• 4 large zucchini
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin
  olive oil, divided
• 1 (28-ounce) can peeled
  tomatoes with their juices
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 fresh basil leaves, cut
  into thin strips

Ricotta-Gruyere filling:

• 8 ounces (1 cup)
  well-drained ricotta
• 8 ounces (1 cup) shredded
  Gruyere
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 10 large fresh basil leaves,
  cut into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped
  fresh oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground
  black pepper

Cut off both ends of the
zucchini and then cut them lengthwise into long slices about 1/3 inch thick.
Place the zucchini slices on the drain board on several thicknesses of paper
towels. Sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and leave to drain for at least
30 minutes.

Preheat the broiler on high
and position the rack 3 inches from the heat source.

Pour 4 tablespoons of the
olive oil into a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat a large baking
sheet with the olive oil. Place the zucchini slices on the baking sheet and
brush their tops with olive oil. Place beneath the heat source and broil until
browned on top. Remove from oven and turn over, using a spatula; brush the tops
with olive oil; return to the oven; and broil on the other side. Remove from
oven and set aside.

Pour the tomatoes and their
juices into the work bowl of a food processo4 fitted with a steel blade and
chop coarsely. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a medium
saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until it begins
to turn golden brown. Remove the saucepan from the heat, pour the tomatoes into
the pan and return it to the heat. Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes,
stirring as necessary to prevent sticking, until the sauce is thick. Remove
from the heat. Add basil and set aside.

For the ricotta-gruyere
filling, mix the ricotta, gruyere, eggs, basil, oregano, salt and pepper
together in a mixing bowl until all ingredients are well combined.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

With the zucchini still on
the baking sheet, divide the ricotta filling among the zucchini. Use a knife to
spread the filling on the top of the zucchini slices as if you were buttering a
piece of bread. For each slice, fold one end inward and roll the zucchini to
form a spiral. Continue until all the zucchini slices are rolled up. Leaving
about 1 inch between the rolls on the baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and
bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the ricotta-gruyere filling is well heated and
beginning to brown.

Transfer the zucchini rolls
to a platter and drizzle the sauce over the zucchini.

To serve as a first course,
spoon several tablespoons of tomato sauce onto a plate and place two zucchini
rolls on top of sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 18 rolls,
serving 8.

At my local farmers’ market
this past week, I found some thick, hefty ears of corn that had been growing
all summer with swollen kernels to match. They reminded me of the juicy ears of
corn we had used at Tante Marie’s Cooking
School in San Francisco when we made a wonderful corn
soup with a fresh tomato salsa. As soon as I saw those ears of corn I knew I
would make that soup as soon as I got home.

As I visited with each
farmer at the market, exclaiming over all the beautiful produce, I was able to
buy the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomatillos and jalapenos that I needed for the
salsa that would top each serving of corn soup.

The soup doesn’t take long
to make. Removing the kernels of corn from the cob is not difficult when you stand
each ear of corn on its wide end in a large bowl. Using a sharp knife or an
electric knife, cut away the kernels from each ear. I ran into a friend at the
grocery store today who told me when he does this job, he props an ear of corn
in the middle hole of an angel food cake pan and then cuts the kernels away
using an electric knife. The corn drops into the cake pan.

Tomatillos, the green
tomato-shaped fruits with the brown papery husks, can sometimes be found in
grocery stores. Lucky for me, one of the farmers’ at the market has been
growing them, hoping there will be some customers who are familiar with them
and know what to do with them. There is a delicious combination of sweetness
and mild acidity to tomatillos with a citrusy tang. Remove the papery husks and
rinse the tomatillos under warm water while rubbing off any of the sticky
residue. They are always a nice addition to salsa.

This soup is a celebration
of many of the fresh flavors of summer. 

