For the Love of Zucchini

Great zucchini cornbread I made tonight: Super easy, sweet, with a surprising taste of cinnamon. Here's the recipe:

1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 small or medium zucchini ~ about 2 cups. (you can remove seeds if you prefer)

2 T butter

Cinnamon/Brown Sugar topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter ~ cubed (keep cold)

1 t cinnamon

1/4 cup rolled oats ~ uncooked (optional)

I like to cook this (or any cornbread) in a cast iron skillet.

Chop zucchini, do not peel, and remove seeds if desired. Cut into about 1 inch pieces and place into baking pan with 2 T butter. Place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes. (Just enough to melt the butter and start to soften the zucchini). Mix cornbread mixture according to package directions, set aside. Mix cinnamon/brown sugar topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly, set aside. Remove zucchini from oven and pour cornbread mixture over top. Sprinkle with cinnamon/brown sugar topping and bake for approximately 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown and top does not give upon touching center. Let cool about 5 minutes and serve.

My hubby took a bite not knowing it had zucchini in it...he thought it was apples. This tastes surprisingly good. Yum.

I really like zucchini. These are hybrids... 'Ball Mix' and 'Camoflauge Hybrid' from Burpee Seeds, a bit more pricey than other varieties, but the secret here is longevity ~ if not bruised and stored properly, they'll keep for months, no refrigeration needed. Last year, I grew 'Green Tiger' also, and had great tasting zucchini until December! I'm pretty sure they cross pollinate them with pumpkins to get the nice shapes and stripes...the longevity is a plus!

The great thing about this one, is I think it cross pollinated with a nearby pumpkin, (on top of what they do at Burpee) and is almost totally orange...except the cute dark green collar. It kind of reminds me of Batman.

All shapes and sizes helps keep zucchini from getting boring to quick!