Is It October Yet?

I don’t know about you, but by this point in July I’m usually growing pretty tired of summer and longing for the crispness of fall. But I know that come February, I’ll be wishing I had done a better job of appreciating summer and all its balmy delights.

I found a way to merge summer and my fall lust this week: zucchini spice bread.

I grow zucchinis in my garden, and they are blowing up this season! Check this guy out (teaspoon included for size reference):

I searched Martha’s site for zucchini recipes and came across the zucchini spice bread recipe from the September 2003 issue of Everyday Food. It looked like it would help make use of my immense zucchini supply while also indulging my fall craving with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

I followed the directions on the site, except that I shredded my zucchini in the food processor (much easier than grating) and I added a few handfuls of regular and golden raisins.

The recipe did not disappoint! The bread is moist and delicious, marrying the fresh veggies of summer with the spiciness of fall. It’s actually much better on day two, once everything has fully cooled and the moisture has set in.

Next time I might try substituting some of the oil with unsweetened applesauce or canned pumpkin. Two-thirds of a cup of oil seemed like a lot to me, but the bread sure is moist!

Are your summer veggie gardens producing? How are you making use of your harvest? And am I the only one wishing it was fall already?!! Let me know in the comments.

The Busy Night Lifesaver Meal Plan

Wednesday is the busiest day at my house. My husband's always gets home from work a little later, as Wednesday is CSA food pick-up day. Bad timing, since my weekly knitting group meets at 6:30. Add the mid-week malaise and the last thing anyone wants to do is cook. We're lucky if we can exchange a five-minute conversation, let alone dinner.

This recipe for Mediterranean Chicken originally appeared in Martha Stewart Living. We can't make a nutritionally dicey boxed dinner in the time it takes to create this fresh, delicious, healthy feast that combines many of my family's favorite flavors. We pair it with fast-cooking whole-wheat couscous with a handful of crumbled feta. This meal has bailed us out on many Wednesday nights, and will be doing so again this week.

The simple techniques in the recipe lead to a multitude of possibilities. One of these Wednesdays I'll try this with tilapia instead of chicken. Or pork. Maybe even lamb chops and a little mint. During the summer, I'll gladly replace the grape tomatoes with slices of fresh, locally-grown tomatoes, whose juices should caramelize beautifully in the oven.

Mediterranean Chicken
Serves 4

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 16 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  
• 3 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 boneless chicken breasts with the skin on (although I always use skinless and it's still yummy).
• Coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Toss tomatoes, olives, capes, and 2 tablespoons olive oil together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot. Add remaining tablespoon of oil; heat until hot but not smoking. Place chicken in the skillet, skin side down; cook until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn chicken over. Add tomato mixture to skillet.
3. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through and tomatoes have softened, about 18 minutes.