Tae Kwon Do Demonstration

August 1 was a busy day! The kids had been rehearsing for weeks to prepare for a tae kwon do demonstration they were to perform on the Radio Disney stage at a local shopping mall.

Both the Artist and the Engineer had roles in the demo, so it was very exciting for the two of them. As I try to think back, this may be the first time the Engineer has been on stage, performing before an audience.

Both children did a great job and in fact, everyone who participated gave a fine performance. I'll also compliment those who organized our booth and our participation. It was a lot to coordinate, and our booth looked great! Unfortunately, my photo is not focused.Because those smallest of stature are in the front row, the Artist and Engineer were right in front where they could see everyone, and everyone could see them. The group demonstrated some hand strike techniques, some blocking techniques and some kick drills as a class. Then smaller groups and soloists took turns doing advanced kicks, free sparring techniques, one steps, and forms. Here a black belt jumps over his instructor and breaks the board held a few feet behind. It is exciting to watch!Then the first half was over. It was time to leave the stage while a dance group performed. During our down time, we had a small area cordoned off in front of our booth. Anyone who wanted to break boards was given opportunity here, and when the line died down, some of our students performed some techniques. Here the Artist is doing one of the forms she will need for her next belt test.The second time our group took the stage, audience members were invited up to learn some techniques. Each student taught a buddy. The Engineer found someone his own size! I've had mixed luck with loading video in the past, so I'll try it in a separate post. Stay tuned!

Romeo and Juliet

Last night the family went to see the Ohio Shakespeare Festival's Romeo and Juliet. I really enjoy their traditional Shakespeare, with an outdoor stage under the stars on the lush grounds of Stan Hywet Hall.Photographs are prohibited during the play, but I did get a snapshot of the traveling minstrels coming towards the stage. About a half hour before the show, the cast, parades to the stage playing instruments and singing.
They treated us to three songs and some banter which included an actor uttering the name of the Scottish play (Gasp!!!) which then necessitated a quick parody of that same Scottish play to be performed. My favorite part of the parody was the commercial for "Damn Spot Remover." Well done, folks!

Some friends joined us, making the evening even more fun.The Artist and Engineer on the Japanese bridge in the gardens.

Sad

I was sad for the Engineer when the Cleveland Indians traded his favorite player, Mark DeRosa, in June. Today I'm sad for both of us as Cliff Lee was traded.

I don't even know what we got for him, as I didn't have the heart to listen. Lee is the only thing Tribe fans had pulling them into the stadium this year. His story as a come back kid over the last couple of seasons made him the heart of the team.

You take hard knocks when you're in the cellar.

Stuffed Zucchini

This is my favorite zucchini meal. Mom used to make it, but not very often as my brother was not a fan. I do not make it often, because it is best made with some of the mid-size home grown zucchinis, not the little skinny ones stacked in mounds in the produce markets.

I don't know the weight of these zucchini, but here is how they look on a 10-inch dinner plate. Once prepared, these will serve four for lunch. For dinner I'd probably make a side dish to accompany.
Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Wash the zucchini and cut off the ends. Cook whole in boiling salted water about 5 minutes.
Remove zucchini from water and cool till you can handle it. Slice in half lengthwise. With a spoon (I use a grapefruit spoon so the serrations help me) remove the meat from the shells. I leave about a quarter inch of flesh on the skins to make the shell.
The meat and seeds that have been removed are then chopped, grated, pureed, or otherwise processed into tiny pieces. To the zucchini meat add 3 beaten eggs, fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, 2 cups breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup minced onion, a little garlic, and one cup of grated cheese. For the cheese, cheddar and Swiss work, but Parmesan is best in my opinion. Today I used cheddar. This mixture is then piled into the zucchini shells. The look like little canoes heaped with treasure to me. Lightly grease a baking pan and arrange the shells inside. Bake, uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the tops are browned.The kids and I enjoy these when Rick is not home. The Engineer and the Artist give this meal a thumbs up and an "It's good."

The Wait Is Over!

At long last, my sweet tooth is assuaged. Last time the local specialty candy shop had Black Jack and Clove chewing gum in stock I missed it. No problem, except they can only order it every three years.

There is nothing like these big bold flavors for gum chewers.

Grilled Zucchini

Today I tried a recipe I found at Kalyn's Kitchen. When I say I tired a recipe, be advised -- I did not print it out and follow it. I read it, and a couple of days later I worked with what I remembered.

I slices into ovals first. Then put them in a ziplock with some Italian dressing, crushed rosemary, and some fresh garlic put through the press. The zucchini and the dressing had been kept in the fridge, so I let them marinate on the counter top for about three hours, giving the vegetable a chance to come to room temperature.
Once the grilling started, these smelled so incredible -- I couldn't wait to taste them.

As Presbytera mentioned yesterday, cutting the slices too thick would be a problem. I ran into that with a couple of my slices.

I think I had a slight disadvantage by using an indoor electric grill too. They would have cooked faster on the gas grill. In general things that are great on the outdoor grill are pretty good on the indoor grill. The indoor grill gives me better control than the broiler and it doesn't heat up the house the way the broiler does.
These grilled zucchini slices were served to my family and a visitor. My son gave them two thumbs up. My daughter thinks it is nice, and said it reminds her of something she drank once (I've no idea what that means!). Our guest declined to try it. Rick didn't get home to taste it until after I posted!

The recipe gives instructions about how to get the grill lines just right. I was not too interested in perfect grill lines. But if you'd like to see showcase photos of the finished product there are some nice ones at the recipe link.

Easy Zucchini Recipe

An excellent suggestion from Barb the Evil Genius, Why don't I share some recipes for those who are dubious about zucchini?

A good suggestion, because I have some people close to me who would rather pass the vegetable by. One of them still does not eat the stuff, unless it comes as part of his entree and he cannot make a vegetable exchange. Another resents that he was tricked into eating it years ago.

I have not done a lot of research on the subject, but I know some folks get around the texture of cooked zucchini, which seems to be a good part of the food's unpopularity, by breading and deep frying the slices. I've eaten it that way, but never prepared it that way.

The most frequent way I prepare it at home is sauteed with garlic and olive oil, and sprinkled liberally with Parmesan cheese once it is in the serving dish.

First I slice the zucchini into rounds about a quarter inch thick, or even slightly thicker. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan. Be sure to use a large enough pan that most of the slices can lie on the bottom. I don't use a lot of oil, maybe even less than a tablespoon. I just film the bottom of the pan.

With a spatula, I keep turning the rounds in the pan. I want them to be lightly seared on at least one side, browning, not blackening.

Near the end of the saute time, I'll put some paper thin slices of garlic (a couple of cloves) in on top of the zucchini, or a single clove crushed through the press. I also add some salt and fresh pepper. I'll get that thoroughly mixed in and then transfer the rounds to a serving dish, one spatula full at a time. I like Parmesan cheese, so I layer the slices of zucchini in their serving dish with the cheese.

My kids enjoy this recipe with me. Sometimes we use it with zucchini alone, and sometimes with yellow summer squash.

I also love zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini and I plan to try grilling zucchini for the first time this week. Zucchini bread recipes abound on line and I've never had a bad one. It makes an attractive looking cakey bread. Tomorrow I'll post about the stuffed zucchini my mom used to make.