Stephanie's Zucchini Bread - tis the season!



Memo and Liz - photo taken while living in
N. Tonawanda, NY in 1982. Memo was 9 years
old and Liz was 5 years old.



I lived in Mexico 10 years, 8 years in Mexico City and 2 years in Monterrey, Mexico. After about the third peso/dollar devaluation. We decided we would NEVER be able to buy a home or afford to live the way we wanted to. So Jorge, Memo, Liz, two dogs and I moved to New York. We drove a U-Haul cross country and stayed with my parents for about 5 weeks. Jorge had been offered a job with a business consultant doing the computer installations in school districts and municipalities for his company. He office was in the Buffalo area so rented a large colonial in North Tonawanda, NY. 

Almost immediately, Jorge started traveling when the company won a large contract with Sullivan County and then an even larger one in Bellport School District on Long Island, NY. During the time of his travel, I depended on neighbors for help with the kids. I was substitute teaching at the time. Joan Reilly was the neighbor to our right and had 6 kids!  

Joan was very family oriented and with 6 kids on a tight budget, she cooked a lot! One day she invited me over and offered me a taste of her zucchini bread. It was delicious! I asked her for the recipe and she gave it to me but I have somehow lost it! The difference between her zucchini bread and most others is that she uses crushed pineapple! So after much experimentation, I discover my recipe using zucchini and crushed pineapple that cooks well and taste delicious!!

Zucchini Bread: (This recipe makes 2 loaves to share or freeze one!)

3 cups shredded zucchini - leave the skin on but wash

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 16oz can of crushed pineapple

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup raisins

Mix all the wet ingredients together then mix the dry ingredients and slowly hand mix them together adding the dry into the wet. Do not use a mixer as it disintegrates the zucchini, pineapple and raisins.

Grease 2 loaf pans - you could use a large 9" by 13" rectangular cake sheet and cut into squares.

Cook at 350* for 50-60 minutes. For high altitude add 1/4 more flour. For convection oven, cook only about 40-45 minutes.