys.

I got the blocks sewn together, the lining and backing on and now I just need to finish making a binding for it.  Looking forward to trying it out at the beach...I guess if I ever stayed home from the beach I might get a little more sewing time in. ;-)