Thursday, August 22, 2013

Zucchini Overload

Usually at our house, we have a zucchini overload this time of year. Not as much this year, but in normal years, I have more than I think I can ever use. I love it! I love zucchini. I love all of the things you can make with it. So today I thought I would share a couple of my favorite zucchini recipes. Then, the next time you have more zucchini than you know what to do with, you can try one of these!

As a kid, my favorite part of zucchini season was zucchini pancakes. I have to warn you, these are not your standard pancakes. In fact, these are savory, cheesy, wonderful goodies that will leave your mouth watering. The recipe isn't exact. You will find that you have to vary it in order to get it work. A lot depends on how wet your zucchini ends up being. But here are the basic ingredients:

Shredded zucchini
finely diced onion
egg
bread crumb
cheese
salt and pepper
shredded cheese

For my little family, I usually need at least two zucchini's to make this as a meal. You mix everything together. You want the consistency to be thick enough to hold together in a frying pan, but not quite as thick as you would see a meatloaf. Then, place in a buttered frying pan (butter is best here)and form into a pancake shape. Let it fry away beautifully. Cook on each side until it is a dark brown. Golden brown looks good, but it won't hold together to flip it unless you go a little longer. Then, flip and cook through on the other side. These are so tasty. When I was in college, I made these all the time in the fall. My roommates even liked them! My husband likes to put salsa on his. Growing up, on put ketchup. As an adult, I love them just plain. Either way, they are AWESOME!! In fact, these might be dinner tonight.

One of my other favorites is a recipe I recently rediscovered. My Mom tells me she used to make it all of the time. I don't remember this. But a couple of years ago, I pulled it out of the family cookbook and made it. I loved it! Now we make it several times during the late summer/early fall. The best part about this recipe is that it freezes great. So make an extra pan of it and in the middle of winter, you can taste those fresh summer flavors.

Zucchini Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. sliced green onions
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Chili powder
1 c. sour cream
1 large tomato, sliced
3 zucchini, diced
1 small can green chilies
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 c. cooked rice
2 c. grated monterey jack (can use cheddar, too)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute beef, zucchini, onions, and seasonings in a lightly greased skillet until meat is browned through and vegetables are tender. Add green chilies, rice, sour cream, and one cup of cheese. Turn into a buttered, shallow 2 quart casserole dish. Arrange tomato slices on top. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Now, I have to be honest here. I'm not a big fan of the cooked tomatoes on top. Most of the time, I just skip that step. Especially if I'm going to freeze it. But I still love the recipe!! But dessert may be more your thing. Everyone knows about zucchini bread and zucchini cake and all of those lovely treats. But in my family, the only way to eat it was as Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. Now you can see why we loved it, right? Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. So, when you need a chocolate fix, but still want it to be a little healthy, look no further.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. grated zucchini
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. cocoa
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts (opt)

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar, oil, and remaining ingredients. Beat two minutes. Place in two greased and floured bread pans or one bundt pan and bake at 350 for about one hour.

Enjoy those zucchini. Now to decide which one to make first!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Our Unexpected News

So, I've mentioned before that our little family experienced a miscarriage at the end of April, beginning of May. It was a really hard experience for me, as a mom. Especially as I'm nearing my mid thirties and I realize that the time is slowly slipping away. But about a month ago, we received some unexpected, but very happy news. We are expecting again! I'm happy to say that I have passed that lucky 12 week mark, so what better time to share it. Now that most of our immediate family knows, it is time to share it with all the rest of you!

This obviously isn't going to be a long blog post, but hopefully worth the read as you share in our wonderful joy!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Fun Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

So, this weekend, my parents drove out to stay with us for a couple of nights. The kiddos were so excited! It is always so much fun when they come out to our house. We had a friend and neighbor tell us recently that we would discover that the road coming out to our house only goes one way. People generally expect us to drive to Salt Lake to visit them, not the other way around. So, whenever someone can come, it is always such a treat. Our house is very small, but we always make room for visitors. Anyway, Saturday ended up being one of those nearly perfect days.

It was UBIC weekend where we live. This is like our town days. It was even bigger because this year, our town is turning 100 years old. They had a free concert at the park followed by fireworks. It was so much fun to watch our Rally girl as she danced along to all of the singers and to watch Grandpa and G man play in between. What a relaxing evening! We got to listen to David Osmond and the Spin Doctors. There is something about sitting on a grassy hill, listening to a band, that is so relaxing. My Dad pointed out something to me that I haven't thought of before. "Only in a little town could they have this. In a big town, people wouldn't come or the city wouldn't pay for this kind of event so that everyone could participate." There are some great blessings to living out here! But more important than the concert was the great time we got to spend as a family. Both kids were so well behaved! It never happens that way. So, I thought I would share some of our fun pictures