Since we've been experiencing July temperatures in June, going for a walk in the evening has been questionable at best. For the most part, it's just too darn hot. Rather than going for a walk on Monday I decided to use the zucchini. A couple of months ago I ruin the base of my food processor bowl, so I grated the squash myself. I'm really glad the recipe didn't call for more! By the way, I discovered something rather interesting about Bed Bath and Beyond – if they don't have what you're looking for in stock but carry it online, you can order in the store and still use your coupon! With the shipping, the discount was more like 10% rather than 20% but hey, I'm getting exactly what I wanted. Moving on...
The recipe calls for drained crushed pineapple which makes it very moist and cuts some of the vegetable taste of the squash. I love the fact that on the copy of the recipe my grandmother wrote “This is my favorite when you can get the squash” in her perfect could-have-been-a-teacher handwriting. Crushed pineapple really only comes in one size can and the recipe doesn't call for the whole thing. Next time I'll plan a little better and use the leftover pineapple as an ice cream topper (mixed with some rum, of course).
I did deviate slightly from Grandma's recipe. I know she only uses pre-ground spices but this time, I remembered I had a couple of whole nutmegs so I grated one as best I could on the zesting side of my box grater. I really need to get myself a micro-plane. Anyway, me being the klutz that I am, the nutmeg slipped and fell into the batter. I fished it out, rinsed it off and set it aside to dry so I can use it some other time.
The "mini" loaf pan - isn't that clever?
Depending on the pan size, the recipe can make 2 to 3 loaves. I knew I needed to make a couple of small loaves, so I pulled out my nifty 4 small loaf pans in one out of the back of the cabinet and gave that whirl along with 1 regular sized loaf. The four loaves finished baking a little early but they browned up nicely. The larger loaf took the full hour to really come together. I let them rest and cool before trying to get them out of the pans. Even after a generous dose of cooking spray, one of the four-pack did not want to come out. The loaves were fairly delicate because of all of the moisture but they held up well.
The "regular" loaf
The damaged loaf
Grandma's recipes are pretty much sure-things – the only time I ever have issues is with execution.
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