Fried Corn Zucchini Medley

One of the best things about summer is getting to eat fresh corn- on-the-cob.  The next best thing is having leftovers, so I can cut the corn off the cob and made Fried Corn.  (And when I cook corn-on-the-cob, I always make extra for leftovers.)  Sometimes I just fry the corn by itself, sometimes I add other veggies.  It depends on my mood.  Since I still have zucchini to use up, I chose to make Fried Corn Zucchini Medley, a mixture of corn, onion, red pepper and zucchini.  Diced fresh tomatoes, celery, green beans, peas and other vegetables can be added or substituted.  Use what your family likes.

There is nothing earth shattering about this dish, but it is so very good.  There is a crispness about cooked, fresh corn cut off the cob that simply cannot be duplicated with either canned or frozen corn.

I used some crisp fried bacon as a garnish, but more could be used to make it part of the dish.  This could be turned into a main dish with the addition of some cooked meat or poultry.  Omit the bacon and use olive oil, and this would be a tasty vegetarian dish.
 
This is so pretty that I don’t care that hubby won't eat this.  I will just make it for myself and enjoy every bite.

This is a very fast recipe to make, taking only about 15 minutes including preparing the vegetables.

Fried Corn Zucchini Medley
2 T. butter or olive oil
1 medium zucchini, cut into about 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 c. onion, cut in about 1/4-inch dice
1/2 c. red pepper, cut in about 1/4-inch dice
2 to 3 medium ears cooked corn-on-the-cob
1 slice bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled for garnish, optional
1 t. or so of your favorite seasoned salt or spice blend

Melt butter or heat olive oil in a medium to large skillet.  Stir in zucchini, onion and red pepper.  Cook over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.  While vegetables are cooking, cut the corn kernels from the corn-on-the-cob.  Add corn kernels and seasoned salt or spice blend to the vegetables, stir and cook until the corn is heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, place in a serving dish and garnish with the bacon.  Makes about 4 servings or a big one just for me.

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Potato Zucchini Meat Loaf Roll

Good Monday, all.  Welcome to my new followers.  As always many thanks to those who take time from their busy lives to stop and read this blog.  You are much appreciated, and I hope that what you find here is useful to you.

Still getting zucchini from my daughter, still trying to find ways to use it.  As I said last week, hubby really doesn’t care for zucchini except in sweets, but this is a dish that I dreamed up that passed muster with him.  He actually said that it was very good and ate the leftovers for his dinners last week until it was gone.

It wasn’t all that creative, I just decided to use my go-to meatloaf recipe, roll it out and spread it with a filling of shredded potato, zucchini, diced red pepper and onion bound together with an egg, add some grated cheese, roll it up and bake it.

Now I would like to say that everything went smoothly, but I did have a little trouble with the meat roll separating a bit in the middle.  There are two things that I will do differently the next time I make this.  I will salt the zucchini and potato. put it in a sieve and press some of the moisture out.  I will not pat the meat loaf mixture out as thinly as I did this time.

I omitted the onion in my meat loaf since I was putting it in the filling.  I used a Lucerne (Safeway) product called Mac and Cheese Blend grated cheese which melted very nicely in this.  I made a simple gravy to serve with the meat roll using a can of beef broth, 1/4 c. flour, 2 t. Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of garlic powder and a bit of coarse ground pepper.  Ketchup or tomato sauce could also be spread over the top of the roll before putting it in the oven.

Zucchini, Potato Meat Loaf Roll
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 c. dried bread crumbs
1 t. salt
1/2 t. rubbed sage
1/4 t. pepper
2/3 c. milk
1 egg
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. grated potatoes, about 2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 c. grated zucchini
1/2 c. finely chopped red pepper
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 egg, beaten
1 c. shredded cheese, flavor of choice

Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl.  Add bread crumbs, salt, sage and pepper.  Mix lightly to combine ingredients.  Measure milk into a glass measuring cup.  Add egg and Worcestershire sauce and beat well with a fork or whisk.  Add to meat mixture and mix lightly until well blended.  Spread a length of foil (about 15 inches long) out on baking sheet.  Turn meat mixture out onto foil and press out to about a 1/2-inch thick rectangle.  Place potato and zucchini in a sieve and salt lightly.  Let sit for a few minutes over a bowl.  Press vegetables with the back of a spoon to remove excess moisture.  Place in a medium bowl and add red pepper and onion.  Add beaten egg and mix until all the potato and zucchini is moistened.  Spread the vegetable mixture in an even layer over the meat mixture.  Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the vegetable mixture.  Using both ends of the foil to assist, roll up as for a jelly roll.  Leave foil under meat loaf and place baking pan in oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, bring ends of foil over meat loaf and let sit 10 minutes before serving.  Cut into slices and serve.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Bars

I am still getting lots of zucchini from my daughter so there will be at least a few more zucchini recipes posted here.  Truth be told, hubby does not like zucchini except in sweets so that is what I use the zucchini in most often.

