Zucchini Bread

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I got my first bag of home grown goodies from my mom (Griffin Daylily Farms) the other day.

It was full of zucchini, cucumbers and yellow squash. SCORE!

My son Christopher saw the zucchini and immediately requested zucchini bread. 

Anytime my son requests something with any type of vegetables in it, 

my answer is always a resounding, yes.

So that's what I made with it. 

It's a great recipe. Really moist and somewhat on the sweeter side, 

so it makes a great bundt cake too.

I left the nuts out this time, per my son's request, but in the past I've added a cup of white chocolate chips in addition to the nuts. Really good! 

I also mound my cinnamon when I add it, so it ends up being closer to 2 tsp.

Love how it forms a slightly crisp, sweet crust on the top. 

Almost like you sprinkled it with a thin layer of sugar before baking.

Zucchini Bread

3 c. grated zucchini
2 1/3 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. chopped nuts

Heat oven to 300 degrees. 

Mix zucchini, sugar, oil and eggs. Beat until blended. 

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, soda and cinnamon. Add to zucchini mixture stirring just until blended. Stir in nuts if using. Pour into 2 greased and floured large loaf pans and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. 

Vegetable Tian

I was watching Food Network, which I've been known to do quite a bit of, and saw my buddy Ina Garten make this dish.

It looked so easy and so delicious I of course had to try it. And boy, am I sure glad I did. It was everything I thought it would be. I can't wait to try it with fresh vegetables this summer. You could use any combination of veggys you wanted to.

All you do is.....

Oil your baking dish.

Slice your onion (and garlic) and saute in oil.

Cover the bottom of the dish with onion/garlic mixture.

Cut up your vegetables and layer them on top the onion, alternating rows.

Pretty!! Sprinkle on your thyme leaves and throw on the thyme sprigs, then drizzle with olive oil.

Cover with foil and cook until tender.

Next, take off your sprigs of thyme; add your cheese and cook until brown.

The recipe called for Gruyere cheese but I had Jarlsberg so that's what I used.

It's actually a good substitue for Gruyere.

This wasn't as brown as I wanted because my family was standing in the kitchen

demanding to eat, but, it was done enough to be absolutely delicious. My hubby and I 

pretty much ate the whole thing except for the tiny helping my daughter had. I have to say 

on our behalf, I only made half the recipe, which was a good thing because, I'll admit it, 

I would have eaten more. 

I had cut up more veggys than would fit in my pan, so I just threw them on a baking sheet with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and cooked them with the Tian, which my son wouldn't touch. He did scarf these potatoes though, while I finished off the vegetables.

Definitely will make again.

VEGETABLE TIAN

Good olive oil

2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled

3/4 pound zucchini 

1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs

2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil.


In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.


Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil.


Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.