Those are only two of the things i'm having a hard time keeping up with lately! Another you may have noticed is my poor ol' neglected blog. But you didn't come here to read about excuses, so let's just sweep that little fact under the proverbial rug, ok? ok. *wink*
My friend Kathy over at Pink Chalk Fabrics has been hosting "Where I Sew" month on her blog. Maybe you've been following along? The idea is simply to share some peeks of our sewing spaces — that means you, too! There is a "Where I Sew" button down there on the right sidebar that looks like this:
Click and it will take you to a page where you can add a picture of your own sewing room to the mix. It's been such fun (in a droolie kind of way) to see the variety of creative spaces that people have made for themselves. I've certainly picked up lots of great ideas for storage and shelving — you can never have too much of either. Kathy invited me to participate in the feature part, and today is my day! Go on and have a peek, but i have some confessions to make about the photo:
• My work table usually has piles of well, work on it. So yes, i admit it, i cleaned up before snapping the picture.
• I pieced the Fandango quilt top on my sewing table last December and have not gotten around to finishing it yet. It's my first UFO! I have to say it's kind of driving me nutso to see it folded and just sitting there on the shelf. But as you can see, i moved it closer to my sewing machine. Maybe that will do the trick?? Am i in denial?
• My entire work space, including where i sew and run my entire business is 11 feet 3 inches by 11 feet 2 inches. When a space is that small, believe me, every inch matters.
Kathy's online fabric shop is wonderful and her blog is informative and fun with great sewing tips/tutorials and info on trends in the fabric industry. In fact, i knew her blog long before ever meeting her in person and once we finally met at Quilt Market last fall, i felt i had known her forever! She's just that kind of person. Thank you, Kathy, for putting together this fun event and i can't wait to see where you sew!
And i leave you with...zucchini!
Those shades of green and the bright yellow blossoms are so beautiful, aren't they? But seriously, how do these things grow so fast?! It's gotten out of control around here. We're picking them by the armfuls and the situation has quickly gone from a gardener's delight to a cooking conundrum in a matter of days. All of these are sitting on our counter right this very minute:
Any ideas? I need your heeelp!
I always have an abundance of that green stuff too (unfortunately not the other green stuff that we all like!) so I pick it and then grate it. Then I package it in baggies in the amount that my zucchini bread recipe calls for. Then I freeze it. When I want to use it, I thaw it and then dump the whole bag, liquid and all, into the mixing bowl. Fresh picked zucchini bread any time of the year!
ReplyDeleteWhere I Sew sounds like fun. I'll have to check it out when we return from our vacation!
MGM
Hey Kate! I have a good recipe! Tastes delicious! I have done it and loved!
ReplyDeletebon apetit! xoxoxo Flávia
Here is the link (sorry, is in German, but look how google translates it!): http://www.kuechengoetter.de/rezepte/Quiche/Zucchini-Wuerfel-9107.html
250 g Yufka or filo pastry (fresh or frozen), 750 g small zucchini, ½ bunch mint, salt, 4 tablespoons butter, 3 eggs (size M), 100 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 125 g soft ricotta cheese (Italian cream cheese), 150 ml milk, pepper
step 1
The frozen phyllo or yufka pastry thaw according to package specification. Wash and clean the zucchini and grate coarsely on a vegetable grater. Mint Wash, shake dry and chop about 15 leaves finely. Zucchini and chopped mint mix, salt lightly.
step 2
Melt butter over low heat and let cool again. Beat the eggs with parmesan, ricotta and milk mix thoroughly. Under the zucchini, season with salt and pepper.
step 3
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. A rectangular ovenproof dish (approx. 18 × 25 cm) with baking paper. The fresh or thawed pastry sheets gently loosen each other, individually Brush with melted butter. The bottom of the mold cover it.
step 4
Zucchini mixture on the dough and flatten it. Form in the preheated oven (center, convection oven 160 degrees) and bake the ground about 45 minutes until it is firm and golden brown the surface. Zucchini cake to cool slightly. Cut into about 12 cubes and sprinkle with remaining mint leaves. Fits great with sliced beef and sauce.
I love zucchini bread, but I also cut my zucchini into spears (like a pickle) and toss them with some olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper and grill them. Then I sprinkle them with a bit of parmigiano reggiano.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried this yet, but it piqued my interest when I read about it. Using thinly sliced zucchini in lieu of pasta...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/zucchini-pasta
I'm not sure if you're a chocolate person, but here is a delicious chocolate zucchini cake recipe...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Zucchini-Cake-907
I drizzle mine with cream cream icing. Not very healthy, but it does help use up the zucchini!
I'll second the zucchini pasta swap that Amy recommended. And I've had some great zucchini cakes too!
ReplyDeleteeat the blooms...mix up ricotta, shredded cheese, shredded zucchini, bread crumbs & egg. stuff a spoonfull into bloom, brush with egg, roll in more bread crumbs and gently fry in oil, turn once...yummy!
ReplyDeleteMy family likes this recipe: http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/blbb233.htm
ReplyDeleteHere's a quick dinner pasta recipe that I got from an Italian friend.
ReplyDeleteGrate two medium zucchini and squeeze them to get out some of the liquid. Saute the zucchini with onion and garlic. Cook some pasta (I use the small penne). Add the cooked pasta to the zucchini, then scramble up two egss and add them to the mix. The hot pasta and zucchini will cook the eggs. Add parmesan cheese to your liking. Done.