Corn Soup with Tomato Salsa

• 5 ears of fresh sweet corn
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium-sized onion,
  chopped
• 4 cups milk
• Salt

• 2 pounds fresh tomatoes,
  chopped
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 4 tomatillos, chopped (if
  available)
• 2 jalapenos, minced
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh
  cilantro

• Cream cheese, room
  temperature
• Tortilla chips

To make soup, remove the
corn from the cobs and milk the remaining liquid from the cob by using the back
of a knife to scrape down the sides of the cob. Sauté onion in 4 tablespoons
butter with a sprinkling of salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat,
stirring from time to time, until the onion is soft. Add the corn kernels and
liquid from the cob as well as the milk. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10
minutes, stirring now and then.

To make the salsa, combine
chopped tomatoes with their juice, onion, garlic, tomatillos, jalapenos and
cilantro. Taste and add salt, if needed, just before serving.

The hot soup can be pureed a
bit with an immersion blender in the saucepan or ladle some of the soup into a
blender and process, than return it back to the pot of soup. The corn soup should not be completely smooth.

For each serving, place a
heaping tablespoon of cream cheese into the bottom of a warm soup bowl. Add
tortilla chips. Place a couple of tablespoons of salsa over the chips. Pour hot
corn soup over all. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

I never need an excuse to
eat waffles. I love them any day and any time of day. I’ve been known to eat
them for breakfast, lunch, brunch or supper. But, I almost always eat them in
my own home.

I might be a little snobbish
when it comes to eating waffles. Or maybe just a little fussy. I like my
waffles on a very warm plate. I have plates heating in an oven set at a low temperature,
about 175 degrees while I make the waffles. As each waffle comes off of the
griddle, I slide it right onto the oven rack to stay warm. If they are stacked
on a plate, they get soggy, so I place them in the oven on the rack in a single
layer.

When it’s time to eat them,
I like softened butter and warm, thick maple syrup. Is that too much to ask
for? It seems it is in many restaurants that serve waffles – cold plates, cold
syrup and hard butter. That’s why I prefer to eat waffles at home. With a good
cup of rich, dark coffee.

Sometimes I plan waffles
when I am having overnight guests. I heat up two waffle irons with a big bowl
of batter ready to go. My guests make their own waffles. I provide lots of
choices for toppings – soft butter, a variety of quality syrups, fresh fruits that I chop and sweeten, freshly whipped cream, chopped nuts, little chunks of dark
chocolate and anything else that I might think of at the time.

Today is National Waffle
Day. It marks the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for a waffle iron.
Cornelius Swarthout of Troy,
New York received his patent for
a "device to bake waffles" in 1869. His early waffle iron was used in
conjunction with coal stoves, consisted of a griddle and a cover and required
flipping of the device to cook both sides of the waffle.

The day comes and goes
without much ado. But I gave thanks to Cornelius as I had my favorite waffles
right off my five-of-hearts waffler for lunch today on a very warm plate, with
lots of soft butter and warm, thick maple syrup. My tummy is happy.

Any Day, Anytime Waffles

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter,
  melted
• 2 eggs
• 1¾ cups buttermilk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup yellow cornmeal
• ½ cup old-fashioned oats,
  uncooked

In a large bowl, beat
butter, eggs and buttermilk. Add flour, baking powder, cornmeal and oats. Mix
just until smooth. Add a little more buttermilk to batter if it is too thick.
Heat waffle iron and grease if necessary. Bake in a hot waffle iron until
golden brown. Serve on a heated plate, with soft butter and warm, thick maple
syrup. Makes about six 7-inch waffles.

• Sometimes I add a teaspoon of cinnamon and some minced crystallized ginger to the batter.
• I’ve used plain yogurt rather than buttermilk with good results. When I use yogurt, I usually need to add a little milk to thin the batter.
  

