Bread and Water

Here's what I like best about zucchini bread. It doesn't taste like zucchini. It tastes like cinnamon spice cakebread. And yet, we can make it sound as if we're getting in a serving of vegetables by saying the word zucchini. I'm afraid some of you may be under the false impression that I'm a vegetarian or something like that. Actually, I think I love the growing of the vegetables even more than eating them, although I love that too. But I adore a nice, yummy hunk of tenderloin, medium to medium rare. YUMMMM. With a chewy, thick red wine. And then some broccoli or cauliflower, or mashed turnip or baked tomatoes with basil on the side is heavenly. But, back to the bread. This zucchini bread is tasty-licious! And YOU can make it too.

Fact: I freeze two small loaves to burn in my fire pit on the Day of the Dead. That's the day my dad died and I always send him some. He LOVED zucchini bread.

INGREDIENTS

* 3 eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F ( 165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.

Speaking of food, Jay and I fed my mama her dinner tonight. We've been going in during lunch or dinner to get the lady fed. They don't seem to understand that she cannot ask for food or water, that she will not respond to general questions like "are you full?" and that she needs lots of fluids. So we do it, just to make sure she's getting one full, good meal a day. Tonight she had pureed brownish stuff (Jay guessed it was string beans and I guessed turkey), pureed orange stuff (Jay - sweet potatoes, me - carrots or squash), and a scoop of mashed potatoes. She drank 3 glasses of water and ate all her applesauce. The staff is getting to know us :)

Jay is just wonderful in his care of her. He wheels her back to her room, gives her drinks of water and brushes her hair. He wets a napkin to wipe her face when that pureed stuff gets out of hand, and sets her baby right-side-up when she's a bit askew. Good practice for when I need it, I suppose. ("Live now" I hear those voices in my head sing)

Here is a picture, albeit a close-up, of my mom and Jay holding hands. I've always loved to take pictures of people's hands. I used to ask my dad to "lace your fingers together like you always do so I can take a picture of them" and he would always comply, although often with a worrisome look on his face.

Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or
polishes us up depends on us.
--Thomas L. Holdcroft