Some of you may recall this painting I made as a Christmas gift to my pepper-obsessed brother last Christmas.  (Apparently not only do I like to decorate with bananas, but also paintings of vegetables)

What this really boils down to is the fact that our garden this year seems to be primarily composed of peppers, much to the chagrin of, oh, just about everyone else.  Green Bell Peppers, I can do.  They leave a certain tasty essence on a pizza (when picked off), and are deliciously disguised in a big bowl of gumbo, imparting their flavor without imposing too much on my beloved okra.  Try to get me to be on par with a giant pot of green chile, however, and I’m afraid that’s where I draw the line.

Anyway, you can imagine how excited said brother was when the habanero peppers starting popping up left and right, disproportionately large for the still relatively tiny plants.  How they’re still standing, I have no clue, but they certainly are determined little pepps.  You see that giant pepper down at the very bottom?

What about now?  I thought so. Is it just me, or does he look EXACTLY like the pepper in my painting?! You know, if he had eyes, a mustache, and arms with which to turn a roasting basket….:D

Now on to the more important stuff.  Sure, peppers are great and all, but they just don’t seem to have the same potential yield that zucchini do.  I could tell you again about how if you plan on growing zucchini you should probably invest in another fridge, or you could just read about it here. I have some good news, though! I made zucchini coffee cake, and you should, too. Because let’s face it, zucchini bread shouldn’t always get to hog the spotlight (until I make it this week and then post it).

Becomes…

Zucchini Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
(Makes a single batch, for an 8″ pan)

* 1/4 cup butter or margarine
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 3/4 cup milk (any kind)
* 1 egg
* 2 cups flour
* 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 3/4 tsp salt
* 2 cups zucchini, grated

Crumb Topping:
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine
* 2/3 cup flour
* 2/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375* F. Grease or line a, 8″ square pan, or a 9 x 13″ pan if you want to double the recipe. If you’re growing zucchini, you will probably want to do this. I did!

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand) cream together the margarine, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the egg and the milk, and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until incorporated. Add in the grated zucchini and mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan.

For the crumb topping, add all of the ingredients to a bowl, and use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the margarine into the mixture. It should resemble course meal when you’re done. (I didn’t do it this time, but adding rolled oats to the crumb topping is also delicious and adds another level of texture!)
Sprinkle the topping over the batter evenly.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the topping is golden brown.

I know I mentioned doubling this recipe in order to use up more of the zucchini that’s growing like a weed, but really I should have quadrupled it. This is a start, I haven’t given up yet!