My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery each week is always full of surprises. Last week it included arugula and I finally got around to using it yesterday. I created a penne pasta dish with some tomatoes from the farmers’ market and a new little hot pepper that one of the farmers was offering. He called it a Mucho Nacho jalapeno and said it was hotter than a traditional jalapeno. I always like a little heat, so I removed the seeds and minced it up. Maybe the sauté tempered the heat a bit. The finished dish was just right and left no burning sensation in the mouth.

Arugula (uh-REW-guh-la), sometimes called rocket, is a spicy little leaf, which some describe as bitter and others characterize as having a "peppery-mustardy" flavor. Because it is so potent on its own, it is often mixed with milder greens to produce a nice balanced salad.

This recipe will be added to my file of Company Dinners. Served with a grilled Italian sausage link for those who want meat, some warm, crusty bread and a glass of good red wine – oh, what a meal.

This recipe takes advantage of the summer’s bounty of fresh flavors and colors from the garden. Another trip to the farmers’ market to pick up more tomatoes, onion, garlic and a hot jalapeno, along with the bit of arugula still in my refrigerator, and I’ll be making Farmers’ Market Pasta again very soon.

Farmers’ Market Pasta

• 1 pound ripe, juicy garden-fresh tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 2 large cloves garlic, minced

• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced

• 8 ounces penne

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 cups, packed, arugula, coarsely chopped

Halve the clean tomatoes horizontally and gently squeeze to remove seeds. Coarsely chop the halves and place in a bowl.

Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until tender and translucent, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and sauté for 2 more minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and any juices that have collected in the bowl.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture is thick and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

While tomato sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions.

Drain pasta well. Return to the cooking pot. Add butter and parmesan and stir until butter is melted.

Add the tomato sauce and arugula and toss until the arugula wilts.

Makes 2 servings.

• The tomato sauce can be prepared a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated. At serving time, reheat the sauce, cook the pasta and continue with recipe.

Last Saturday a friend and I spent some time traveling the bike trail between Hackensack and Nisswa. Just before we reached Backus, we came upon a bike parked along the side of the trail. I noticed a man picking something from the ditch. As we continued on, I spotted some wild blackberries growing right along side the trail.

My biking partner and I stopped to pick a few, popping the sweet plump berries right into our mouths. We decided to backtrack a bit to visit with the man we had seen picking. His big plastic ice cream bucket was half filled with berries. As we visited, another male voice came from the other side of the trail. He was also busy picking, with a big bowl almost full of berries. Both men said they would be making some jam with the berries, saving some to crown big scoops of vanilla ice cream.

After eating as many as we could, my friend and I continued on our way. But, I kept thinking of all the berries we had left behind. I made a mental note of where those blackberries were, so that I could return next year with a container to collect them.

On my next trip to the grocery store, I bought some blackberries. Not quite as flavorful as the wild variety, but still tasty. With the fresh, ripe Colorado peaches I had in my kitchen, I decided to make a peach dessert that I could toss some blackberries into.

PB&C (Peaches, Berries and Cream) Summer Dessert Sandwich highlights the fresh fruit of the season. The “bread” is like a big, tender baking powder biscuit. Creamy mascarpone cheese, a very rich, creamy Italian cream cheese, covers the bottom layer, keeping it from getting soggy from all the juicy fruit. The sweetened fruit peeks out from the big round sandwich. It’s quite an impressive-looking dessert. And quite good! It’s my kind of sandwich.

PB&C Summer Dessert Sandwich

Fruit:
12 ounces (about 3 cups) fresh blackberries, gently rinsed and drained
½ cup of sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 large peaches, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

Shortcake:
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into large chunks
2/3 cup whole milk, chilled
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 

8 ounces mascarpone cheese (or freshly whipped cream)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter an 8-inch cake pan.

Prepare the fruit: In a blender, puree ¾ cup blackberries with the sugar and lemon juice. Toss the puree with the peaches and remaining berries, and set aside.

Prepare the shortcake: Whisk together the 2½ cups flour, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Cut the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse meal (this can be done in a food processor, with a hand-held pastry blender, or with two knives).

