We had this nasty patch right outside the kitchen door. It was muddy when it rained, became the station for the pre-compost container, and had weeds growing amongst the vinca.
After Ed took out the tree that had died in this spot right outside the kitchen door, he decided to make a station for his barbeque grill. I am impressed that he made these posts straight.

Ed put some bamboo fencing material on the wall and a cover over head for shade.

The area needs a surface to stand on that will not get muddy. SO we opted for some pavers and some stone. I made patterns of the pavers and placed them on the ground to see how many we need. We bought 13 pavers.

Most of the pavers are in front of the grill for the cook to stand on

this is the final product, including the happy cook!
Finally we are making good use out of this crazy area outside the kitchen door!

Zucchini - Chocolate Chip solution

The addition of zucchini to cakes and breads is a great way to use this mild tasting vegetable. It makes the recipe more moist. Notice, in this recipe that there is no added water or milk. This particular type of zucchini seems to grow quickly but not to the point of becoming the size of a weapon!



Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake

Makes one 3 quart Bundt Cake

2.5 C flour plus additional for dusting
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter (not me, I used 1/2 smart balance margarine spread and 1 6oz container plain greek yogurt)
1 C Brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 C grated zucchini
1 C chocolate chips
1/2 C walnuts

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bundt pan and dust with some flour, tapping out the excess.

Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt unto a bowl. Then add butter, brown sugar and eggs. Mix at high speed about 2 minutes. Will be creamy.

Add zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts. Batter will be thick.

Spoon batter into bundt pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven. Bake until side begins to pull away from pan and a tester comes out clean, 45-50 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then invert rack over serving plate. Cool completely.

Italian Bread Salad

I found this recipe in a magazine in our paper. As always, the rule is there are no rules. This recipe called for meat, but I think the real Italian recipe has no meat. The vegetables, as well, can be varied for interest or availability. I will give you the recipe verbatem. Also, the recipe is large, you can make half the amount and still have some left for tomorrow.

1 lb flank steak (I see this as an option)
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 red onion (or scallion or shallot)
1 garlic clove
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
5 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1-2 green, yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped,
1 cuke (!) peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 Nicoise or Kalamata Pitted Olives, halved
12 basil leaves, shredded
1 large round loaf peasant bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups, see what I mean, 1/2 that will be good!)
1. Prepare grill
2. Sprinkle steak with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Grill 10 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.
3. Combine onion , garlic, lemon rind, vinegar, remaining salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Add oil in a stream, whisking constantly until well combined. Add tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, olives and basil.
4. Cut steak into thin slices. Add to tomato mixture.
5. Add bread cubes 30-45 minutes before serving, tossing to coat. Let stand at room temperature. (Really? If you put meat in it you need to serve it sooner than room temperature) Serves 8