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July's Featured Ingredient is: 

Zucchini

Zucchini by itself doesn’t really have a lot of taste, but its versatility makes it a fun ingredient to cook with.  If you have a garden, with zucchini in it, you know they need lots of space!! In fact, they can literally take over your garden as our first planting did!

zucchini plant

They’re an ideal vegetable to start with if you’re new to gardening, as they require little maintenance and they’re also relatively pest resistant. They produce delicate green & orange blossoms which are edible!  They’re generally stuffed (usually with ricotta & mozzarella mixture), battered,  and then fried.

fried stuffed zucchini

Definitely a delectable treat!

Tips for picking Fresh Zucchini:  Look for zucchini that are firm, have smooth skins and are heavy for their size.  This is an indication that they have a high water content which means it hasn’t dried out; hence it’s fresher then one of equal size but much lighter in weight.  Also, choose zucchini that are 7”-9” long.  Any longer, and it means they have a lot of seeds, and their skins are slightly tougher.  You can use the larger ones for shredding for zucchini bread and pancakes.

yellow zucchini flower

The following are zucchini recipes I experimented with: 

Grilled Zucchini - quick and easy! 

If you want to take it up a notch try the grilled zucchini rollatini bites 

Grilled Zucchini 

Grilled Zucchini Rollatini Bites

Zucchini and Spinach Side Dish (Lasagna Style)

spatula
hand mixer
whisk

July’s Featured Kitchen Utensil: 

The Silicone Pastry Brush

silicone pastry  brush

While not an essential kitchen tool, I do love it because it allows me to spread butter & oil evenly over the surface of my saute pans, which believe it or not, helps with portion control (needing less than you think).  It’s also great for applying glazes and egg washes.  I prefer brushes made with silicone to a traditional boar's hair pastry brush because they don't ‘shed’ and they're dishwasher safe. 

 Culinary Tips, Techniques, & Trivia...

Did you know that most of the endive grown in the U.S. is grown in the dark? This helps eliminate some of its bitterness and accounts for the lack of green in color. 

endive

It's 5:00 somewhere!

Raspberry-tini

July’s cocktail is a Raspberry-tini.  Made with both fresh and frozen raspberries, fresh lime juice, orange flavored vodka, triple sec, and raspberry lemonade. 

Very refreshing!

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Cheers!

3 raspberry-tini cocktails
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