Cooking in the West

 

September 9, 2022



Everyone can remember where they were and what they were doing on September 11, 2001. I was ironing my shirt to wear to school that morning and feeding the kids their breakfast when on the radio it said that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. In my mind, I envisioned a little airplane slamming into a big building killing the pilot and others onboard. As we hustled out the door to school, I did not have time to think much about it until I arrived at school and all of the staff members were hovering around the television watching in horror as it became apparent that our country had come under attack by terrorists. That day changed the way we looked at the world much like I suspect Americans felt when they heard of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The best thing that came out of that tragedy was that it immediately united our country. We all flew flags and became more patriotic regardless of our political persuasion. We hugged our loved ones, and we realized that life is fleeting. This past week, I have lost two amazing friends, Sharon Gregorich and Linda Meredith. Sharon lost her short battle with cancer, and Linda was killed in a tractor accident on her ranch. These dynamic strong women were gone so suddenly leaving large grieving families that it has caused me to analyze my priorities and acknowledge the uncertainty of life. I remember an essay that I read long ago that hits home for me when thinking about the hour glass that is our lives, so I decided to dig it out and share it again.


"Count Your Saturdays"

(author unknown)

I turned the dial up on the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. I came across an older sounding chap with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. He was telling whomever he was talking with about "a thousand marbles". I was intrigued and stopped to listen.


"Tom, it's hard to believe a young fellow like you should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital. Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my priorities straight.

You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about 75 years. So, I multiplied 75 times 52, and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. It took me 55 years to think about all this in any detail, and by that time I had lived through 2800 Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be 75, I would only have about 1000 Saturdays left to enjoy.


So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large clear plastic container.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

Now let me tell you one last thing before I take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday, then I have been given a little extra time, and the one thing we can all use is a little more time!"


I am inspired to buy some marbles as a visual that our clocks are ticking, and we have important choices to make regarding how we utilize it.

My featured cooks this week are Isabel Huff from Porthill, Idaho and my friend Deb Andras from Checotah, Oklahoma. I am running these recipes in the nick of zucchini time in our neighborhood--that is the time of year when I don't dare leave my car unlocked or I will return to find it "squashed"!

Isabel's Chocolate Zucchini Cake:

Mix together:

3 C. shredded zucchini

1 C. white sugar

1 C. brown sugar

1/4 C. vegetable oil

3 T. melted butter

2 beaten eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. brandy flavoring

1/2 C. chopped walnuts

Sift together:

2 C. flour

1/2 C. cocoa

1 t. salt

2 t. soda

2 t. cinnamon

Add dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and beat for one minute. Bake in a 9 X 13 pan at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out almost dry. This cake is very moist, and it is good unfrosted.

Deb's Zucchini Fritters/Sandwich:

2 C. grated zucchini

1 large egg

1/2 C. grated Parmesan

1/4 C. cornstarch

2 T. butter

minced garlic to taste

salt and pepper to taste

2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

Squeeze excess moisture out of the zucchini. Place dry zucchini in a small mixing bowl. Add egg, Parmesan, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Mix with a fork until well combined.

Melt butter with garlic (amount to taste) in a pan or skillet over medium heat. Scoop 1/2 of the zucchini mixture onto one side of the pan and shape into a small square. Repeat to form another patty on the other side. Cook 3-4 minutes, then flip both patties. Add shredded cheddar cheese. Cook for another 3 minutes, until the zucchini “bread” is toasted and crispy on the outside and the cheese is melted. Put one patty on top of the other to make a sandwich.

Deb notes that if you don't want to make the fritters into a sandwich, just fry them and serve them without the cheese, but they do make a delicious alternative to a grilled cheese sandwich with bread.

 

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