For some time now I have been wanting to use Smucker's Apple Cinnamon Topping in a cookie recipe.  I had been giving it a lot of thought and sort of knew what I wanted to do.  At the last minute, I decided that I would add some grated zucchini to the recipe.  Using grated zucchini is a wonderful way to hide it.  With the apple and the cinnamon, I am not sure you can not even taste the zucchini in these.

I am going to try this recipe using pineapple ice cream topping and zucchini next.

Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Bars
2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 c. butter
1/2 t. cinnamon
2/3 c. quick oats
1/2 c. finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 jar (12 oz.) Smuckers Apple Cinnamon Topping
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini
1/4 c. flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and brown sugar.  Stir to combine.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Pat 3 c. of mixture evenly into the bottom of a foil-lined 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, let cool 5 to 10 minutes.  Meanwhile add cinnamon, quick oats and nuts to the remaining flour mixture.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl combine apple cinnamon  topping, the grated zucchini and the flour.  Mix well.  Spread mixture over the slightly cooled, baked crust.  Sprinkle flour/oats/nut mixture evenly over the apple/zucchini filling.  Pat down gently with your hand.  Place in oven and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Place on wire rack and let cool completely before cutting into bars.  Makes about 36

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Zucchini Graham Bread-Saturday Sweet

I am still getting a lot of zucchini from my daughter so I am sharing another goodie made with it.  Zucchini Graham Bread is a bit different in that it has finely crushed graham crackers in it.  The recipe came from a set of recipe cards that were inserted in a magazine many years ago.  Since it specifies Honey Maid graham crackers and Gold Medal flour, it apparently came from General Mills.

The loaf pan with the lid that is in the photo belonged to my mother.  I have two of them.  They were made by Westinghouse.  I didn't know Westinghouse ever made kitchenware.  They are somewhat deeper than the typical loaf pans, but I love having them.

Zucchini-Graham Bread
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1 T. vanilla
2 c. packed shredded zucchini
1 sleeve Honey Maid graham crackers, finely crushed
1 1/2 c. Gold Medal all-purpose flour, bleached or unbleached
1 T. cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. chopped, toasted walnuts

Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in sugar, oil and vanilla.  Stir in zucchini.  In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder.  Add to liquid ingredients and mix until dry ingredients are just moistened.  Stir in walnuts.  Divide batter evenly between two greased and floured 9x5x3 or 8 1/2x4 1/2x 21/2-inch loaf pans.  Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans.  Cool completely before slicing.  Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator.  Makes 2 loaves

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Italian Parmesan Zucchini Patties

I adapted this dish, Italian Parmesan Zucchini Patties, from a hand-written recipe in the back of my mother's Zucchini Cookbook that I mentioned in my Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Bars post.  They are quick and easy to make with a heartiness that would make them good for a meatless meal.  I used yellow zucchini and didn't think you could even taste it, so you may be able to get these by the non-zucchini eater.

This recipe makes about eight 3-inch patties so makes about 4 servings.  Increase the ingredients if you need to make more.  Use purchased or homemade biscuit mix, and it is OK to use the shelf-stable type of grated Parmesan in these.  Because of the generous amount of Parmesan, I did not add any salt to the recipe.

These are best when made with fresh shredded zucchini.  If you use thawed, frozen zucchini, be sure to drain it well.

Italian Parmesan Zucchini Patties
1/3 c. biscuit mix (You can make your own)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 t. Italian seasoning
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/8 t. black pepper, coarsely ground if possible
2 c. shredded zucchini
2 T. butter, margarine or vegetable oil

Combine biscuit mix, cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper in a medium mixing bowl until well blended.  Stir in egg until dry ingredients are well moistened.  Fold in grated zucchini.   Heat  chosen fat in a 10-inch skillet.  When fat is hot, drop 3 or 4 heaping tablespoonsful of batter into hot skillet.  Flatten with the back of a spoon to about 3-inch rounds.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbles cover the surface of the patties, flip and continue to cook 1 to 2 minutes until done and golden brown.   Makes about 8 patties.