I was going to give the "grate and freeze" method that Mary Grace gave above. You could toss the frozen stuff into soups and pasta/lasagna dishes too. -Sonia
ReplyDeleteWe like to take zucchini, cut it in half lengthwise, then drizzle olive oil and a parmesan spice mix on top. Put it on the grill, face up, while you're cooking dinner out there, and it's yummy! We also freeze a lot of zucchini- use a straw to suck the extra air out of a ziploc freezer bag and it's almost as good as fresh for about a year!
ReplyDeleteWe slice zucchini length wise and brush with either olive oil or butter and place on the grill. Sprinkle to your taste with Montreal Steak seasoning. Make sure to sprinkle other side when you flip it. Grill until tender. These are so tasty! Enjoy. Now I'm hungry for zucchini!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://allrecipes.com/recipe/blueberry-zucchini-bread/detail.aspx
ReplyDeleteZucchini bread is moist and doesn't taste like it is made with veggies.
For the big zucchinis (the ones you didn't see til they are the size of your forearm) split lengthwise, parboil, stuff with an Italian meat mixture, top with mozzarella and bake in pasta sauce. Its like lasagna without the noodles and ricotta.
Zucchini enchiladas! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/bountiful-garden-zucchini-enchiladas/detail.aspx I also make a lot of zucchini bread and freeze it for winter time.
ReplyDeleteLove your sewing space...and the zucchini looks wonderful. We never tire of it simply sautee'd in a little olive oil along with some Celtic salt and a dash of pepper!
ReplyDeleteI love zucchini and don't grow enough of it to get tired of it. It's great in all the ways people have suggested above. I also make a really tasty zucchini relish. I'm too lazy to get the recipe for you right now but if you would like it let me know and I'll type it up.
ReplyDeleteStuffed Squash Blossoms! Yummy Yum! I think I may have seen them on Martha Stewart along time ago. Pick and cook the blossom fast before it makes more zucchini.
ReplyDeleteYes, my idea is to send them to me! My zuccini plant is so far pretty useless for the 2nd year in a row! I'm going to try again. Chocolate Zuke bread freezes great.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate - the only recipe I know is my mum's zucchini slice - but what I really want to know is how are those two gorgeous kitties going ??
ReplyDeleteA grilled zucchini a day keeps the doctor away! Douse them with salt, pepper, and olive oil and grill 'em. They are great as is or added into pasta salad. I want to try Epicurious' Herbed Goat Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Sandwich recipe when the eggplants are ready. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteHi Kate!
ReplyDeleteI've got to get the recipe from my mom but imagine you could google it, and it would be well worth the effort -- chocolate zucchini muffins or bread!! SO delicious, and so healthy. I am not sure if someone has already recommended it as I didn't read through all of the comments, but if they haven't then I add my voice and vote in.
I am so pleased to see those lovely yellow blossoms here too. Mine are butternut squash that I started from seed, and now my scallopini are also coming up nicely, and then there's another one too...might be zucchini...I don't know. My raised beds are full to overflowing, and I'm not even sure what I planted anymore!! Gotta love summer.
Hope you are well!
Warmly,
Tamara
zucchini bread or muffins! at least, that's what my family did with all their excess zucchs. that and pawn them off on coworkers. i always loved late summer because i absolutely LOVE the zucchini bread my mother used to make. i'd eat it every day if i could! i posted the recipe my mother (and i) use here. enjoy! and feel free to send me some of your excess zucchs!
ReplyDeleteHere in Australia we love zucchini slice. Here is a link to the recipie http://www.today.9msn.com/article.aspx?id=1062211
ReplyDelete180 degrees celcius is a moderate oven (375 degrees ?). You don't need to cook it in a lamington tin. You can use an oval casserole or any type of dish that is suitable for the oven. It is great for lunches, picnics, barbeques and goes fantastic with a garden salad.
You can send some zucchini our way! LOL
ReplyDeleteBut seriously- when we have an excess of zucchini it gets shredded & frozen for zucchini bread. Our kids just gobble it up!
Kathy's shop is one of my favorites! Not too overwhelming, but always pretty fabrics that inspire!
ReplyDeleteWe have the same zucchini growing problem here. When I walked along a garden today, a lady gave me one. She didn't know what to do with them all. So, I'll be making zucchine soup (o:
What do you do with the slices?
Zucchini bread!!!
ReplyDeleteOr, cut them into thin slices and sprinkle a bit of sea salt, garlic and freshly grated parmesan and put them in the oven (set on broil) for 10 minutes or so. YUM!!! :)
Great sewing space! Here's a zucchini idea...It's not a recipe, but years ago I overlooked a few zucchini in my garden and they got HUGE!! I was having a 25th anniversary party for my Mom and Stepdad and I came up with a novel idea for the centerpiece. I put the giant zucchini in a basket and decorated them as a bride and groom. It was the hit of the party! :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you still have zucchini...
ReplyDeleteZucchini De Carpaccio
Thinly slice and lightly grill zucchini. While still warm, serve with thinly sliced parmesan, large capers, fresh black pepper and olive oil drizzled over the top.
Your blog and kitties are lovely!