Bind & CrEATe

I’m slightly ashamed to say I made this zucchini pie with store-bought vegetables. Sigh. Only one zucchini emerged from the garden this year. Quite different from the 15 I had to cook last summer. Nevertheless, I wanted to make something in pie form, and this crustless gem did the trick.

I must be honest: though the flavors of the scallions really amped up this pie, I found myself unsatisfied in the end. Perhaps it’s the abysmal lack of protein. I ate a slice of the pie for lunch (paired with a side salad), and I was hungry nearly an hour later. I thought a zucchini + cheese mix might be more filling.

Still, I’m going to keep eating this throughout the week because I won’t let food go bad. I just need to be more careful about pairing it with an appropriate protein.

What have you been cooking up? Anything in the form of a pie?

Perhaps next time I need to just bake an apple pie, eat the whole thing, and be done with it.

I’m not afraid to admit that in this world, I get by with a little help from my friends.

The garden is yielding zucchini in surplus. I’ve made zucchini bread, zucchini muffins – by the dozens. I’m honestly running out of people with whom I can give zucchini baked goods. Thankfully, my roommate’s sister brought about change in our kitchen by mentioning a new dish: zucchini lasagna. Replace noodles with veg, and you’re set. While my two best friends (featured above, very seriously), sliced and prepared, I didn’t do a damn thing. And for once, I felt fine.

There was a time when I couldn’t sit still. When the sight of someone else preparing dinner for me might have made me crazy. Years ago, I thought I had to do everything. Work, go to school, run half marathons, write stories, blog about my entire life, etc. etc. etc. and then make a delicious meal that was worth ooing and awwing over. There is no need for such madness when you have those special people in your life who volunteer to make your night a little easier.

I really could have done more to deserve this meal. But honestly, I deserve it just by being alive. I deserve it because my friends do nice things for me, and I do nice things for them. We are there for each other in a way just as close as family. So, will I eat a sauce-dripping, noodless vegetarian delight of a dish? You better believe it. And I got these guys to thank for it:

Friendly tip: You don’t have to do it all. Call upon a family member, a friend, your spouse, your neighbor. Whatever. People love to help. I think I, too often, forgot about that.