Birthday Lunch, Bowling Problems.

We had an excellent lunch at the Mandarin although I was a tad disappointed they didn't take a birthday picture. The waitress was a bit casual I thought. Of course I started with my Hot and Sour Soup - I actually thought of having Wonton Soup but when I got to the soup area, I went to the same place as usual. Because it is Moon Festival they had a few specials around some of which I definitely tried others I may have missed. I ate too much anyway. Did the same last night at the Red Lobster.  I think I will have to be very careful what I eat for a while. On thing I enjoyed, stir fried Lotus Root. It's good and crunchy too.

We decided to go to the bowling alley after lunch. We played our first game - I was bowling well and Matt wasn't. The alleys were very full so there was one lane vacant next to us. A family came in and basically drove us out.  They had a youngster with them who was pretty badly behaved and obviously not one bit interested in bowling. The mother, father and child were all on the lane at the same time. One time the kid dropped a ball which rolled into the next lane and although a gutter ball, the machinery didn't know it was a stray ball and scored it for the woman who was bowling. She took it quite well, but I wouldn't have done so. Eventually Matt announced he was going home so we left. Pity but there it is. The parents apparently had no idea how to control the child. They had to hang on to him all the time. The mother had to pass the kid's hand to the father so she could put on her bowling shoes, then he had to do the same. Stupid thing to do, bring the kid to something he obviously didn't want to do. Mind you, a couple of times, having thrown 3 balls, he wanted to throw more. We could have gone downstairs on our own and bowled, but....

Thought these sounded good for a snacking food.

Oven Fried Zucchini Sticks

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, about 3 medium; cut into 1/2-by-3-inch sticks
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
canola or olive oil cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Combine flours, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a large sealable plastic bag. Dip zucchini in egg white, shake in the bag to coat, and arrange, not touching, on the baking sheet. Coat all exposed sides with cooking spray.

3. Bake on the center rack for 10 minutes. Turn the zucchini and coat any floury spots with cooking spray. Continue to bake until golden and just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes more. Serve hot.

Servings: 4

Source: Web MD

Author Notes
Our oven-baked zucchini sticks taste every bit as good as their deep-fried brethren with only a fraction of the fat and calories. Serve with a side of your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Have a great day