August Zucchini Surplus

I cooked mine longer.  More browned bits.  This is very much the same process in cooking as the Southern Fried Squash I make--but this takes far less time as the zucchini is grated rather than sliced.  And could be on the plate in less than 45 minutes.  Fried Squash takes hours to reach the deep mahogany brown color--and I make it exactly the way the 19 year old newly married girl across the hall from me in Georgia made hers. And G and my two children will eat it no other way. I just wish I had some fried okra to go with it.

Food 52 suggests spreading it on toast (and topping with a fried egg), mixing into a bowl of pasta, or a'la Julia Child--after it's cooked to your degree of "done", start folding in fresh baby spinach leaves.
I like mine piled on top of some white rice with a side of tomatoes (and okra if I had some).

My day has centered around the kitchen.  The stove; making what I have stated to all concerned is the last batch of zucchini pickles.  The oven; making Martha Stewart's Southern Pulled Pork (takes hours even though the recipe says a shorter time).  The sink;  washing all the canning stuff, all the dishes, the tray used to oven roast more tomatoes.

Tomatoes.

Last year I didn't have enough.  This year--there are so many tomatoes.  And one whole group of plants is still all green tomatoes --not even producing for the house yet. And, harder to believe, they are delicious.  I eat three to five of them each day, out of hand, halved and salted.  And about the same number of pickling cucumbers.

I have decided to eat as many as I can.  Oven roast at least one large tray a day as they get really ripe and soft (for the freezer) and have the rest with fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, EVOO, and Balsamic vinegar.  Caprese.  The fresh mozzarella doesn't bother me.

My itchy eyes are back plus pain in my hip joint.  I ate something (peanut butter) that I reacted to pretty darn quick.  So now, no soy and no peanut butter.  My next test is yogurt.  Three days straight eating yogurt.  But first my eyes have to stop swelling up and itching.  I bought more bananas so I can make another dozen rice flour banana muffins (thank the Lord for that recipe).  I bought pineapple to make pineapple, kale (so much in the garden right now), berry smoothies.  Detox foods. I also got avocados which are now 89 cents each instead of the $1.49 last week.  Last week corn was 5 for dollar.  Today: 2 for a dollar.

The walnut and pecan test went very well.  Next up was peanuts.  I don't know how long it will take to get back to a safe place (no eye itching, no hip pain when I walk).  I can't test anything else until I am back to "normal".  So, smoothies, salads, vegetables, banana muffins (but this time with walnuts) and tomatoes.  And peaches and red plums.  I can eat all the fruit I could ever want to eat.  And white rice but not brown rice.  How's that for weird???

Oh, and the VERY BEST NEWS--I am gaining weight faster than I was losing weight.  Really packing the pounds back on.  I have a doctor's appointment in 4 weeks.  She is not going to be happy with me.  She is expecting a 10 pound weigh loss.  I am still wearing the size clothing I wore before gaining weight.  And the clothing fits the same.  But the scale (with new batteries) announces a half to 2 pound gain each morning.  In the past 30 days I have lost and regained the same 10 pounds.

Lets hope that the day of my appointment--I'm on the losing side??????