In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, egg, lemon extract, and zest together.

Add this to the dry ingredients, and stir gently to form a soft, slightly crumbly, biscuit-like dough. Press it together and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half, and using the heel of your hand, press it out to form two 8-inch rounds. Place the rounds in the prepared pan, one on top of the other, separating the two layers with a light dusting of flour. Press lightly to fit. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and bake until lightly browned and nearly doubled in height, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn out of the pan, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before splitting. (The shortcakes can be made up to a day in advance, then lightly warmed before splitting and filling.)

Just before serving, split the shortcake in half, gently prying the layers apart with your fingers. Place the bottom layer on a platter, and spread the mascarpone over it. Then spoon on the fruit and juices, and set the top layer over the fruit. Cut into wedges and serve. 

• Mascarpone cheese can be found in most supermarkets. Freshly whipped cream can be used instead and is also delicious.

• To peel peaches, just 20 to 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water, then plunged into a bowl of ice water is all it takes for the thin skin to loosen from the fruit. Grab the skin with a sharp paring knife and it easily pulls away.

One of my favorite things
each August is the fresh Colorado
peaches I can get from a local Lions Club. The plump red fruit is the color of
a sunset. The sweet juice dribbles down my chin with each bite. The lug of
peaches comes ripe and ready to be enjoyed.

Some friends were over for
dinner on Sunday evening. We ended our time together with a dessert of grilled
peaches and vanilla ice cream.

The spicy peaches can be
prepared ahead of time and put on the grill about 10 minutes before dessert
time.

The photo was a last minute
decision. You can see I had already taken a few bites. When I discovered how
good this was, I wanted to share it with you.

I’ll be preparing this
dessert on my Lakeland Cooks segment that will air tomorrow evening on the 10:00
newscast on Lakeland Public Television. If you don’t live in the viewing area,
you can watch it online after it airs at www.lakelandptv.org.
While you’re there you can peruse all the previous segments I’ve done as well
as the recipes. And speaking of recipes, we’re gearing up for our next Lakeland
Cooks three-hour show that will air on Saturday, September 8^th. My
guests and I will be preparing potatoes in all kinds of interesting ways. If
you have a favorite potato recipe that you’d like to share, we’d love to
include it in the next Lakeland Cooks cookbook. Please email your recipe(s) to recipes@lakelandptv.org.

You may just want to try these
peaches hot off the grill this evening. Enjoy!

Grilled Peaches

For every four servings you
will need:

• 4 firm, ripe peaches
• 16 whole cloves
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup granulated sugar

Preheat grill.

Fill a large pot with water
and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Prepare 4 squares of
heavy-duty aluminum foil, each large enough to enclose a peach, and coat
lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a
small mixing bowl.

Carve an X on the bottom of
each peach. Plop peaches into boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Remove
peaches from boiling water and immediately plunge into the bowl of ice water.
When the peaches are cool enough to handle, gently pull off the skin with a
paring knife.

Poke 4 whole cloves into
each peach. Roll peaches in cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat thoroughly. Place each peach, stem-side
down, on a square of prepared aluminum foil. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture
over peaches. Tightly close foil around each peach.

Place packets on grill over
low heat. Cook approximately 10 minutes or until heated through. Remove packets
from grill. Carefully open packets and remove and discard cloves. There will a
lot of juice in the packet.

Serve the peaches hot or
cold as a side dish or with ice cream for dessert (my favorite).

• Grilled peaches freeze well
  or can be refrigerated for use within a week.

I received word from Crisco
last week that their new line of Mediterranean olive oils should be in Minnesota grocery stores
this month, including 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pure Olive Oil, and Light
Olive Oil. It will be packaged in 17-ounce and 34-ounce plastic bottles, with
prices ranging from $5.49 to $9.99 per bottle.

