Zucchini

Brownies for Mom's day or any celebrationIf you're searching for a delicious Mother's Day gift or a treat for a special occasion, look no farther than Ellicott City, where stay-at-home moms Joann Francavilla and Linda Lawrence have come up with the most delectable brownies I've ever seen. These chocolate squares feature a truffle-like base topped with a creamy layer of raspberry, espresso or creme de menthe. A dozen of the brownies cost $12 and are prettily arranged on a gold-scalloped platter wrapped in festive cellophane and colorful ribbon.

Do you ever feel as if you're committing a crime when you serve your favorite baked goods? Pat Wolf, who wrote to us from Pittsburgh, does."I enjoy making loaves of this Chocolate Zucchini Bread for my friends," she writes, "but I feel as if I'm killing them. Can you reduce the fat and calories and still produce a nice moist loaf?"The recipe was very satisfying to reinvent. Our version has the original's tender crumb, crunchy nuts and rich, chocolaty flavor, but only one-third the fat. It was so good, in fact, our staff tasters unanimously agreed that we have indeed created a loaf to die for.Streusel-topped apple bread was an old favorite in Louise Watson's family.

Anyone who has ever sown a few basil seeds in a patio container can testify that the herb absolutely loves warm, humid weather.This fragrant, fragile herb is easy to grow and produces prolifically if you trim off the flowers. Right about now, pesto-weary gardeners are wondering how much basil one clay pot can produce.Like many of the culinary herbs, basil also is a strong herbal medicine. A member of the mint family, it can be used as a tonic and an antiseptic. Rub crushed, fresh basil leaves on skin to relieve insect bites.

Light but zesty foods can taste just right in the heat of summer. This vegetarian pasta yields lots of garlicky veggies and very thin spaghetti or capellini. The large portobello mushrooms have become a staple and are considered the steak version of a mushroom. Many supermarkets now carry them sliced. Of course, they are very low in calories with no cholesterol.A substantial spinach salad with crunchy croutons rounds out the easy feast. Keep the chill going during dessert with fresh mango slices topped with a fruity sorbet.

WHEN LAST WE left the fat zucchini, they were hanging in a pillowcase from the rafters of the back porch.The saga of the suspended zucchini began last week when I scooped out some wide-bodied zucchini, filled them with sugar, stuffed them in a pillowcase and waited for them to ferment. The idea, pulled from a cookbook, was to make a zucchini rum that would drip from the pillowcase and be collected in a bowl. That process has now been completed and has produced two notable results. First, it has brought forth a liquid.

I've had enough tomatoes, please. I don't wish to be rude, but please, no more tomatoes. Please!Turn a corner these days and somebody offers you tomatoes. "Grew 'em in my garden," they say with a contrived modesty that always fails to mask their overweening pride.They look at you with that odd expression on their faces, a mixture of condescension and expectancy. They seem to be waiting for you to acknowledge their superiority and then anoint them with your gratitude. But I never know what to say, or do. Shake their hands?

WHAT DO YOU do with fat zucchini? It is a question that folks in this region struggle with every summer.The svelte zucchini - those long, slender and tender vegetables - are always in demand. These little numbers are very popular with the saute and crudite crowds. But the wide zucchini, the extra-extra large size, are always struggling for a spot at the supper table.In zucchini, as in life, thin is in and fat is frowned on. To this I say, "Get real!" Skinny is overrated. Spreading out happens; learn to live with it.Lately I have been living with several very wide green zucchini.

I have never been a talented gardener; a small plot of herbs is all I can lay claim to in my back yard. Fortunately, many of my friends have green thumbs, and I am often a lucky recipient of their harvests. Plump, juicy tomatoes, long, slender cucumbers and tender salad greens are typical gifts that generous friends bring to our house. The quintessential summer vegetable - the one local gardeners seem to grow with abandon - is zucchini. I routinely receive a large basket or two of this squash once the crop is in.This year I have a new recipe for delicious Provencal Zucchini Soup.

On the dinner plate or in the garden, zucchini is one of those things in life that's most appreciated when there's just enough of it, less so when there's an overabundance.Still, it's a good idea, given zucchini's prolific nature, to prepare to handle a bumper crop from the backyard garden or a neighbor's largess.Tips:* Fresh zucchini (green or yellow) should be firm, with no brown spots. Smaller squash (6 inches or less) are usually sweeter than larger, more mature ones. Store in a loosely closed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three days.

We dream about summer's lush bounty all winter long, counting the days until juicy tomatoes, sweet, sweet corn and oodles of zucchini and peppers bring happiness to our meals.Now, as the waves of produce roll in, we wonder what in the heck are we going to do with all of Mother Nature's largess?It's no wonder a holiday was created for the overload. Called "Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night," the Aug. 8 celebration - started in Mount Gretna, Pa., by gardener Thomas Roy - is catching on quickly around the nation.