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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2020)
Cottage Grove Sentinel Community B1 THURSDAY | AUGUST 20, 2020 Betty Kaiser: Cook’s Corner Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales Zucchini anyone? Betty Kaiser (Originally published in The Sentinel July 18, 2018) T his week’s col- umn is all about zucchini. My husband has already walked in the house mul- tiple times this month an- nouncing that “Zucchini man is here!” All winter long I yearn for fresh zucchini and now I’m overwhelmed! It is in full swing so it’s time to dig out my recipes and decide how many ways we can enjoy it this summer. One of today’s recipes is for stuffed zucchini. It was born in the 1980s when a customer walked through the door of our restaurant and gifted us with some huge 22-inch long zucchi- nis. “See what you can do with these,” he said, so we came up with a variable ingredients stuffed bell pepper-type filling and it immediately became our best-selling summer lunch special. The other recipes are for simple side dishes be- cause who likes to cook in this heat. The final two are my favorite way to eat zuc- chini — a chocolate cake and a simple sweet bread that is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Enjoy! FYI: You will love to- day’s first recipe because it has nothing to do with cooking! Many years ago, I solicited zucchini recipes from readers. I still have dozens of them in my file. This one was from my friend Carol Pryor. She left this earth too soon but I still laugh every time I read this advice: Best Zucchini Recipe Ever (Carol Pryor 2001) • 1 bushel zucchini • 1 raincoat • 1 pair of sunglasses • A moderately fast car Directions: Go to a busy parking lot. Drive around until you find an unlocked car. Put the zuc- chini in the back seat and drive away FAST before you are discovered! Corn and Zucchini Medley • 4 slices bacon • 2 cups chopped zuc- chini • 1-1/2 cups fresh corn • 1 small onion, chopped • Salt and pepper • ¼ cup Jack Cheese Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain ba- con on paper towels, re- serving 1 tablespoon of drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Next, sauté the zucchi- ni, corn and onion over medium heat in the ba- con drippings until ten- der-crisp, about 10 min. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in half of the crumbled bacon and spoon vegetables into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining bacon. Serves 4-5. Zucchini Garden Salad • 4 tomatoes, chopped or cut into quarters • 1 medium zucchini, sliced and then halved • Fresh basil (or dried) • Salt and pepper • 1/3 cup red onion, minced • Italian Dressing to taste Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate. Serve cold on a bed of let- tuce. Kaiser’s Country Diner Stuffed Zucchini • 1 huge zucchini • 1 pound ground beef • 1 onion, diced • ½ bell pepper, diced • 1 cup cooked brown or white rice • 2 8-ounce cans Hunts tomato sauce with basil, garlic and oregano • Other seasonings: gar- lic salt, pepper, basil, Ta- basco Preheat oven to 350° F. and line a baking pan with foil Wash and split the zuc- chini lengthwise. Scoop out the middle and dis- card. Steam the shells in the microwave about 3-4 min. Drain and set aside. Cook the ground beef, onion and bell pepper in a skillet until meat is done. Drain well. Add the rice and 1 can tomato sauce to the meat mixture with other sea- sonings as desired. Spoon into the zucchini shells and top with the other can of tomato sauce and your choice of cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. Serves 8 or more de- pending on size. Chocolate Zucchini Cake (Southern Living 2002) • 3 cups all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon salt • 4 large eggs • 3 cups granulated sug- ar • 3 (1-ounce) unsweet- ened chocolate baking squares, melted • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil • 3 cups grated zucchini (about 5) • 1 cup pecans, chopped • Powdered sugar • Preheat oven to 350° F. • Combine first 4 ingre- dients and set aside. Beat eggs at medi- um speed with an elec- tric mixer. Gradually add granulated sugar; beat un- til blended. Add chocolate and oil; beat until blended. Grad- ually add flour mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Fold in zucchini and pecans. Pour batter into a well- greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wood- en pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 min- utes. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with pow- dered sugar before serv- ing. Serves 12. Kaiser’s Country Diner Zucchini Bread (Preheat oven to 350° F.) Beat together until blended: • 3 eggs • 2-1/4 cups sugar • 1 cup vegetable oil • 2 cups grated zucchini Add: • 3 cups flour • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder • 3 teaspoons cinnamon Spray 2 large or 3 small loaf (bread) pans with cooking oil. Bake 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Cool, slice and serve at breakfast, with luncheon salads or a bedtime dessert. Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox at 942-1317 or bchatty@bettykaiser.com LORANE COUNTRY NEWS Contributed by Lil Thompson HIGH FIRE DANGER throughout Western for The Sentinel Lane County. No gas or • We are current- spark emitting vehicles ly in EXTREMELY or equipment may be run at ANY time, unless you have a really green, irrigated lawn. Only then may you mow. Be really careful during Yard of the Week brought to you by: Cottage Grove Sentinel 116 N. 6th • (541) 942-3325 Week of August20th Winner is: 1386 Cottonwood Place. Yards will be selected each week by nominations. To nominate a yard you can call City Hall (942-5501) or Chamber of Commerce (942-2411) this time of year; every- thing is very dry. Abso- lutely NO recreational fires. Protect yourself and your neighbors. • Crow-Applegate-Lo- rane School District is working hard preparing for school to start in-per- son for K-3, and with grades 4-12 distance learning beginning Sept. 14. If you have any ques- tions, contact the school through the CAL web- site. • Everyone is still en- joying drive in church at Lorane Christian Church each Sunday. Or, you could say outdoor church in your cars. All are welcome. • Lorane Grange meets next Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. • For all interested, the Karl Wilson made it safe- ly back to Louisanna. By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” Joanne’s dog, Mr. Bean, rates TV shows according to dog content. J oanne was looking at three Standard Poodle puppies on the internet when she “heard” her recently passed dog, Cooper, excitedly announce, “Get that one!” Out of curiosity, she and her husband, Charlie, drove over to just look at the puppies. They made a pact that they would not spontaneously take a puppy home — un- less one chose them. They held two bi-colored, seven-week-old pups and their little chocolate-colored brother, Kona, who Coo- per had chosen for them. When Joanne was about to tell the breeder which puppy she wanted, Kona toddled from across the room, laid down at Joanne’s feet and fell asleep. The amazed breeder said, “I have never seen a puppy do that.” “Kona was named after Hawaiian coffee beans but when we called him, he didn’t respond,” said Joanne. “In frustration, Charlie exclaimed ‘Well, that’s a bean’ and the puppy turned his head towards Charlie. So, we re- named our new family member Mr. Bean.” Cooper had deeply loved Amber, their rescued brown- and-white German shorthaired pointer with amber-col- ored eyes. When the couple arrived home with their little brown bean, Amber excitedly greeted them at the door. Mr. Bean mysteriously and instantly appeared to recognize his doggy-sister. They were bonded from moment one. Cooper obviously wanted his family loved and taken care of after his departure, so he chose the paw-fect fur baby for them. “It is surreal how much Mr. Bean is like Cooper,” said Joanne. “Cooper would walk through our legs for us to pet his rear end and Mr. Bean does the same thing. Mr. Bean is also addicted to one thing: Television. His favorite movie is ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ because he likes watching the camels. His favorite TV show is ‘Lucky Dog.’ When we announce ‘Lucky Dog is on,’ he runs into the living room, jumps on the love seat and props his head on the armrest to watch his favorite show from his favorite location. He also enjoys watching the Westmin- ster Kennel Club’s dogs as they parade on the show and all veterinarian shows. Once, when they had a dog laying under a drape prior to surgery, Mr. Bean went over to the set and started whimpering. We wondered if he was comforting the animal or telling us he was deeply con- cerned about its injuries.” Joanne said Mr. Bean is just like people. In addition to TV shows, he also has his favorite commercials. When he hears the music from his favorites, he runs into the living room and stands in front of the TV waiting to see the dog that he knows is in the commercial. Mr. Bean is a local celebrity. When we are out walking, his personality and good looks stop residents and tour- ists alike, so they can love on and pet him. He’s a major hit at the care home too, where he takes his pup-ular- ity in stride. One has to wonder if Mr. Bean paws-ibly thinks that he is a TV movie star too? TIPS: • “Researchers have found that second-hand smoke is harmful to pets,” said Janetta Overholser, president of the Humane Society of Cottage Grove. “Exposure to to- bacco smoke is associated with certain cancers, allergies, eye and skin diseases and respiratory problems in our pets. One reason cats are so susceptible to second-hand smoke is because of their grooming habits. Cats con- stantly lick themselves while grooming, therefore they lick up the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on their fur.” https://www.facebook.com/humanesoci- etycg. • Fleas use animals’ armpits as nesting areas. Regular- ly trimming underarm fur prevents masses of knotted fur later. Always put your fingers, or a metal comb, next to the pet’s skin when cutting a fur ball and place the scissors on top of your fingers/comb to prevent clipping their skin. • Donations needed at most pet shelters: Food, beds, leashes, toys, towels, your time or finances. Also, cook- ies, chocolate or tea for the workers and volunteers are greatly appreciated! Check their websites for their other needs. Share your fur-avorite pet memory or adventure at angelscribe@msn.com. Visit Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Facebook at/www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales Humane Society for Neuter/Spay Assistance Program. 541- 942-2789
