Friday Shoot Out: Tastes and Smells

There is the overwhelming fragrance on a walk through the Amador flower farm in the Shenandoah Valley of the California Foothills....

And the wonderful, spicy smell of freshly sliced strawberries from the Great Central Valley....

But have you taken a deep breath while picking the tomatoes from your own garden?

 Have you smelled the subtle sweetness of a hand full of beans?

 

Or the fresh watery aroma of a freshly picked Zucchini ?

 Has the Basil captured your senses as you walk by on a hot summer day?
Nature has it's own way of getting your attention, but if you want lip smacking, in your face, goodness for your senses....
Put some fragrant flowers on your table, then go into the kitchen and make some Pesto with the freshly picked basil leaves. Cook some of the beans, cool them and put oil and vinegar dressing on them.  Now, slice some tomatoes and zucchini and add them to the beans.
Add some Pesto to some cooked pasta. Sweeten the strawberries and add a dollop of whipped cream for dessert.
How is that for the aromas and  flavors of Summer? Want to come for dinner?

Please go to this site for more photos on the subject of "taste and smells".

What to do with all that Zucchini

This is a great, basic Zucchini recipe. The prospector found it in the magazine section of our newspaper. There is a bit of preparation with cutting , grating and shredding but once you get it together and clean up the mess, it can be refrigerated and cooked later and that's the kind of dinner I like. If you live in a hot climate, cook it in the morning and serve it, cold, later in the day.

This is a dinner in itself. You can add a pork chop or some chicken for dinner but it's not necessary because this is a very filling dish. If you have it for lunch or dinner with a salad, you will have a really good meal. The recipe is very easy. I did make a few changes though. I rubbed the softened butter into the cracker crumbs instead of just "dotting" the butter on top of the crumbs. It was easier to pat into the baking dish and the butter taste was distributed better throughout the dish. I also use a release spray, like Pam, on the baking dish before pressing the crumbs into it. If you use an 8 by 8 in. pan the cooking time will be longer.

It's a pretty casserole. great for guests..., and delicious. What more can I say except, give it a try.... It also uses some of those amazingly, prolific Zucchini that are growing, like Topsy, in the garden at night. I swear they grow two or three inches while we're sleeping. This dish is best when warm, but we had left-overs the next day and it was good cold too.
This dish goes into my box of "good recipes". Next time I want to try some other spices or different crumbs and maybe some Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar. This is an adaptable recipe. The options are up to you. Enjoy!

The wild blackberries are ripening up down near the river. I can taste that pie already...