Sure Glad Dickie Didn't Want That Zucchini

It is settled. I am getting contrary.

1) Yesterday I typed into a google search box, "I hate sticky tags on glasses." "Surely," I thought, "someone has already written some clever blog post or newspaper article about how frustrating these are." ... But alas, I found nothing.

In lieu of a scholarly critique grounded in economic analysis, advertising practicality, and general objectivity, I thus offer my intellectually stimulating take: Sticky labels are dumb. They are dumb when on glasses, dumb when on picture frames, dumb when on figurines, dumb when on books, dumb when on CDs. I refuse to believe that companies have no other options. I refuse to believe that I must simply deal with having bits and pieces of label stuck under my fingernail. I refuse to overlook the sticky residue that laughs in the face of each washcloth and cleaning solution I naively embrace. Refuse, I say.

2) My AT&T cell phone contract ends in the next couple of days. I am looking forward to actually having service at my house in the near future. Today, while perusing Bluegrass Cellular's plans online, I also scrolled through the phone options. This is the one that caught my attention: "As Low As $19.99. If you're looking for something that doesn't perform like anything else on the market the affordable PCD Coach™ 8635 is for you. The slow speech option slows down the speech speed of the person you're talking to so they are easier to understand. The Noise Suppressor option greatly reduces background noise and improves call quality in loud situation. The larger fonts and keys make it much more accessible due to its readability. It's also Hearing Aid Compatible and has a Pitch Adjustment function that helps set a speech tone that suits your needs. Try the Coach™ today!" Who needs 3G, bluetooth, or music applications when you can see your buttons and hear your caller?

Settled.
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One of my favorite cookbooks is one that Mom gave me when I graduated from high school. Although she had bought Leigh Ann and me copies when we were very young, she had saved them until we were at an age that might actually necessitate us cooking for ourselves. I love looking through it and seeing familiar names. I love that it has splatters of various doughs and batters on occasionally torn pages. I love that it includes both my mom's and my own handwriting on recipes that we felt needed some "tweaking." I love that it will always remind me of my mom.


Zucchini Bread
Makes: 2 loaves (I did one loaf and then muffins)
3 eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini (Thank you Mrs. Joyce for bringing the giant zucchini by the library!)
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. nuts
*I also added white chocolate chips, coconut, and 2 tbsp. plain yogurt (and cut back on the oil a bit).

Glaze: 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 2 tsp. water, 2 tbsp. melted butter, 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add zucchini. Mix dry ingredients and slowly add to mixture. Bake at 350 for one hour. After the bread has cooled, top with glaze.
***
I had some extra zucchini so I decided to try zucchini brownies as well. I understand if this sounds odd to you, but trust me, the zucchini serves only to make the brownies more moist. I found this recipe at www.allrecipes.com, but split the ingredients in half and baked in an 8X8" pan.

Zucchini Brownies
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. shredded zucchini
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
A little trick I learned from Mom: fold aluminum foil in half; cut a square that is roughly 3/4 the size of your pan (remember when you were in elementary school and would cut a heart out of construction paper?); unfold aluminum foil and put over the top of the pan. This will keep the edges from getting too done while the center cooks.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.
* I topped mine with some icing left over from Leigh Ann's birthday cake.