I began using olive oil in
my own kitchen years ago when studies made it evident that it was good for your
health. Olive oil has monounsaturated fats, the same “healthy” fat
found in avocados and nuts. It contains no cholesterol and is rich in
antioxidants such as vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), carotenoids and phenolic
compounds. Olives and olive oil are mainstays of a Mediterranean diet, which
doctors believe helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

Based on guidelines set by
the International Olive Oil Council, which governs 95 percent of international
olive oil production, a “virgin” olive oil has not been refined in
any way and has no more than 2 grams of acidity per 100 grams of oil. Extra-virgin
olive oil must have no more than .8 grams of acidity, and must also display
perfect aroma and flavor.

Olive oil can vary widely in
taste and price, depending on where it’s from and who made it. Spain is the largest producer of olive oil, Italy the most
famous. But every country in the Mediterranean
proudly bottles its own and proclaims its own the best.

Experts agree, however, that
the best-tasting olive oils use the highest-quality olives � the fruit of the
olive tree � plucked at the optimal time and processed under ideal conditions.

I�ve had fun experimenting
with all kinds of olive oil over the years. Right now, I have several bottles
in my pantry. The bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil from Umbria, Italy
comes out when I want to enjoy the sweet buttery flavor with just a hint of
pepper to dip pieces of crusty, chewy bread. This olive oil is packaged in a
dark green bottle to protect it from harmful UV rays and oxidation which can
cause the oil to become flavorless or even rancid.

I use the more robust and
pungent Greek olive oil as a base for marinades, mixed with minced garlic and
oregano and fresh lemon juice. It produces wonderfully fragrant and delicious
grilled chicken. And it�s a good oil for saut�ing.

Another bottle of organic
extra virgin olive oil from Italy
is full-bodied with a peppery finish.

And the brown, barrel-shaped
can of herbaceous extra-virgin olive oil from France is perfect to drizzle over a
salad of fresh greens, vegetables and herbs with just a little bit of
fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

It almost sounds like I�m
describing wines, doesn�t it? Just like wine, there are many dimensions and
many prices of olive oil. But, remember, like wine, it doesn’t matter how much
you spend on an oil. What matters is whether you like it. But the better the
oil, the more likely it can hold up on its own rather than be masked by other
flavors or muted by heat.

Store olive oil in a cool,
dark place and it should keep well for a year. I use it so frequently, though,
that I never have a bottle around that long.

Crisco sent along a few
Mediterranean recipes. I prepared their recipe for Chicken Garden
�Risotto� minus the 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which I replaced with
diced zucchini. This �risotto� is actually made with orzo, a small rice-shaped
pasta. If you�ve ever made risotto, you know that it must be stirred almost constantly to release the starch from the rice so
the starch thickens the broth, giving the dish its characteristic creamy
consistency. This �risotto� involves
very little stirring but delivers a creamy consistency and texture that
resembles the real thing.

The fresh corn, the Parmesan
cheese, the garlic � it was delicious and was the perfect match for Mario
Batali�s Pork Chops with Cherry Barbecue Sauce.

Taste, explore and enjoy
olive oil with the abundance of our fresh summer produce. And watch for the new
line of Crisco olive oils that seem just right for heating up in a pan to saut�
fresh and flavorful vegetables.

Garden Orzo “Risotto” with Parmesan

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely
  chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves,
  peeled and minced
• 2 cups chopped peeled zucchini
• 1� cups (12 ounces) uncooked
  orzo pasta
• 2 cups broccoli flowerets,
  cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3� cups reduced-sodium
  chicken broth
• 2 ears fresh sweet corn,
  kernels cut from cobs
• � teaspoon salt
• � teaspoon freshly ground
  black pepper
• � cup freshly grated
  Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in 12-inch
skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add zucchini and
garlic and saut� for 2 more minutes. Add uncooked orzo, broccoli and broth.
Reduce heat to medium. Cover skillet. Cook 6 minutes, stirring often, to
prevent orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Mix in corn, salt and
pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes until orzo is tender, liquid has been
absorbed and the mixture is creamy.

