Day 157 - Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Sticks

We had a wonderful family day today.  I was really feeling the need to "get out of Dodge" as the "natives were getting restless".
The kids have been out of school now for over a month and have reached that point where they're bored and starting to pick fights with each other.
If you have more than one child, you know what I'm talking about.
Mr. 365, having an older sister and younger brother himself, says it's perfectly natural and it's healthy for them to have conflict and some battles.
I, on the other hand, being an only child, can't STAND it!
Some days, it makes me mental!!
So, to divert them, we planned a family field trip.  My husband and I knew where we were headed, but it was a surprise to the kids.
I had heard from my fellow Rhode Islander friend, Michelle, that at an ice cream store near Arizona State University, had started serving a treat we all have been craving since we'd moved away.
There are definitely foods somewhat native to Rhode Island that my family has been missing - Newport Creamery Awful Awfuls, and their cheeseburgers with that sweet relish, doughboys, clamcakes (not me.  I'll pass on those, thank you), Brickley's Ice Cream (if you're in Narragansett, you have to stop there!), and the most important...

This stuff is unbelievable!  It is frozen lemonade at its' finest.  Only out here, there are no lemon bits or chunks of lemon in it (false advertising on the cup if drinking in Arizona).  They also serve it with a spoon or a straw, (which makes us laugh) but as we Rho D'islandahs know, it's meant to be sipped right out of the cup.  As my husband's cousin said, it's sacrilege to serve it with a utensil.
The kids didn't know that Michelle had filled me in on this little tidbit, so we decided we'd surprise them.  For Christmas, I had ordered our son a sand pail full of dry 25 packets from Del's that, when blended with ice, will give you the same refreshing treat.  Almost, but not quite.  He was ecstatic when he opened that gift and just finished the last packet about a week ago.
It was 111 degrees today, so it was pretty hot and we knew driving an hour each way would be worth the taste and the look on the kids' faces.
It was, as they say, priceless.  Had they been a lot younger, I definitely could have seen them jumping up and down from excitement.
It brought back some wonderful memories for all of us and was well worth the trip.
Oh, and the baklava that we had at the Greek restaurant was absolutely delicious, reminding me that I sssooooooo need to make that very soon!

I know we had a zucchini recipe last night, but this zucchini in the garden, man!  It's big and it's growing and there's quite a bit of it.
Maybe the family will forget that I made something with that same vegetable yesterday.  Actually, no one really ate those things anyway.
I found this on Miss Anthropist's Kitchen and she had adapted it from Aggie’s Kitchen.  Nourhan is an extremely talented young woman.  Her recipes are creative and very inspirational, not to mention delicious and her pictures are very inviting.  She even made her own goldfish cookie cutter out of a soda can for her Homemade Goldfish Crackers!
I highly encourage you to check out her site!

Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Sticks

2 large zucchini, sliced in half and then cut into sticks about 2 X 1/2 inches

2 eggs
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by spraying it generously with cooking spray; set aside.
In large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and set aside.
In a shallow baking dish, combine breadcrumbs, cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic powder, and salt.
Begin by placing small batches of zucchini in the eggs, completely covering all sides.
Remove sticks from the egg and place in bread mixture.
Completely cover the zucchini with breadcrumb mixture.
Place finished zucchini sticks onto baking sheet.

Continue coating remaining zucchini with egg, then bread mixture and place on baking sheet.
Spray zucchini sticks with cooking spray and place into oven.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown.
With a spatula, flip every stick and bake again for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.




These were absolutely delicious.  Nourhan recommended serving them with a marinara sauce, but we couldn't stop eating them right after they came out of the oven.  I alone ate about 9 or 10 of them.  They were SO addicting!
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Sticks earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.
What a deliciously healthy snack!
Thank you so much for sharing them, Nourhan!!
Happy baking!!