What do you do with your zucchini?

Oops! I did it again - I missed out on an important holiday. According to one online friend's local newspaper, Thursday was "Dump your extra zucchini on your neighbor's doorstep day." I guess I missed it because I don't have a garden overflowing with zucchini and apparently none of my neighbors do either because I didn't find any on my doorstep.

Over the years, I've heard a lot of interesting theories on what to do with extra amounts of this prolific green veggie. I think it was Erma Bombeck who once suggested allowing the kiddos to use them as baseball bats....

But really, I LIKE zucchini. And since I don't have a garden, I actually spend money to buy this beloved green veggie throughout the dog days of summer.

One of my favorite ways to fix it is goulash fashion - to saute it in a little bit of butter with garlic, then add diced tomatoes, cooked macaroni and Polish sausage with some oregano and other favorite Italian spices.

My husband likes it sliced about a quarter inch thick, dipped in egg substitute and cracker crumbs, then browned on the George Foreman grill- another adaptation to reduce fat and calories that tastes pretty yummy. He also likes it stuffed with a cracker crumb and cheese mixture, then covered with tomato sauce and baked in the oven.

Then of course there's the traditional zucchini bread which is always a hit around here. I even found a wonderful version for my Mom-in-law that uses oat and white rice flour instead of wheat flour.

Have you ever made a chocolate zucchini cake? That was a great way to get the kids to eat their zucchini when they were growing up.

But I found this really interesting recipe in my friend's blog called Zucchini Ricotta Fritatta. I am planning to try it just so I can roll the name off my tongue a few times... zucchini ricotta fritata...zucchini ricotta fritata... (You can find that recipe at Simply Recipes - http://www.elise.com/recipes/ )

So how do you like your zucchini? Send me a comment with your favorite recipe - I'd love to try it and pass along the results. Oh, and if you have any extra zucchini, I have a large doorstep...

Happy belated "Dump You Zucchini On Your Neighbor's Doorstep Day!"