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Zucchini, early peaches and watermelons; all seasonal summer delights. Yes, you can buy most fruits and vegetables year round, but local and fresh is always best. I recently tried a recipe for Super Easy Peach Cobbler, designed for canned peaches.

What a difference between fresh ripe peaches and a dash or two of nutmeg made. Following is my version of Super Easy Peach Cobbler. This recipe is perfect for those peaches that are almost over ripe.

Super Easy Peach Cobbler

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

Dash or two ground nutmeg

1 cups peeled, sliced peaches (2 to 3 medium)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place melted butter in a 9 inch square baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, milk and baking powder, mixing until combined. Pour batter over the melted butter. Do not stir.

Sprinkle a dash or two of nutmeg over the batter. Then place peach slices evenly on top of the batter and nutmeg.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the peaches are tender and the cobbler is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving, or cool completely before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: Do not melt the butter in the baking pan. It will get the baking pan too hot, and make the batter crawl up the sides and sink in the middle.

Peeling peaches is easier if blanched 30 seconds in boiling water, but if you are doing just a few for a recipe, a microwave works well. Cut an X through the skin at the bottom of each peach. Place peaches in a shallow microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 30 second. Rinse in cold water to cool and then peel off loosened skin. Time may vary with the wattage of your microwave.

Crushing Fritos or any other chips is easy and mess free, if you leave them in the package. Just poke a couple small holes to let the air out and press on the bag with your hands or a rolling pin. Then open the bag as usual and pour the contents into a bowl or measuring utensil.

GoOdessa Summer Recreation, Cooking with Laura youth made Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins last week. The recipe was shared by Shelly Hauge. This recipe gave the kids experience using a grater and lots of measuring, cracking eggs and learning the difference between stirring, beating, blending and folding in.

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups finely grated zucchini, slightly drained

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 20-24 muffin cups with paper liners (or spray with cooking spray) and set aside.

Place the sugars, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat together until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing with a spoon until just combined. (Don’t over mix)

Fold in prepared zucchini until evenly distributed, then stir in the milk chocolate chips.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle each top with about 1/2 tsp of the mini chocolate chips if desired.

Carefully place muffin pans in a preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes. A toothpick inserted near the center will come out with just a bit of chocolate on it. Remove to wire racks to cool about 15 minutes before eating. You don’t want to burn your fingers or your mouth. Yield: 20-24 muffins.

While waiting for the muffins to bake, the youth recipe goes on to remind them to wash the dishes and utensils they used and wipe the counters. Working with chocolate can be messy and we want to make our moms smile by not leaving a mess for someone else to clean up.

Note: this recipe is so sweet, you could frost them when completely cooled and call them cupcakes. With the zucchini being grated fine, picky eaters probably won’t notice the zucchini. Also, since you drain the zucchini slightly I believe this would work with frozen grated zucchini, well drained.

Watermelon doesn’t need a recipe, but the next column will include a fresh salsa recipe that includes watermelon. Share your

Reader, Becky Moeller, shared a recipe for Fritos Corn Salad. Ideal for summer gatherings, it is easy to prepare ahead and add the Fritos just before serving.

Fritos Corn Salad

2 cans (15 ounces each) whole kernel corn, drained

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

2 cups Mexican Blend grated cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

Ground black pepper to taste

1 bag (9.75 ounces) Fritos Chili Cheese corn chips, slightly crushed

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Combine all ingredients except the Fritos and cilantro in a large salad bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir in Fritos until evenly distributed. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro. Yield: about 10 side servings.

Note: This recipe is circulating with some variations. Substitute 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt for half of the mayonnaise. A less spicy version uses Original Fritos corn chips. Another uses one can each kernel corn and black beans. Be sure to rinse and drain the beans if you decide to use them. It will make a more eye appealing salad.

– Favorite summer recipes with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Record-Times, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Heat has been a bit over the top for area yards and gardens. Be vigilant with evening watering, the weather will break and plants and lawns will recover.