When life gives you zucchini...

...make zucchini bread!

Nine batches, and counting...

If I ever get up the gumption to start my own garden, I won't need to grow zucchini, because I always get oodles and gobs of it from my mom and friends. I've received... let's see...10, I think, so far this year. But we aren't complaining, because we get to eat this lovely goodness every single day:

Those are chocolate chips, my friends. I put chocolate chips in it when I have enough. When I don't, I do raisins and pecans, which are just as good. I seriously think I've gained five pounds over the last few weeks...

Per Amy's request, the recipe (I got this from Nat's Better Homes and Gardens cookbook):

Zucchini Bread

3 cup shredded zucchini
1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans*
1/2 cup raisins*

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans that are 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 X 2 1/2 inches, or one loaf pan that is 9 X 5 X 3 inches. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder and mix again. Add the pecans and raisins and mix again. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake the 8 1/2 inch loaves 50-60 minutes, and the 9-inch loaves 70 mins to 80 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I'm usually able to pop them out of the pans immediately and put them on a wire rack to cool.

*I prefer chocolate chips to the pecan-and-raisin combination, unless I'm out of chocolate chips. If I've got the chocolate chips, instead of adding the pecans and raisins, I add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. With the pecans and raisins, you can use your mixer to mix them in to the batter, but with the chocolate chips, it's important that you just fold them in with a big spoon; if you use your mixer, the chocolate chips all end up settling to the bottom of the loaves. It's really weird. Trust me on this one; I've had nine batches to figure it out.

Here's another recipe I came across to help me use up the myriads of zucchini I've been given (I got this from a recipe book I have called Barbeques - Pot Lucks and Parties. I get a LOT of my meal ideas from this book. It's been really helpful):

Zucchini Casserole with Crumb Topping

2 onions, chopped
4 T butter
3 c. grated zucchini
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Bisquick
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Saute onion and zucchini in butter until almost tender. Place mixture in a greased 9X13 pan. Beat together eggs, sour cream, flour, salt, and pepper until blended. Pour mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle top with cracker crumbs and grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 mins, or until casserole is golden and puffy.

Last zucchini-involving recipe, again from my Barbeque book:

Grilled Fresh Vegetables

1 cube butter
1/2 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
Summer squash, sliced (as much as you want to do)
Zucchini, sliced (as much as you want to do)
1 portabello mushroom, sliced (I had some leftover small fresh mushrooms that I sliced, and it was just fine)
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in the microwave or small skillet. Add garlic and olive oil and stir to blend. Put the mixture into a cake pan or a pie pan, dip your slices of veggies into the mixture so that both sides are buttered, and throw them on the grill. Salt and pepper the first side. It takes about five minutes to grill each side. When you flip the slices over, pepper and salt the other side, too. I like to double this recipe and eat half the first night, half the second night (heated up, of course). I actually do this with all my meals - I make enough to last two nights. That way, I don't have to cook every single night. It helps my sanity.