My mother-in-law gave us a giant zucchini from her garden. Maybe it's really not that big for a good ol' home-grown zucchini, but I'm used to the dinky little ones you buy at a grocery story - and this one was seriously huge by those standards. How convenient that my mom has an amazing zucchini muffin recipe! So last night after getting Michael to bed I was so excited to start making some muffins. I had already decided to blog about the zucchini adventure, because I had thought up a perfect photo of a plate of muffins and the huge zucchini - very artsy (yes, Alex and I are still hooked on the Food Network - so what?). I was able to enjoy the thought of this perfect photo for all of a minute before I realized - as I'm sure you already have - that I needed to use the zucchini to make the muffins, thus destroying my perfect photo. Boo! And yet, you see the photo above! No, I did not go back to my mother-in-law and ask for another ginormous zucchini just so I could take a picture (although I thought about it). What this photo doesn't show you is the chunk (2 cups worth, to be exact) that I took out of the back of the zucchini to make my muffins - all the while leaving the majority intact for the photo op. I was quite proud of my problem solving skills :)
I had forgotten how good these muffins are - I don't remember the last time I had them. But they are way too good to just have them for breakfast. In fact, they're practically dessert. The half batch I made last night (only one egg in the fridge - sad day!) is already gone (Michael and I shared the last one for a treat after lunch). On the agenda for today: go to the store and get more eggs, then bake more muffins tonight. (Of course, that depends on the cooperation of a certain little boy who absolutely refused to take a nap this morning - despite being ridiculously tired. To be more precise, he was perfectly happy to fall asleep in my arms, but refused to stay asleep or go back to sleep once I put him down in his crib. The jury is still out on where exactly he gets his stubbornness ;)) After shredding the entire zucchini (by hand - new on my wishlist: a food processor) I ended up with enough for six more batches of muffins - hip hip hooray! This plethora of shredded zucchini goodness is now safely in my freezer in two cup portions (the measurement for one batch of muffins) to be pulled out whenever we need a quick muffin fix.
So, for your culinary edification and delight, here's the recipe (courtesy of my mom, with the disclaimer that she says she probably got it from someone else, but doesn't remember from whom):
2 c unpeeled, shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 c oil
1 t vanilla
1 c sugar
2 c flour (white or wheat - I do half and half)
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 c oatmeal
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar. Mix flour, spices, soda and baking powder together in a separate bowl. Blend zucchini into egg mixture alternately with flour mixture. Do not over blend. Fold in oatmeal. Spoon into muffin pans lined with baking cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until slightly brown. Makes approximately 2 dozen muffins.
Enjoy! They go particularly well with a glass of iced chai or a cup of Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea (decaf, for the sake of the little insomniac and the sanity of his parents) :)
