D-day

Oh, the D-readed day has arrived! I've turned into my mother. (No offense mom--read on!)

It was Halloween 1988. I guess it could have been 1987 or maybe 1986 but it was Halloween. I know that for sure. A Halloween when we lived in our blue house on Ogontz Street. I was an elementary school-er and the magic of the holiday gave me butterflies. Isn't the magic of Halloween nearly the same as that of Christmas for an 8 year old? I think so.

That was back in the day when your mom picked you up from school, took you home, you scarfed down your lunch and dressed in a frenzy and then your mom hurried you back to school for an afternoon of celebrating. Oh, how I miss those days! I wish the schools celebrated Halloween the same way now.

It seemed that the clock ticked ever so slowly from the time I hopped off the bus to the time we could go trick-or-treating and get all that CANDY! This particular Halloween was no different. And horror struck when dinner was served just a little while before it was time to hit the street running. I am not and have never been a picky eater but growing up there were two dishes that my mom made that simply turned my stomach: tamales and what I now call zucchini marinara. My mom served zucchini marinara that evening. I sat in front of my plate and whined and complained and whined some more. But I knew I wouldn't be going out that night unless I ate my dinner so I choked it down. Bleh. I have since vowed to never serve my kids something they hate before something as special as trick-or-treating. (I'm hoping to stick to that vow!) Wait. . .if I'm thinking really hard, tamales might have been what I gagged down that night, but I digress.

Fast forward 20 + years. We were invited to dinner a few months ago--back when I was pregnant and close to my due date. My friend served zucchini marinara. She served it over noodles. And I stuffed myself silly. It was so yummy! I just remembered this dish last week and have made it twice now. My poor boys. Though, Marc and Anderson gobbled it up so maybe it's not such a sad story for them. It's whats for dinner tonight, too. Served with Crispy Parmesan Chicken.

Zucchini Marinara

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 " circles
1/2 jar of Prego
salt and pepper
4 oz. mozzarella cheese

Layer zucchini at the bottom of a casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over the zucchini then sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until zucchini is fork tender but still has a small bite. Serve over cooked pasta--I like angel hair.