Remove skillet from heat.
Gently stir in cheese. Serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

• To remove kernels of corn
  from cob, stand each husked ear of corn on its wide end in a shallow bowl. Cut
  the kernels off using a sharp knife or an electric knife.
• For one of my favorite
  recipes using fresh sweet corn, check out the Cheesy Sweet Corn Boats
  in my most recent All About Food column.

An unadorned muffin for breakfast and a pretty mufcake to top off lunch and supper.

There’s really nothing
dainty about them. I make them big. Sometimes I make them bite-sized. When my
boys were little, that’s the only size I made. Little cinnamony mini-muffins
just right for their little hands and little mouths.

I just figured out that I’ve
been making these Zucchini Muffins for 30 years. And every zucchini season I
think they would be so good topped with some cream cheese frosting. But, believe
it or not, I’ve never taken the time to try that. Until today.

I remembered how much I
liked the lemon cream cheese frosting that I used on the Old-Fashioned Triple
Lemon Cake that I had in my All About Food column in June (click here for the cake recipe). I thought it would
be perfect on these Zucchini Muffins. And I was right.

The muffins take no time at
all to mix up. I’ve often kept the batter in the refrigerator for a few days
before baking. I use the fine grater blade on my food processor to prepare the
zucchini. Any kind of grater will work. A food processor makes quick work of
the job, though, and no bloody knuckles or sliced fingernails. Whether or not
you peel the zucchini is your decision. I’ve made the muffins with peels and
without. They always taste the same. When young children will be eating them, I
peel the zucchini so there are no little green specks in the muffins.

The frosting seems to turn
these muffins into cupcakes and they will definitely hold their own against any
of those pretty, dainty little sweets. So, make the muffins and eat them for
breakfast. Frost the rest to make mufcakes to top off lunch and dinner. Yum!

My Favorite Zucchini Muffins
– Adorned or Unadorned

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1½ cups shredded zucchini
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour

Beat eggs in mixing bowl or
8-cup glass measure. Stir in oil and blend well. Add vanilla, sugar and
zucchini. Mix well.

Measure all dry ingredients
into a sifter and sift into the zucchini mixture. Mix only until blended.

Fill greased muffin cups ¾
full. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool muffins in pan for a few
minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely. You’ll probably get about
1½ dozen regular-sized muffins.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce)
  cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons butter, room
  temperature
• 1¾ cups sifted powdered
  sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon
  zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon
  juice

Combine cream cheese,
butter, sifted powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Beat well. Spread on top of cooled muffins.

There are so many ways to
use zucchini. But talk to the people who have it growing in their garden and
they’ll probably tell you they have way more than they can use. For that
reason, some creative gardeners in Pennsylvania
designated August 8^th “National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your
Neighbor’s Porch Night.”

Since that time, gardeners
have stretched that night into an all-day observance. So, watch out. You may
find zucchini on your desk at work. Lock your car or you may discover some big
bags of the club-shaped squash hiding behind your seat. There may be a couple
tucked into your gym bag when you’re not looking.

Zucchini is a summer squash
with tender green skin. It’s low in calories, is a good source of potassium and
adds some fiber to the diet.

I have a favorite zucchini
muffin recipe that I’ve been making for years. I’ll post that recipe tomorrow. Yesterday
I played in the kitchen trying to come up with a recipe for zucchini bread that
would be a little different than all the rest. I had a couple of carrots that
were part of my last CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery. So I added
some shredded carrot along with the zucchini. Some quick oats stirred into the
batter adds fiber. My experiments led to a recipe that delivers two beautiful loaves,
each moist on the inside and crunchy on top with a sprinkle of brown sugar,
nuts and cinnamon. Next time I make the bread I think I’ll add some allspice
and ground cloves to add a little more zip.

Keep this bread tucked into
a large zip-top bag and it will stay moist and the flavors will continue to
develop, getting better with age.

