Monthly Archives: September 2026

Desserts

Aunt Rose’s Zucchini Bread

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Aunt Rose's Zucchini BreadMy mom brought a zucchini all the way from her garden in Jersey and she and my husband made Aunt Rose’s Zucchini Bread. Aunt Rose was my Nonni’s aunt and an amazing baker, I remember her delicious Christmas cookies every year at Nonni’s house in Buffalo, right after breakfast Christmas morning. This recipe is gluten free and dairy free too.

Aunt Rose's Zucchini Bread
 
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Serves: 2 loaves
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup oil (we used avocado oil)
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 cups grated zucchini
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 3.5 cups flour (we used 1:1 gluten free baking flour)
Instructions
  1. Grate the zucchini and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients, including the zucchini, in another.
  3. Slowly stir the dry into the wet until just combined.
  4. Grease two loaf pans and line with parchment, then pour in the batter and bake for an hour.

 

Appetizers

Joanna’s Bruschetta

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Joanna's BruschettaJoanna’s bruschetta is a favorite at our potlucks. It obviously tastes delicious with bread, but I’ve gotten creative and served it over grilled steak or burgers before when I want to avoid carbs. This is the perfect summer appetizer and tastes amazing with sweeter small tomatoes such as cherry or grape varieties.

Joanna's Bruschetta
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 cups sweet small tomatoes (like cherry or grape), finely chopped
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • 3–6 garlic cloves, finely minced (adjust to your taste)
  • ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped or more to taste. Estimate an even amount of red and green color.
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped (or more to taste)
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Chop the tiny tomatoes into small pieces and add them to a bowl, scraping in the juice and seeds.
  2. Sprinkle in sea salt a little at a time, tasting as you go.
  3. Add the minced garlic, chopped parsley, and chopped basil.
  4. Drizzle in the olive oil and mix everything well.
  5. Optional: Lightly mash the mixture with a fork if you prefer a more scoopable texture for dipping or topping.
  6. Adjust herbs and salt to taste, aiming for a balance of red (tomatoes) and green (herbs) in color.