Certainly not cool enough to blog..

There's a blog out there called that. I'm pretty sure it's a "mommy blog" and it's sort of how I feel lately. Friday marked the start of my spring break, and the week prior was...interesting...to say the least. My kids were off-the-wall crazy (students, not biological) and I found myself relaxing every night. My husband was a complete rockstar and assisted in my relaxation with foot and back rubs. Ladies...aren't you jealous! I should have been blogging, as it would be nice to get some readership (and the best way to do that is blog daily). However, my feet and family needed the break!

I've tried some EXCELLENT new recipes lately.

Hungarian Lecso: This was an unexpected tasty delight! It's basically a chunk spaghetti sauce, with peppers, and eggs. The eggs sort of turn into a meat substitute, as they form into chunks in the sauce. You put this over rye bread, and I know it sounds positively disgusting. It's actually very, very good. If you're not afraid of a little meat, go ahead and cook it up with the onions and peppers and leave out the eggs.

Zucchini Patties: These were kind of fun in a nerdy/chemistry sort of way. When you make the very simple "batter" - you think there's so way that these will become patty-like. You want to keep them small so they don't fall apart, and use a swift motion in getting under the patty with your spatula. I ended up using our griddle, and they came out perfect. Serve with a little ketchup (as I did) or try some BBQ sauce. Could also work with a spicy horseraddish sauce a la Outback "Blooming Onion."

So, after I made these patties I had 2 large zucchinis left over. I found this pretty darn good brownie recipe. These are not the best brownies I've ever had, but they're very good, sort of healthy, and a great use for something that may have (otherwise) gone to waste! I made a double batch, cooked them for about 40 minutes in a 15 by 11 pan. I doubled the frosting too. I am not an experienced vegan cook, but I would be interested in a chocolate vegan frosting - as the brownies themselves are totally vegan. I almost feel bad putting dairy on top of them; seems like such a waste of perfectly good potential. They passed the husband and kid test, and the zucchini is undetectable. A major word to the wise, however. Once you get everything together (except for the zucchini), you will swear that it will never work. To the point that I had to come back online and check to make sure I was a-OK and didn't screw something up. I almost started over, but I trusted the 4.5 star recipe and kept going. I discovered that once you add the zucchini, things come together really well. I went ahead and took off the rings to mix it with my hands. I was able to squish some of the moisture from the zucchini into the brownies. It assisted in the combination.

I tried this bean recipe that I ended up morphing for my own use. Basically, take some black beans, corn, onions, and peppers, sun dried tomatoes, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. A little Cayenne pepper for heat, and cook it all up in a fry pan starting with the onions and peppers. Follow with the beans, corn, tomatoes, and spices. Then transfer to casserole dish, put some cheese over the top, and bake until melted. This is great with chips or rice. I can't find the original recipe, but it was some kind of contest for Bush's beans. You can completely change the proportions depending on what you like/want out of the meal. Add more vegetables for a lighter meal or snack, more beans if you're looking for some substance.

Finally, I found some green tomatoes at the local grocer and decided to give Fried Green Tomatoes a whirl. They turned out great, although I did alter the recipe a bit. For one, instead of milk I used some leftover buttermilk. I also changed the 1/2 cup each breadcrumbs and cornmeal to 1/3 cup each and added 1/3 cup wheat germ. I just love the way wheat germ fries up: nutty, crispy, and brown. Great little kick of flavor. A little added whole grain never hurt anyone either. Make sure you keep your temp low. After I brought the oil to a good temp, I put my burner on low. Those breadcrumbs will burn in a hurry before your tomato is good and cooked. If you're not a southerner, and don't know what green tomatoes are all about, think a lemon-like flavor with a very firm tomato texture (green tomatoes are simply under ripe ones).

I also tried a weird recipe, screwed it up, and audibled onto something (I think). Sort of an eggplant parm meets lasagna meets stuffed portabello mushrooms. We'll see if I can't perfect it to share.

I have all the ingredients to create/perfect my tropical crunch muffins. Look for them soon!