This is What Happens...

...when I go for a buggy ride in the neighborhood....(my story in pictures)

Fern very nice this year

Elderberries ripening

Invasive Honeysuckle???

Daylily

Yardman— AKA > Rock Wall Builder

New project work

Home patio base

Garden Wall

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

And I returned home with a zucchini and cucumber from his garden so I baked zucchini bread the very next morning.

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Gifts

There are gifts and there are gifts... I'm one of the lucky people who has a thoughtful and caring daughter living nearby who visits and brings food items, both fresh and baked, and can pony-tail my hair! I have a caring neighbor who has been picking up my full laundry basket every week for about eight weeks, returning it clean, folded and delivered. How wonderful is that? Then there is another who brought me two home baked zucchini bread loaves yesterday and, let me tell you, they are soooooooo good. We ate 1/2 one for breakfast already! 

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I also have a friend who lives about 90 miles away who is sending me a book she liked, and some ice patches for shoulder issues. I am really blessed with goodness!

Three and Me

1.  A neighbor gave me a dozen of his wonderful brown eggs.
2.  A neighbor gave me a cup of freshly picked blueberries.
3.  A daughter gave me a zucchini from her garden.

• The walnuts were part of a Christmas gift from a son.

What to do? What to do?

I know! 
I'll bake bars.
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Zucchini Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan with shortening or spray with cooking spray. ( I lined pan with Release foil.)

2. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, oil and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in zucchini and pecans. Spread in pan. (I used a cup of chopped walnuts) (I added a cup of blueberries)

3. Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

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Zucchini SUPREME!

A rainy morning activity and a good sense of accomplishment is today's tale. The Mister serviced his snow thrower and rearranged the interior of the shed to put it in the back area. I was slicing and dicing and preparing the pan of goodness. This recipe was given to me by a farming neighbor many many years ago and I now make it about twice a year. It never seemed to be as a labor intensive project but that is probably because I'm not as ginger as I once was.  You just cannot go wrong with this dish! 
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RECIPE - ZUCCHINI SUPREME

4 C Water

6 C Sliced zucchini —I used shredded & pre-frozen from daughter's garden

1 C Shredded carrot

1/4 C Chopped onion

1 tsp. Salt

1 can (103/4 oz.) Cream of mushroom soup—I used cream of chicken

1 C Sour cream

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Pepper

4 C Seasoned stuffing croutons

1/2 C Butter, melted

Bring water to boil. Add zucchini, carrots, onion and salt. Cook 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender - then drain.

Combine croutons and butter.

Place HALF of the crouton mixture in a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, garlic powder

and pepper. * Fold into the vegetable mix.

Put this mixture in the baking dish.

Top it with the remaining crouton mixture.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

* Note - sautéed country sausage and/or sautéed mushrooms may be added to this. I added both this time and topped it with a small amount of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

I also lined my baking dish with Release Foil.
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please click on image to see the goodness

Zucchini Supreme

Sometimes I see posts from people that just like the pretty pictures of the foods, but they never actually make the items shown.  Well I only show what I really make or bake. Today I got out the old old Bluffton cabbage slicer and sliced up the beautiful young zucchini that my neighbor brought to me. The recipe is simple but as I age, it seemed to take a while to put together.  The old slicer is a great helper for me but I sure do have to watch my fingers. Sliced a piece of my thumb once a long time ago and learned the lesson.

I took a few pictures as I made this and then we had a taste! REALLY GOOD!

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~Recipe~

4 C Water

6 C Sliced zucchini

1 C Shredded carrot

1/4 C Chopped onion

1 tsp. Salt

1 can (103/4 oz.) Cream of mushroom soup

1 C Sour cream

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Pepper

4 C Seasoned stuffing croutons

1/2 C Butter, melted

Bring water to boil. Add zucchini, carrots, onion and salt. Cook 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender - then drain. *

Combine croutons and butter.

Place HALF of the crouton mixture in a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, garlic powder

and pepper.  Fold in the vegetable mix.

Put this mixture in the baking dish.

Top it with the remaining crouton mixture.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

* Note - sauteed sausage may be added to this. YUM!

To see more about this kitchen tool, the slicer, please click on link of my older post.

Slicer Story