Whiteley Creek Homestead

During the month of November, I participated in an online writing workshop taught by a brilliant, highly skilled, former English high school teacher. A lesson and assignment each day. Thirty days. As is the way of things, life got busy. Really busy. In November. So, I printed all of my lessons and assignments to work on as time allows… and I do. In one of Amy's lessons, our assignment was to write an essay that tells a story about a recipe. A memory associated with that food. Recording personal history. My seventh grade home economics class immediately came to mind. Our assignment, so many years ago, was to plan and cook an entire meal for our family… a topic for another blog post, however. In my recent writing class, Amy referenced a page in a book titled, Dinner a Love Story It all begins at the family table by Jenny Rosenstrach, which I borrowed from the local public library. It's about making meals to share with someone you love. Children, spouse, friends. Strategies and recipes to make it happen. Within the pages of the book, there was a recipe for Zucchini Fries. I began prepping my "dredging stations," as the recipe stated, and my mind wandered… thinking of my children who are grown and scattered across the country with families of their own. I am proud to see the importance that they place on mealtime. Together time.  

Mealtime should be a special event if eating alone, with another… or many, so today I positioned two chairs close together at one corner of our small rectangular kitchen table spread with a tablecloth.

It was there that Dick and I ate our lunch, chatted, and laughed. Huddled together. Remembering. Our simple lunch of fish and fries… crunchy coated baked zucchini fries.  

Zucchini  Fries

1 cup all-purpose flour (I omitted.)

2 eggs, whisked (1 egg would have been sufficient.)

1 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko All Natural Breadcrumbs.)

1/8 tsp cayenne

½ tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp paprika

2 medium zucchini, cut into French fry wedges

Preheat oven to 400°. Set up the dredging stations: one rimmed plate for the flour (if using), one for the eggs, and one for the bread crumbs. Add the cayenne, garlic salt, and paprika to the bread crumbs and mix. Dip the zucchini sticks first in the flour (if using) until lightly coated, then in the eggs. Roll them in the bread crumbs until well coated. Transfer the zucchini to a baking sheet lined with foil (or natural parchment paper) and bake until the coating is crispy and golden (and the zucchini is tender but still firm and not mushy), 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.