One More Zucchini Recipe!

It is just after midnight, and a few minutes ago I wished my son, Luke, a very happy birthday! I can hardly believe that it has been 20 years ago that I first held that sweet little red- haired baby boy in my arms. We were so thrilled to have another son...that made the count four girls and three boys. The boys were catching up!! It is also my daughter-in-law Sara's birthday as well. Happy Birthday to you both!!!

Our little granddaughter broke her arm yesterday while hopping from swing to swing in the backyard! She is now the proud owner of a bright purple (thankfully water-proof) cast.  There is never a dull moment around here!

Here is one of my all-time favorite zucchini recipes.  My mom has fixed this dish for years and I have made it all of my years as chief cook around here!

Zucchini Bake

3 cups of zucchini sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 sweet Spanish onion, sliced

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a skillet and cook the onion and squash until tender. Place them in a 1 1/2 quart buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs. I tear bread into little pieces as it is easier than getting out the food processor!

Mix together:

3 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 8-oz can of tomato sauce

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Pour this mixture over the contents of baking dish and then sprinkle with 1/2 cup parmesan  cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until it is set and brown. This serves six. We use a 7 x 11 inch dish. This is a very flavorful dish you are sure to enjoy! Unfortunately, we did not get a picture of this one so you will have to take my word for the fact that it is a good looking dish!

We have had a couple of weeks of unseasonably hot weather, even for Indiana! I thought it would be a good time to get started on some projects for our fall craft open house. Here are some of the things I made:

 A new notebook design and knitted child's cap

These are from a handbag pattern that I have been playing around with! 

 I love these little tissue holders! They are such fun to make!

Have a happy day!

Diana

Sophie's Favorite Zucchini Recipe

Do you love to go the fair and get the fried veggies? Then you, like Miss Sophia, will love this  recipe! 

I slice my zucchini about 1/4 inch  thick for this dish.  I make a fritter batter as follows:

1 cup of flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

Beat all of the above in a mixing bowl with a wire whisk until it is smooth. Then I simply stir in the sliced zucchini. I heat about a quarter inch of oil in a skillet, and then when it is hot I lift the slices out of the batter with a fork and add them to the skillet. Fry them until they are nice and brown, and then turn them over and finish cooking the other side. I remove them to a paper towel lined plate and continue until they are all cooked.

When we go to the Indiana State Fair, they serve the fried veggies with a spicy sauce  that we have tried to copy. We play around with it, but basically I mix:

Mayonaise

mustard

honey

Red Hot sauce

Zataran's seasoning mix

You have to play with the ingredients because I have never written it down and always have to guess, but it is a very tasty dipping sauce.

Do you remember last winter when I told you about the geraniums that I had started? They were blooming in my kitchen window all through the snowy months. I planted them in my planter outside in late spring and they looked just awful!  The leaves turned a very sickly shade of gold and I thought for sure they were going to die.  But, they didn't! Here they are today!

Aren't they lovely?  They have really enjoyed the heat we have had. Gardening always seems to have such good spiritual application, doesn't it? When I think about the trials in my life, when the Lord "turns the heat up", do I become more lovely? Or do I resist the Master Gardener's work in my life and instead shrivel up and become ugly? My choice.

With love,

Diana

.

Susanna's Favorite Zucchini Bread

Susanna's favorite way to have zucchini is in this delicious bread. The recipe actually came from my oldest daughter, Elisabeth, who is a wonderful baker and gives many baked goods as gifts to the  many people in her life.  The secret ingredient in this moist bread is cream cheese!

Beat the following ingredients until smooth:

3 eggs

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of oil

1 t. vanilla

Add 8 oz cream cheese

stir together:

2 cups of flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt 

1/2 t. nutmeg

add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix.

Fold in 2 cups of shredded zucchini and 2 cups of chopped nuts. Spread into 2 greased and floured standard sized bread pans and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and invert onto cooling rack.

Susanna's variation:

Add 1/3 cup of cocoa instead of spices and add chocolate chips in place of nuts. I use about 1/2 cup of mini chips. She prefers everything with chocolate!!!

Enjoy!

Diana

Absolutely Fabulous Zucchini Relish

If you are like me, and think that there is nothing better than a grilled hot dog in the summer, then I have a recipe for you!  This recipe came from our real estate lady the summer we were buying our very first home of our own. Loree came in carrying a large bushel basket of zucchini and a handful of recipes for me. I was a young mom with three small children who had already experienced the joy of filling up my root cellar with canned and preserved food. So, I enthusiastically set out to conquer the basket of squash. We have enjoyed this relish  over the past thirty years and  you will never want to eat a hot dog without it once you try it.

