Max asks the question: “What things do you dislike that you’re not supposed to?” My answers would be Radiohead, William Gibson novels, animé, Nigella Lawson, tea, sushi, foreign arthouse films, and that whole nebulous category of music that we Hoosiers simply call “techno”. Sad but true.
Tag: food
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Zucchini Bread
I made a couple loaves of Zucchini Bread last week for my co-workers and it turned out really well. Some of them wanted the recipe, so here it is.(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp finely shredded lemon peel1. First mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
2. In other bowl combine the wet ingredients: sugar, shredded zucchini, cooking oil, egg, and lemon peel. (For the zucchini, I just trim off the ends and then attack them with a grater.) Mix well, then add in the dry ingredients. Stir it til it’s all moistened as best you can. It’ll be super lumpy. The wetness will really depend on how watery your particular zucchini were.
3. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of your loaf pan. (Not all the way up the sides, because otherwise when you take the bread out it’ll fall. This way it sticks a little bit and doesn’t collapse.) Spoon in your batter and then chuck it in a 350°F oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick close to the center. When it comes out clean, the bread is done!
I cool the bread in the pan on a rack until it’s touchable; then I slide a knife around the edges and pop the loaf out. Then I let that cool for a little while longer on the rack. It’s best if you can actually wrap it in foil and let it sit overnight (it’s easier to cut that way), but I think it tastes best warm from the oven smothered in butter, so it’s up to you.
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Pancakes!
In memory of Dr. Atkins, Rodd and I will be eating his pancakes and syrup today. Yep, actual Atkins brand! They were sent to use for Easter by my Dad and Cindy. Such a cool gift. Although, the first thing I saw when I opened the box was… PEEPS! There were Peeps lurking in my house all along! Luckily we had four tipsy guys in the house last night who were more than willing to scarf down some weird marshmallow birds. (We even showed them the trick of putting one in the microwave.) Ahh, good Easter fun.
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RIP Dr. Atkins
RIP Dr. Atkins.
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Broiled Orange-Chili Chicken Breasts
Another culinary success from the Atkins recipe book: Broiled Orange-Chili Chicken Breasts. It sounded good, and we had a couple oranges in the fridge to use up. (The Snook bought them for brewing last week. I didn’t even want to ask.) I only marinated them for 2 hours (rather than the 6-8 they recommend), but they still turned out delish. I even cooked up the marinade and turned it into a sauce! I am the next Nigella (except without the oral fixation).
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Moussaka
I was feeling rather domestic-goddess-like tonight, so I had a quick squiz through the Atkins website to find a new low-carb recipe to try. I settled on Shortcut Moussaka, mostly because we had some baby eggplant in the fridge we needed to use up. It was great. I got to the butcher’s too late to get mince lamb so I had to substitute regular beef, but that didn’t seem to hurt. I was surprised at how well the whole thing sorta stuck together. I was expecting it to just be a big sloppy mess. Instead it came out in fairly well-defined chunks, like lasagna. Must’ve been the layers of cream cheese. Anyway, this one is highly recommended. (Especially for you newbies buckling under the Induction restrictions…)
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Mackerelly
Weight Watchers Recipe Cards from 1974. That’s seriously the funniest thing I’ve seen on the Web in a while. I’m going to be saying “Mackerelly” for days. (Link courtesy of Kim.)
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Mac & Cheese
For the most part, the Snook and I are so similar that I just kinda forget that we grew up in different countries. Every now and then, though, I make a startling discovery, like the fact that he’s never eaten Kraft Macaroni and Cheese before. How weird is that? Luckily the box my Aunt Deb sent me for Christmas made it through quarantine, so I was able to initiate him into the realm of crap budget pasta dishes tonight. It was just inconceivable to me that he’d never experienced the joys of elbow macaroni and day-glo orange cheese powder before. I’m happy to report that – though he initially thought it had a “strange aftertaste” – he quickly wolfed down his portion. Another bridge crossed…