Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake

      So.....in my last post I shared a delicious pasta dish that had the wonderful flavors of lemon and mint, and the "ever-present" summer vegetable....zucchini.  Check that recipe out here.  

      Today....zucchini again!  But, this time, folded into a yummy pound cake with a rich and delicious Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting!!  Everybody needs a little zucchini and spice in their life, don't you think?

Linguine with Zucchini, Lemon, and Mint

      Zucchini here, zucchini there, I've got zucchini everywhere!!  That seems to be the usual cry of gardeners each summer......well, except for this gardener.  I remember one of the first spring seasons, after we had moved into the home we live in presently.  I really wanted to have a garden even though, as I've mentioned before, this Italian hadn't grown up working in one of her own.....sad, but true!  

      So, after hearing my brother-in-law talk about this book he'd been reading on "square foot gardening", I decided to try it out myself.  After all.....the amount of produce one can expect to harvest from this type of garden is really pretty amazing!

      I read and read, planned and planned, had a small area tilled by a friend, set out my 12"x12" markers, bought seeds and some baby plants, and got ready to sow!  I was very excited, thinking about all the wonderful vegetables my family would be eating all summer long...... grown, nurtured, and harvested with my own little hands!

Cream of Broccoli and Zucchini Soup w/ Cheesy Garlic Bread

    So, I've said before that I'm not really a big soup person, but the frigid temperatures we've had lately have definitely helped to change my mind!  A delicious soup is just the thing to warm you up when it's freezing outside.  And, speaking of frigid temperatures.... none of us want our children to be outside waiting for the school bus, etc. when it's dangerously cold, but is it my imagination or have my kids  been home on vacation since before Christmas??  It seems that school has become a bit of a distant memory!

    Anyway, today I thought I'd share two really simple recipes with you that might just make you glad it's chilly outside!  A delicious Cream of Broccoli and Zucchini Soup and some yummy Cheesy Garlic Bread!! 

Zucchini, Asiago, and Tarragon Stuffed Chicken Breasts

   
    I discovered this recipe for stuffed chicken breasts years ago in a cookbook called Italian Family Cooking ... Like Mama Used To Make by Anne Casale.  The combination of Asiago cheese and tarragon give the stuffing a little different flavor .... one that I love!  This makes a very nice dish when company's coming, but I've also put this on the table for just the family.  After all, they deserve something special once in awhile, right?