INGREDIENTS

1. 11 cups of grated zucchini ( I slice out the center of seeds when I use larger zucchini.)
2. 4 cups of grated onions
3. 1 large green pepper
4. 3 tbsp salt

Combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl and cover with ice cubes and water. Let it stand in the frig overnight. The next day when you are ready to process the relish, wash your jars, boil your lids and get the water bath ready first, then your are ready to get started.  Wash your vegetable mixture with cold water, drain well, and then put it into a pot with:

1.  2 1/4 cups of white vinegar

2.  5 cups sugar

3. 1 tbsp mustard seed

4.  1 tbsp turmeric

5.  2 tsp celery seed

6. 1 tsp nutmeg

 Cook all of these ingredients together for 30 minutes. I buy my spices in the bulk section in the produce department. They are much less expensive!  Ladle the hot relish into the jars and process for 5 minutes. I double this recipe and it makes 8 pints. If you have a good supply,  you might as well double the recipe since it really is no more work.  This relish makes great gifts as well!

Have fun with this and heat up the grill!  My favorite brand of hot dogs is Hebrew National!

Diana

Reflections

We had the fun of hosting a Rotary Foreign Exchange student these past four months. Ben is a Dutch boy from Germany who chose to come to the USA for the year.  He went home yesterday and left a hole in our home and hearts. Ben is a fine young man with a heart as big as all outdoors and  who gives his all to every endeavor. He has a loud deep voice with a lovely accent that charms all the babies that come to our home (and the big people as well!) He was sad to leave and we were sad to see him go. We pray God's richest blessings on him and hope to see him again soon!

I have been thinking lately about my life and how blessed I have been to be able to stay at home and raise  my children. I have been a mother for 34 years now and have absolutely loved being a homemaker! I honestly don't think I have been bored for one single day being home. Homemaking is my chosen career, not something that I settled for. As such, I have given it my all, developing my skills as I went along. There are such a large variety of skills a woman can develop at home. There are, of course, the basics of housekeeping, cooking and cleaning, but these are only the beginning! Over the years I have learned to bake breads, make jams and jellies, freeze and can food from our gardens, sew my and my children's clothing, quilt, knit and crochet, make all kinds of crafts, make soap, garden, paint and wallpaper, lay flooring, homeschool my children, and all kinds of different things. What fun I have had! It seems to me that homemaking is becoming a lost art that needs to be revived. Young mothers need to be encouraged to bring their very best to their home for the sake of their families. I may sound old-fashioned, but I believe that the home is where true fulfillment lies for a woman. I love the old saying,"The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." I really believe this is true in the sense that we as mothers shape the future. I am going to continue to think on this and sees where it goes.

Last week in the garden, we had our initial harvest of ...zucchini!! I fixed my favorite recipes and had Luke take pictures so that I can share  them with you. So, get ready in the next few days for recipes that you will really love using that prolific vegetable of the summer!

Our oldest grand-daughter turned seven years old this month! She is growing into such a sweet young lady and we love her so much! Happy Birthday, Eloise! It is also Luke's, Sam's and our daughter-in-law Sara's birthdays in July. Birthdays are such happy days!

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Diana

Summer in my Garden

When we moved into this house nearly nine years ago, there were no gardens even though the house sits on three and a half acres.  Since I love flower gardens and Allen loves to grow veggies, we have been adding to the garden space steadily all these years. This year it seems as if the perennials are exploding! We brought a few of our favorites from our previous home and have been dividing and moving them around. And of course, we have added new ones.  We have also added over a hundred trees and bushes! A couple of weeks ago Luke took some pictures of the flowers and herbs.

Four years ago I started these hydrangeas from little tiny starts from my daughter's garden in the country. They have done so well and are just gorgeous this year!

This is just outside of our side entrance. I love to see this little boy reading his book so peacefully in the patch of lamb's ears.  He is just so cute!

This little birdbath sits under a huge old oak tree in our backyard. It is a wonderful, sprawling tree that provides a deep shade for the back yard and gives a bit of relief even in the 90+ degree weather we are having right now.

Last year we put in a big round herb garden in the sunny side yard. I wanted it to be in a spot visible from the kitchen window, since I spend so much time in the kitchen.  I planted kitchen herbs as well as herbs such as the calendula pictured above, for my soap. I love these brilliant yellow, gold and orange blooms! They are so cheerful and look lovely with the other plants out there.

Lavender is one of my all-time favorites! I have five varieties of this fragrant plant and use them in my lavender soap and shampoo bars. I love running my hands over the plants and smelling the fragrance that is left on the skin.  Lavender also repels insects!

I hope you have enjoyed the garden walk!

Blessings!

Diana