Christmas Come Early (and more tales of zucchini)

I have a zucchini update for you, but I am so SICK of talking about, thinking about, dreaming about and eating the darned stuff that it will have to wait...

I would much rather fill you in on the events (or rather THE event) of the past weekend.  We are fortunate in the community that I live in to have something called a 'Little Monsters Swap Meet', which is basically a huge garage sale that focuses mainly on all things babies and kids.  Moms from the community (and a few businesses) can rent tables and sell or swap their kids hand-me-downs with other moms, dads and kids in the community.  This is a HUGE event in our community, and each time people line up from a ridiculously early hour in order to get in first and get the best deals.  This time around, my friend Carla had rented a table and as such, I went to help her out.  The best part?  As a seller you get first dibs on all of the good stuff!  Before the doors had even opened, I had stocked up for all of my son's birthday and Christmas gifts!  I bought him a bouncy house, a huge stack of books, a chalkboard easel, a ride-em motorbike, a shake 'em race car set, some puzzles and a tool bench with a ton of tools... all for about $200!!!!  (The bouncy house alone is worth that purchased new).  I know, I know, I probably went a little bit crazy, but I sure don't get opportunities like this very often.  Most of the toys are now hidden away in my house for birthdays, Christmas, and rainy days to come.  Given my disdain for all things packaged and expensive, it really was like Christmas for ME!  Thanks to Amanda and Amanda for putting on such a wonderful event!

And now, (sigh), back to the zucchini...

The good news is that after literally putting zucchini in our meals 2-3 times per day, we have finally started to make progress on 'the pile'...

The bad news is that I can hardly stand the thought of putting another bite of it in my mouth... in any form! 

On the other hand, there have been some real winners, so to speak, throughout this contest. 

First there was the zucchini balls...

Those were delicious, especially served with tzatziki on the side...

Then there was the crab stuffed zucchini...



It was also delicious...

I have one more recipe to make for the official contest (Moussaka - don't worry Linds, I will get there!) and then I am freezing whatever is left! 

I have just one more thing to share... last night I invented a perfect way to use up veggies in your fridge... carrots, onions, potatoes and you guessed it... zucchini!  I called it 'Hidden Zucchini Curry' and I just have to share: (there are no amounts b/c I just don't cook that way!)

-Ground Chicken

-Garlic Salt
-Garlic
-Pepper

Saute the above until chicken cooked through

-Carrots and Zucchini: about 4 cups after they've been through the food processor
-1/2 cup onion
-Olive Oil
-Salt
-Potatoes, diced, about 3
-Potato flour
-Chicken broth - 2 cups
-Curry paste
-1 can coconut milk

-Saute carrots, zucchini and onions in olive oil and salt. Add potatoes. Add flour until thickened. Add broth steadily to make a roux. Add curry paste and then coconut milk. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Add chicken and serve topped with raisins and plain yogurt over rice.

Your husband and kids will never guess just how many veggies you managed to sneak in there!  That is a Marebare guarantee!

Whew!  That is enough outta this girl.  Happy cooking!

Marebare

Zucchini Update

Thank you to those loyal readers who have taken pity on my zucchini problem and sent me their delicious zucchini recipes.  I have decided that those of you who have submitted recipes are likely gardeners as well and completely understand the urgency of the situation. 

That being said, I spent much of Friday in the kitchen trying to use up the 'schwarzenegger'-sized squashes... (love the visual by the way Rebecca!)  First up was a crustless zucchini quiche, submitted by The Almighty Beckster (aka Rebecca).

 

Next up was a chocolate courgette cake courtesy of Mrs. Green.  Who knew that the Brits use the much-cooler-sounding word 'courgette' rather than zucchini?  Personally, I love it, and the only thing that would make it even better for me would be to hear it pronounced in a British accent!  On the other hand, I am pretty sure that I can't pull it off, so I will continue to call them zucchini...

Both were delicious, we enjoyed the quiche for breakfast on Saturday morning (and my husband even like it, and he hates green stuff of any kind!) and I brought the cake to a party on Friday night...

You will have to wait until the contest is over in order to see who the winner is... Speaking of the contest,

I still have quite a few of the 'green monsters' left, so hop to it!

Thanks again to those who have participated so far... I wait with bated breath for the next round of recipes!

Adios for now!

Marebare

The Zucchini Challenge

Everyone likes a challenge right?  Well, as I alluded to in my last post, I am overrun with a certain elongated green squash in my kitchen.  One of my friends sent me some fabulous-sounding recipes to help me do away with the stuff, which led me to try one of her ideas out this afternoon... but more on that later.

What I am proposing is that YOU, dear reader, send ME (crazy-blogger-woman) your very best zucchini recipe (and here is a twist, it can't be for your everyday run-of-the-mill zucchini loaf).  Go crazy, think outside the box, see what wonderful delicacies you can come up with.  They can be from your own recipe collection, or hey, just go on line and pick something that you think sounds AWESOME...

On my end, and for your efforts, I promise to cook each recipe, in the order that they were submitted, until the zucchini supply is gone.  What is in it for you?  A $10 iTunes Gift Card courtesy of yours truly (and yes, it is a re-gift) goes to the one dish that my family (yes, my family) votes on as the tastiest. Oh, and one more rule, you can only submit ONE recipe.  You can e-mail them to me at marebarenecessities@gmail.com

Now, onto the matter at hand, I have already begun the contest with today's recipe: Zucchini Lasagna... Leslie gets credit for this one b/c she started this whole thing by sending me recipes in the first place...

I actually got the recipe from Elaine over at the The Italian Dish, one of my new favorite cooking blogs.  Elaine comes from an Italian background, and according to her blog, this zucchini lasagna recipe is delicious, so, I thought that I would give it a try.

I followed her instructions to a tee...

...and it was pretty straightforward.  I had to make one exception and used gluten-free breadcrumbs as my dreaded gluten intolerance seems to have returned (more on this another day). 

But, after putting it all together and baking for one hour at 350, it came out simmering, bubbling and smelling irristable.

So, after my first go at a recipe, here is what is left of my zucchini supply...

So, now, I leave it to you... looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Take care and happy recipe hunting!

Marebare