The zucchini that ate English Valley...

These are the first zucchini from my garden. I swear they got some gamma rays or something, because the last time I looked I had one tiny zucchini. I wasn't really moving the leaves around to look since I am irresistible to those biting pests that hang around dark places in the garden. Anyway, I have these two giant zucchini, what's a girl to do? Make Zucchini Bread! So here is the recipe I use for zucchini bread.

I start by peeling and seeding the zucchini. Some of my baking friends use the whole zucchini, skin, seeds and all. I use my food processor to grate the zucchini and store it in zip lock bags in 2 cup packages. Just enough for 2 large loaves. I keep it in the fridge for up to a week. I have added a couple of my own additions to the recipe. I always add orange zest to my zucchini bread. My micro plane gets a workout, but the addition of this simple ingredient makes this bread aromatic and delicious. I also add a little nutmeg, a little goes a long way so just a half teaspoon is plenty. I use a crumble topping, made with one half stick of butter, half cup of brown sugar, half cup of flour and half cup of chopped nuts. I use pecans. This topping is mixed and crumbled on top of the bread before it goes into the oven.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
zest of two oranges

Directions
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and zest until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans, add crumble topping.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
I've also baked this recipe in small aluminum pans. I make 8 loaves from this recipe and bake them for about 40 minutes.

I just remembered something from way back. There was a sketch on SNL, a take off of the movie The China Syndrome,(about the meltdown of a nuclear power plant) where President Jimmy Carter, played by Dan Aykroyd, grows to giant proportions due to the Pepsi Syndrome, someone spilling a Pepsi on a keyboard at a nuclear power plant...and causes a meltdown and the radiation starts leaking. President Carter comes to the power plant after the accident and starts growing and growing due to his exposure to the radiation...(perhaps like my zucchini;-) His giant face is looking into the window, and Rosalind, his wife is screaming, Jimmy, Jimmy! My mind is filled with useless, but humorous things...sadly most only amuse me. Oh well...You can actually google Dan Aykroyd , Pepsi Syndrome and read the complete script of this sketch, oh how I love technology!

Enjoy this beautiful day my friends, thanks for stopping by!

Love, Penny


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