I can't believe the ease of fried zucchini is a surprise to you guys. It's the same way you fry okra, though my mom usually mixes a little flour in with the cornmeal. And now I want okra.

I just got back from Chicago, the play that is. Went with a friend for my birthday. It was really great. I swear, if I'd known I had to turn 42 to have an awesome birthday, I would've stopped dragging my feet about it.

Hi Deena. I love Okra - but the Okra I love has always been the stuff I buy frozen. Someone told me that the local County Fair (held once a year - and this weekend) will have fresh Okra.

They add that fresh Okra is a whole dimension beyond frozen - that if I've only eaten frozen I've never really tasted Okra. True? Worth a one hour drive?

Hey Gar! Honestly, I don't think the difference is that huge, as long as the frozen was flash frozen in separate pieces, pre-breaded, and handled properly. It's all still okra, though fresh is better. I'd want something more than okra at the end of an hour drive, though.

Aimee, insent.

Deena! I missed your birthday, so happy belated.

Cass, may I tag? Pretty please?

let no man tear asunder what the cafe au lait hath brought together.

Will you buy me a coffee?

Um, I mean, of course.

Hi there!

My date tomorrow has taken to calling me William the Smart. I'm not sure whether to encourage this or not. I guess it depends whether she's adding "-arse" under her breath.

Oh, if she is, you should definitely encourage it.

I only started folic acid when I went off the pill (i.e. when we decided to get pregnant), so I only had 2 months of it prior to conceiving, and the little tyke has all the right parts in all the right places. And I wasn't 100% on taking the pre-natals, since they made me so very naseous.

Honestly, one of the best things about stopping nursing and going full-formula is that I don't worry about his nutrition so much (being sure that mine is horrible no matter what).

That said, I have a ton of zucchini, so I think some are gonna get fried. I wish I could get green tomatoes here also.

Raq, if you have a ton of zucchini you can make zucchini soup:

A bunch of zucchini
A few large tomatoes
A large onion or two
Some potatoes
olive oil
fresh basil
1/4 cup water

I'm sorry I don't have more accurate ammounts... if I use four good sized zucchini (or one of the caveman club ones) I'll use three good sized tomatos and one big onion and one big potato

drizzle oil in pan, chop up veggies and add, pour in 1/4 cup water, set on low heat for long time. the water is there to keep the bottom of the pan from burnng until the veggies start to melt -- their juice makes the broth

at the end, stir in the handful of chopped basil for the last minute of cooking. serve with bread and grated parmisian.

the stuff is heavenly. it is somehow far more than the sum of its parts. if you want to make a batch to freeze, leave out the potatos and add them when you thaw the soup or they'll get grainy.

mmmmm -- best solution for when the neighbors have too much zucchini and tomatoes

They add that fresh Okra is a whole dimension beyond frozen - that if I've only eaten frozen I've never really tasted Okra. True? Worth a one hour drive?

I'd say it's worth it if you really, really like okra. I like it well enough, but have only cooked it myself a couple of times, though I have had it frozen, fresh, and otherwise. I wouldn't make the drive for okra alone, but I would make that drive for good fresh white asparagus, so.

It's probably NOT worth it if you're breading-and-frying it. The frying process removes enough of the flavor that the difference will probably be too subtle to be worth that much effort. Boiled, though, or stir-fried, totally.

Mmm, sounds good, and bookmarked. The zucchini here are tiny, about the size of those pickles you get at a ballgame. But they are pretty tasty. The landlord (who bequeathed them onto us) suggested I bread and fry the flowers also, but that doesn't sound appealing.

Also, my basil gave up the ghost. But I should be able to find fresh basil at the market.

I swear, one of these mornings I'm going to put formula in my coffee instead of cream.

I swear, one of these mornings I'm going to put formula in my coffee instead of cream.

I've threatened to use the excess expressed breast milk for similar things, as it makes me so very sad to see it going to waste.

This may explain why I didn't get an ice cream maker for my birthday.