Fresh from the oven.....

July is Summer squash time and we have been blessed with a bountiful supply from neighbors and friends. Seems a little bit goes a long way and unless you are in the garden every day some of the zucchini gets pretty big.

Yesterday was my day to be the zucchini queen. Bear in mind I totally love yellow crooked neck squash and as far as I know I seem to be the only third grader in the history of the world who wrote a report on squash as their "favorite vegetable". (Just ask my mom....it's one of her favorite stories.) I have no problem with yellow squash...I love it steamed with Vidalia sweet onions. (It's the Georgia girl coming out in me!)

Zucchini is a really mild squash and takes on the flavor of anything it's cooked with. The zucchinis I was working with were of the very large variety (one yielded 4 cups ). So yesterday I put on my apron (which means I was getting serious about cooking) and made the following recipes with my bounty.

Bumper Crop Zucchini Pancakes

5 cups of shredded zucchini
3/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese grated
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Dairy sour cream (optional)

Toss zucchini with salt and place in a colander and let drain over 15 minutes.

In a large bowl beat the eggs and garlic. Stir in the flour, cheese, onion, and pepper until just moistened (batter should be lumpy). Stir in zucchini until just combined (mixture will be thick.)

For each pancake drop 1 rounded tablespoon of batter onto hot, lightly oiled griddle, spreading to form a 3 inch circle. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes per side or until the pancake is golden brown.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

These freeze beautifully too!

I also made Carrot and Zucchini Bars

1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs slightly beaten
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting optional but yummy.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Then add all others left stirring just to combine. Spread batter into an ungreased 13x9x2 inch baking pan.

Bake about 25 minutes till toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Wow....who knew veggies could be so good!

Yes, I also have several zucchini bread and even Chocolate chip and zucchini muffins recipes. I think I'm hanging up my apron for a while now.

( This Lazy Daisy rarely cooks and I posted these recipes because I know that next year at this time I'll be looking for these same recipes again. )