Just click on “Comments”
right below this recipe and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear how it
turns out when you make it or what kinds of spices you use for flavoring. This blog
is a great way for us to share.

In this recipe, zucchini
picks up carrot as a well-matched friend. If you don’t have carrots and want to
use up more zucchini, just double the amount of zucchini.

Zucchini Finds A Friend
Bread

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1½ cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup grated unpeeled zucchini,
  squeezed of excess liquid
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup quick-cooking oats,
  uncooked
• 2½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Topping:

• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter two 8½- x 4½-inch loaf pans. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of
the pans. Once the paper is in place, butter the parchment.

In large mixing bowl, beat
eggs. Add oil and blend well. Stir in brown sugar, zucchini, carrots, vanilla
and oats. Mix well. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon
and nutmeg. Blend well. Stir in nuts. Divide batter evenly between the two
prepared loaf pans.

Mix topping ingredients and
sprinkle over loaves, pressing in lightly with your fingers so the topping will
bake into the loaves and not fall off when sliced.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or
until the bread tests done when poked with a wooden pick in the center of the
loaf. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks, peel away the
parchment, and allow loaves to cool completely. Makes 2 loaves.

• Trace around the bottom of
  the loaf pans onto parchment paper, then cut and place into bottom of buttered
  loaf pans.
• I use the fine grating blade
  in my food processor to prepare the zucchini and carrots.
• Use your clean hand to
  squeeze the zucchini over the sink to remove excess moisture.
• Just as you would with any quick bread, be careful not to overbake. You’ll wind up with dry zucchini bread.

Have you ever had a huge taste for something, go to your
cupboard to get it and discover you don’t have it?

That’s what happened the other day when I wanted to make my
favorite bran muffins. I started gathering all the ingredients, only to
discover there was no All-Bran in the pantry. There was a box of Kashi Go Lean,
a high protein, high fiber cereal. So, I pulled it out. The crunchy fiber
twigs, soy protein grahams and honey puffs would take the place of All Bran.

I thought there would be plenty of buttermilk in the carton
in the refrigerator, but could pour out only one cup. Lucky for me, there was
some of my favorite yogurt (FAGE, an all-natural Greek yogurt) right beside the
buttermilk. I was planning to use it to make another batch of Chilled Cucumber
Soup, but today it would combine with the buttermilk and go into the muffins.

My original recipe is one I clipped from a newspaper many
years ago. They’re called Super Bran Muffins and they really are super. These
muffins are always moist and flavorful. The batter can be mixed up and stored
in the refrigerator for at least a week. This allows you to just bake up a few
as you need them. If you like giant-sized muffins, bake them in little glass
custard cups.

The new “lean” muffins are just as moist and flavorful as my
old favorites, but with a lighter texture. The batter held well in the
refrigerator, making them perfect fare to serve my overnight guests last week.
They were so impressed when they came out to the kitchen early in the morning
and discovered fresh-baked muffins. I didn’t tell them my little secret. They
still think I got up so early to mix up muffins. I sent a few muffins with them
as they headed out that morning for another day of traveling. They are great
fuel when your body needs to beat afternoon fatigue.

I always stir chopped dates into the batter, but you can use
your favorite dried fruit. You could also add chopped nuts.

Super Go Lean Muffins

• 3 cups Kashi Go Lean
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped dates

Put Kashi Go Lean and butter into large mixing bowl. Pour
boiling water over the ingredients in bowl. Set aside while measuring out the
remaining ingredients.

Stir in sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk and yogurt and mix
well. Gently stir in dry ingredients and mix until blended. Stir in chopped
dates. At this point, batter can be covered and stored in the refrigerator until
ready to bake.

At baking time, preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease
muffin tins. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake 15 to 20
minutes. Cool slightly in tin before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
You will probably get around 2 dozen muffins, depending on the size you make.