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Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Bars-Saturday Sweet

I may have mentioned in an earlier post, that last fall one of my daughters and her family moved from 50 miles away to just 5 or 6 miles down the highway from us.  She put in a garden and is sharing her bounty with us.  She planted zucchini so you all know what that means.  I am sure that there will be a number of zucchini recipes here on the blog in the next few weeks.

I thought that I would start off with a recipe for a sweet, Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Bars.  Unlike most recipes, this one calls for chopped and not shredded zucchini.  If you want it totally hidden, it can be peeled.  I never bother with peeling it myself.  Although I use buttermilk, this is one instance where the 1/2 t. lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 c. milk works fine.  I top the bars with a simple chocolate glaze.

This an adaptation of a recipe from The Zucchini Cookbook by Paula Simmons, 1974.  This is a cookbook that belonged to my mother.

Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Bars
adapted from The Zucchini Cookbook by Paula Simmons, 1974
1/2 c. butter softened
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 1/2 c. unsifted flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. salt
2 c. finely diced zucchini
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 T. cocoa
1 t. vanilla
1-2 T. hot water

Cream butter, vegetable oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl until well blended.  Beat in egg, vanilla and buttermilk.  In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  Add to sugar mixture and stir until well blended.  Stir in diced zucchini.  Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool.  When cool, combine butter, confectioner’s sugar, cocoa and vanilla until well blended.  Stir in enough hot water to make a glaze consistency.  Spread evenly over the top of cooled bars.  Let glaze set up, then cut into bars.  Makes about 36 bars

 Do you have a favorite sweet recipe that uses zucchini as an ingredient?

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Improv Cooking Challenge-Applezini Dream Bars

The ingredients that our hostess Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker gave for the Improv Challenge for September were Zucchini and Brown Sugar.

Zucchini has been used in many baking recipes such as zucchini bread, cake and cookies.  I wanted to bake something a little different so combined a couple of recipes to make Applezini Dream Bars.  This bar cookie has a flour/brown sugar crust with an apple/zucchini topping.

If the zucchini is peeled, it will pretty much disappear in the apples.  I don’t peel it, but you may want to if feeding picky eaters.   If the zucchini is large, remove the seeded areas.  For the apple use a good baking apple.   I used Honey Crisp apples.

I used Apple Pie Spice for seasoning, and I make my own.  Cinnamon can be used instead.

I took these to my aunt’s 90th birthday potluck where they were very well received.  Even though I did not peel the zucchini, no one knew what it was until I told them.

Applezini Dream Bars
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c. butter or regular margarine
2 c. apple, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 inch dice (about 2 large)
2 c. zucchini diced into 1/4-inch dice (about 3 medium)
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 t. apple pie spice or cinnamon
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
4 eggs, at room temperature

In a medium bowl combine flour and brown sugar.  Stir to mix well.  Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Pat mixture into the bottom of a foil-lined 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 300 degrees 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool slightly.  Meanwhile in a large bowl combine apples, zucchini, lemon juice, apple pie spice, sugar, flour and salt.  Stir to mix well.  In a small bowl, beat eggs until thick and lemon colored.  Pour eggs over the apple/zucchini mixture and blend well.  Spread over the baked crust.  Bake at 350 degrees about 50 to 60 minutes or until well set.  Let cool.  Cut into bars.  Makes about 36 bars.  Store, covered, in refrigerator because of the high concentration of egg.  These may also be cut into larger squares and topped with whipped cream or whipped topping to serve as a dessert.  Would make 12 to 15 servings.

Oatmeal and raisins are the Improv ingredients for October.  Gather up any recipes that include these and come join in the fun.  You can find all the details on Kristen's Improv Page.

Cooking from the Blogs-What I Made

I recently made a couple of desserts from the blogs.  Both were very good.

If you still have an abundance of zucchini, MAKE THIS!  This is from At Home My Way and the recipe title says it all:  Zucchini Cobbler Just Like Apple.  It really really does taste just like apple.  You will amaze your family and friends.  I took this to work and called it Mystery Cobbler.  Everyone that tried it guessed that it was apple.  I don't know what the magic is, perhaps cooking the zucchini in the lemon juice.  I used the trick she suggested and sliced the zucchini to look just like apple slices.  I thought that there was too much crust for me personally, but everyone else proclaimed the crust just right.

