Not-So-Quick Bread

Never in my life have I used so many bowls and appliances just to bake a Zucchini Bread (pg 428). I totally demolished my nice clean kitchen by the time the bread went in the oven. The end result was under-spiced, even though I doubled the cinnamon and the allspice, and there is a slight aftertaste of baking powder or soda (not sure which it is--the bread includes a whopping teaspoon of each. Just to keep it in perspective, it only calls for 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of allspice).

You made me very thirsty, Bread.

I really think the "healthy" aspect of this cookbook is quite misleading. I compared this recipe to the Zucchini Bread recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, because they also provide nutritional info. The only category in which this HFC recipe shows more nutrition is that it has two extra grams of protein and one extra gram of fiber. Otherwise, this "healthy" version has 53 extra calories, 14 extra carbs, and 197 extra mg sodium. Both recipes have 6 grams of fat, but they're broken down differently. BH&G has 1 gm saturated fat and 13 mg cholesterol, and HFC has 3.5 gm saturated fat and 50 mg cholesterol. These stats include nuts in the Better Homes and Gardens recipe, and not in the HFC recipe. Granted, I haven't baked both recipes, so I can't compare their tastes, but the Healthy Family Cookbook version doesn't seem all that much healthier. It's like whole wheat flour is their only requirement for making a healthy recipe.

Conclusion: Just okay. I'd never make this again. Charlie seems to like it, though.

 For dinner, I destroyed the last two pieces of fish that were frozen from Matt's fishing adventure. Fortunately, he has plans to go fishing again on Saturday, so we'll be restocked soon. The intro to Super-Crisp Oven-Fried Fish (pg 215) says "we discovered a couple of tricks to make our oven-fried fish taste remarkably similar to the deep-fried version." What planet are these people cooking on? Saying it doesn't make it so. This fish was inedible. I literally could not swallow my first bite. Don't worry, I didn't photograph the "after." Matt tried to truck through it, but he gave up after two bites. It was crispy, but it was also flavorless, and it somehow made the fish taste and smell extremely fishy, which is not something we've experienced cooking any of the other fillets. In no universe is this recipe even remotely similar to deep-fried fish.

Never again.

I'll give you the very brief synopsis, since it's not even worth talking about. Dredge the fish in flour, then an egg, horseradish, mayo, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper mixture, then in breadcrumbs. Place on a wire rack on a baking sheet, for all-around cooking, and stick it in the oven. Remove from oven and toss directly in the trash.

Conclusion: Obviously, hated it. Disgusting.