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I am overrun with zucchinis. They are growing leaps and bounds, plants producing daily, and if not picked they’ll grow into unusable colossal bats! What to do with all these croplings? (Now that’s a new word!) I am shocked at how many are growing. I know I shouldn’t be but as my summer squash plants are not producing at all this onslaught of zucchini seems unusual! Not a one! Nada! 

I hate to see all this fresh produce go to waste so I decided to get busy with some new zucchini dishes. I enjoy experimenting with recipes. I am home for the summer so this gives me time to try out some new ideas. My mom, who is a great cook, is my personal taste tester! I can rely on her expert advice and then there’s always a story of some remembrance brought on by the recipe to accompany the test. One way to use up some of these squashes is to make a zucchini tomato mix, shown on the left,  and have it readily available as a snack or side dish. I enjoy this with any meal. I decided to try something a little different, make a dinner with the zucchini, and put together a zucchini casserole that uses hot Italian sausage and a mix of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. This combination is very tasty. I have used this recipe with pepperoni in place of the sausage. Either one works great. Freshly grated parmesan cheese is a must. One could also omit the mushrooms, etc. but I love them so I included them. I also suggest letting the cheese crust on the top. Yum, if you like crusty cheese. Cooking and baking is a chance to get the creative juices flowing. Personalizing recipes is such a great feeling, especially when the end product is successful!

I also decided to put together some zucchini scones. I like to use the blender to grate the zucchini. I simply peel and cube and put the liquids and zucchini together and in seconds the mix is ready to add to the dry ingredients. When making scones, breads, or muffins, dry ingredients should be blended together in the large bowl and moist ingredients mixed together in a separate bowl and then added to the dry mix. Less is always best for mixing the two together. Too much mixing creates a dry, tough muffin or scone. Also, buttermilk is quite easily found in all supermarkets but milk with a tbsp. of lemon juice or vinegar is a great substitution. This milk needs to stand for a bit to sour before it is used. This scone recipe is very lightly sweetened. I baked them in a lightly greased cast iron skillet. By the way, my mom loved these and was quick to remind me of Sunday winter evenings when she would make raisin scones. Hmm, some things never change!

Zucchini Italian Casserole

2-3 medium zucchinis
5 tomatoes, chopped or 1 large can diced tomatoes
fresh parsely, oregano, basil
2 cloves minced garlic
6 hot Italian sausage
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup diced peppers
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 chopped onion

Remove sausage from casings and brown in pan. Drain.
Slice zucchini.
Put 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.
Place the zucchini slices on the sauce. Sprinkle the sausage on top.
Add the onion, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, salt and pepper, garlic, basil, and oregano. Pour the remaining sauce on top.
Sprinkle on the cheeses.
Bake in a 350*  oven for about 1 hour.

Zucchini Scones

2 cups unbleached flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped nuts
1/3  cup buttermilk
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter til crumbly. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
2. In a separate bowl mix the buttermilk, zucchini, and vanilla and then add to the dry mix.
3. Stir only til just mixed.
4. Turn out mixture onto a floured surface, knead gently a few times, pat the dough into a 7 inch round circle.
5. Cut circle into six wedges. Place in a lightly greased cast iron skillet.
6. Bake at 400* for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes: I cubed the zucchini, put 2 cups in the blender with 1/3 cup sour milk. The dough was very sticky and I kneaded in extra flour. They turned out very moist and incredibly tasty.

Zucchini Bars

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut
3/4 cup oat bran
1 1/4 cup zucchini: shredded, squeezed, and tightly packed
confectioner’s sugar

Mix the butter, oil and sugar.
Add in egg, water, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Spread into an 8X8 greased and floured pan.
Bake in a 350* oven for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar before serving.