Zucchini, Zucchini, Zucchini oh my!

     Our garden is growing and growing and growing zucchini.....and nothing else.  We get two to four zucchini a day and a family can only eat so much steamed zucchini so I've starting searching for other uses.
     Erik won't touch anything green unless it's a pea or an M&M. He'll happily pick the zucchini - but is very vocal about not eating it. I was looking on Pinterest (don't you LOVE that site?) for zucchini recipes and I found several that ROCK so I combined a few and tweaked them and came up with two that are SO yummy I had to share them here! You must make them.....today, as soon as you finish reading this, you won't be sorry!!

     Our oven is a crazy show, the top works great but the oven won't heat up unless the burners are on and kept on the whole time you're baking so you really have to babysit things and can't leave the kitchen.  I should just call my landlady and make her fix-it but she sits in my house ALL day whenever they come over and I feel her judging me....and I can't deal with her so I just make it work.  I'll call her when it's fall and we really amp up the baking, until then I'll just "Becky-rig" it and make it work.
     It makes Mike nuts to watch me cook.  He's a big rule follower.....and I'm not!  Bet you couldn't figure that out right?  I love to make him crazy by adding something the recipe doesn't call for or (gasp) substituting something else!  The best way I make him nuts is not timing anything I put in the oven.  He can't stand it!  He's finally stopped asking me how many minutes are left because my answer is "my nose will tell me when it's done".   I'm also the queen of taking several recipes and combining them into what I want, which is what happened here.
     Here's the winners!  Zucchini Bites - I would like to call them Zucchini Crack because you can't stop eating them until they are all gone.  I'm sure you have all the ingredients right now, and I suggest you double this because I didn't and Mom and I ate them all by ourselves in less than an hour (and then we didn't eat any dinner so that cancelled them out! right?).

                                 Zucchini Bites
Ingredients:
2 cups zucchini - grated
2 eggs
Some onion powder (I really have no idea how much - a couple shakes)
1/2 cup cheese (I used cheddar - but use whatever you like)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko - because that's what I had - but any kind would work)
Salt and Pepper - a few shakes of each
Italian seasoning - one good shake

Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 400.  Spray a mini muffin tin with PAM
2. Squeeze out that zucchini in a kitchen towel (I think it's totally gross - and then I worry that I'll have zucchini in my washing machine-but no one wants soggy zucchini crack )
3. In a bowl combine all the ingredients
4. Using a spoon fill muffin tins all the way to the top and bake until the tops are lightly golden browned and set (somewhere between 15-20 minutes).

These are AMAZING hot right out of the oven and they are still amazing cold after they've been sitting on the counter calling your name for an hour.  Seriously hide them from yourself - or double this recipe.

Here's what they look like when they first come out (do NOT judge the appearance of my pan....just keeping it real people).  Look at that - some were eaten before I could even take a picture! MOM!

Here's what they look like after about 15 minutes

 

See that?  We made 24 - and there are only 7 left!!!  Mom and I were the only ones eating them!  Crack I tell ya!

After an hour there were only two.......Poor Mike - he didn't get ANY!  Sorry Mike!


Here's the other recipe.  I have no pictures because I was making dinner for Erik at the same time and I just couldn't do that many things!

Zucchini, Banana, Chocolate Chip Muffins (to a 3 year old they are  ONLY chocolate chip muffins!)

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1 cup applesauce (I used the cinnamon kind - if you don't have that add a couple teaspoons of cinnamon to the ingredient list)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup grated zucchini (I did not drain it)
1 cup mashed banana
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I may or may not have added a tad more to use up the bag)

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350
2. Spray muffin tins or loaf pans (I chose muffin tins - but you can make 2 loaf pans with this)
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in applesauce and sugar. Stir in zucchini, bananas and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips; stir into the egg mixture. Pour into muffin tins or loaf pans. If baking loafs bake for an hour.  If baking muffins watch them and pull them out when a toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
I made mini muffins and it made 64!  Erik ate 3!  Woo Hoo!!  Tricked him into zucchini!

I hope your garden is spitting zucchini at you!!!  Happy beginning of summer!!!!!