Zucchini?

[Lindsey]

Okay who has a recipe that involves zucchini? I have never used zucchini before (except maybe once, in Home Ec class in high school...) and I don't know what to do with it! My mom gave me two from her garden and they've been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks. I need to do something before they go bad!

[judy]

Easy idea - slice it up, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, then grill it until it's as soft as you like it. Yummy!

I've seen recipes for zucchini chips that look good too. Google it. Something with breading and baking.

What kind of zucchini? The long green ones? I love them!

[Lindsey]

Thanks Judy! Yes, they are long and green lol. My ex's mom used to grill them (maybe?) and use them in wraps and stuff. I think I made zucchini loaf in high school once. It's just not something I've ever really eaten!

[DianaB]

You can dip them in cornmeal seasoned with salt and pepper and fry them in oil. That's my favorite fattening way to eat them. Cook until they are brown on each side. Yummmm......

We've been broiling them in the oven. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray so they don't stick. Sprinkle salt and pepper then broil until they're slightly brown. Turn over and broil the other side until slightly brown. These are good too!!

There are sooo many zucchini recipes on the internet. You can grind them up and make a cake which is really good and moist. It's a very versatile vegetable!!

[Janet]

I've never made anything with this, but my brother's wife makes bread and cake. Says it's the most moist she's ever had.

[gja1000]

yep, zucchini bread is very very good! I love them fried too - but very fattening, so I don't often do it.

[judy]

I would love to have the fried, but too fattening for me too. Do any of you have a low cal zucchini bread recipe?

Linds, this is so yummy!!!

[DianaB]

You could change any sugar in it to Splenda and make it lower sugar. I don't think that it has much fattening in a cake because the zucchini is what adds the moisture.

[gja1000]

Zucchini bread does have quite a bit of oil, but you could sub part of the oil with applesauce. If you used splenda instead of sugar too, it should be much lower cal.

[DianaB]

I've been eating a lot of milled flax seed and the box says that you can replace it in recipes for oil. You'd probably have to work the recipe a little.

[judy]

I never heard of that, but zucchini season is over here. Since the floods, our supermarket is closed, so there is not much variety in food nearby.

They are supposed to reopen at the end of the month, and I can shop more easily then for out of season produce. I'm not complaining though. Getting farm grown local produce is great, and there are several places to go. I guess it''s back to winter squash, apples and pears for now.

Is anybody decorating for Halloween? I have some squash out that are serving as decorations, at least until I eat them.

[gja1000]

Gary bought me some gourds and a funny looking pumpkin the other day. I have them on my kitchen table.

oops. sorry that pic is sideways, it's not on my computer???

[Janet]

The only decoration I have up are a couple small scarecrows and a few figurines (did I spell that right? Doesn't look like it...lol). They were Mom's and I hadn't put them away with my things yet so I just set them out. I should get a pumpkin to sit on the front porch.

[DianaB]

I don't have anything out yet. I'm so slow about getting decorations out. I have a set of three pumpkins that are made out of wood and painted. They're just square but are cute. The porch is still filled with my summer plants so I need to get them moved to get out the pumpkins.

[judy]

I'm not bothering with decorating outside. There are no kids up here now, and, having lived in an apartment building all of my life, I never got into the habit of decorating outside. Christmas is different though. I have my wreath ready!

I brought my summer plants in weeks ago, Diana! We have had a couple of frosts already.

I might find some small evergreens to put in the deck planters. I think that would look nice when I look out the window. The only problem is, what would I do with them come spring? We aren't supposed to plant our own stuff outside. I would anyway, but I arranged with our landscaper to redo some of my front garden. It's a very good deal. I pay for the foliage. Maintenance is already paid for as part of my monthly condo fee.

I guess I can pot the evergreens and give them to Jessie.

[DianaB]

I'd just keep the evergreens all summer as well. They can provide you with greenery all year round. You may have to repot them into larger pots though. Next summer you could add a couple of pots of flowers to sit beside them.

We haven't frosted yet but probably will soon. It usually happens sometime in October. I have a couple of ferns that I need to bring in. I had one that I kept last year and divided it into three parts so I had three ferns outside this year. I thought that was pretty good thinking instead of buying them. The two that I'm bringing in are the nicest that are outside. The rest I'll let go and just divide again next summer. I also have a couple of other plants that I'll save through the winter. Thank goodness for my large windows!!!

I've really been getting into Orchids lately and have probably 15 or so. I have two that are reblooming and another that's about to and I bought a new one that's about to bloom!! The blooms are so beautiful!!! Several of them are miniatures so I'm not sure when they'll bloom but it will be exciting when they do!!!

[Lindsey]

We have had frost every night for the past couple of weeks. I need to get off my butt today and pull the rest of my carrots and onions. The frost hasn't gone deep enough into the ground to affect them yet, but it's getting there!

I went to the dollar store yesterday and bought a whole bunch more decorations! I'm doing all my Halloween decorating today :D I brought the box of last year's stuff up from the basement, so it's all ready to go!

[DianaB]

I still don't have any decorations out yet!!! Chi Alpha carved a couple of pumpkins and left them so I'll go get them and bring them up on the porch. They always do cute carvings!!

[Janet]

The only decorations I have out are just a few figurines and a couple scarecrows. Haven't bought a pumpkin or any gourds yet.

[DianaB]

Ok....I didn't even get out the wooden pumpkins!!! I do have some carved pumpkins that Chi Alpha carved and some that Dae Lynn and the kids carved. Maybe I should just head for the Christmas decorations now......then maybe I'd have them out in time!!! LOL

[Janet]

No Diana...it's way too early....lol Wal Mart is already using Christmas bags. I'm just not ready for holidays yet. This afternoon I did put away the few Halloween figurines I had out. Took me a whole 2 minutes...LOLOL