When I came home from work Friday night, hubby said that a neighbor had brought us some peaches and tomatoes.  Upon checking the peaches out, I found that they were very ripe and needed to be used soon.  I decide to make a peach crisp with them yesterday.  I have several recipes for peach crisp, but always like to look through the blogs to see what I can find.  I was scouting around and found Sriracha Peach Crisp over at Budget Bytes.  I really wanted to make this one, but wasn't sure how well it would go over with hubby.  Well, she just happened to have Peach Almond Crisp on her blog also.  I chose to make that one.  I doubled the recipe as I had a lot of peaches to use up.

This recipe uses softened butter in the topping instead of firm.  I may have softened mine a little too much.  The topping will be more clumpy and the taste more caramely than a topping with firm butter.  It was a nice change.  This is a new-to-me blog.  She gives the costs of her recipes, kind of like $5.00 Dinners.  Her cost was $3.37 for the entire recipe or .42 a serving for 8 servings.  I figure that, even though I doubled the recipe,  my cost was much less since the peaches were free.

I will definitely be making both of these dishes again.  Thanks gals for two great ones.

Cooking with the Journal-Zucchini Bread

UPDATE:  Left the amount of sugar out of the recipe.  It is 2 c. and the ingredient list has been corrected.  Thanks to the commenter who alerted me about this.

Here is a nice quick bread  to spread with any sweet butter idea I posted yesterday   This is another recipe that appeared in at least two Farm Journal Cookbooks.  It uses vegetable oil so I don’t have to remember to soften butter when I want to make it.

I prefer fresh, grated zucchini for making this.  I am not sure what my problem is, but I have not had great success in using frozen zucchini when baking.  Any one have the secret, let me know.

The recipe makes two 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch loaves.  I only have 9x3-inch loaf pans so my bread is a little squat.  I highly suggest lining the pans with foil and greasing and flouring the foil for this bread.

Zucchini Bread
County Fair Cookbook,  1975
Farm Journals Best-Ever Recipes, 1977

3 c. sifted flour
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
3 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 T. vanilla
2 c. grated, unpeeled zucchini squash
1/2 c. chopped nuts, toasted
1 t. flour

Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  Beat eggs well in large bowl.  Gradually add sugar and oil, mixing well.  Add vanilla and dry ingredients; blend well.  Stir in zucchini.  Combine walnuts with the 1 t. flour; stir into batter.  Pour into two greased and floured 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until bread tests done.  Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes.  Remove from pans; cool on racks.  Makes 2 loaves

Ingredient Spotlight-Sweeties

When I saw that zucchini was the focus for Ingredient Spotlight this week, I went looking for a recipe for something slightly different from most recipes I have seen for zucchini.

I have an old cookbook called appropriately enough “The Zucchini Cookbook” published in 1974.  It was written by Paula Simmons who was a prominent hand spinner and weaver in her time.  This recipe caught my eye.  It uses diced zucchini instead of grated.

The recipe did not call for chocolate, but I decided too add some cocoa and make it chocolate.  The texture of the cake part is very tender and reminds me of a buttermilk brownie recipe that I make.  The next time I make this, I will double the amount of nuts and coconut.  There were areas of the cake that did not have any nuts or coconut on them.  There were very addictive, and I had a difficult time not scarfing them all down.  The zucchini adds no flavor to this, just a nice moistness.

Sweeties
The Zucchini Cookbook
Paula Simmons
Pacific Search Press, 1974

2/3 c. sugar
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. cocoa (optional)
1 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
2/3 c. milk
3/4 c. zucchini, finely diced not shredded
1/2 c. plus 1 T. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. cream or milk (I just used milk)
4 T. butter or margarine
pinch salt
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c.  chopped nuts (original recipe called for 1/4 c.)
1/2 c. flaked coconut (original recipe called for 1/4 c.)

Beat together sugar, butter or margarine and egg.  Mix dry ingredient together and blend well.  Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture alternately with milk, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in zucchini.  Spread evenly into a foil-lined (preferable non-stick) jelly roll pan.  Mixture will be thin.  Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until cake tests done.  Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, cream or milk, and butter or margarine in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute..  Stir in salt, vanilla, nuts and coconut  Carefully spread over warm cake.  Put back in oven and bake until top begins to bubble.  Watch carefully.  Remove and cool on a wire rack.  Cut into squares.  Makes about 36 squares.

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