An hour ago, I was at the beach with Mr. P and Lily. My weather alerts kept threatening storms, but it was sunny and hot and perfect beach weather…for all of about 30 minutes. 40 minutes, tops. I was reading, baring my ultra-white pregnant tummy to the sun gods when I started to feel rain drops. Just a few, as I willed them away with happy, dry thoughts. And then a few more…and then a few more.
If you know me, you probably know I HATE rain. I hate rain so much so that I skipped class in college when it was raining. Is there anything worse than having to sit in a boring lecture when you’re sopping wet?
Hardly. But rain drops when you’re at the beach is no fun, either.
But that wasn’t our only beach disaster of the weekend (and at least we made it home before the HAIL that came soon thereafter).
Mr. Prevention also decided it would be a good idea to have a bonfire on the beach last night. A good idea, in theory. Except Lake Michigan + surrounding nature + dusk and dark = MONSTROUS EVIL MOSQUITOES. All summer long he’s been begging me to accompany him to the beach for a fire and last night I caved, knowing my friend Mary who was visiting likes doing fun things.
Needless to say, they were calling it quits after about 15 minutes and dozens of mosquito bites. Of course I had to get in a few, “Ummm…I told you so’s.”
Nicole – 1. Mr. Prevention – o.
Mr. Prevention is also obsessed with the idea of a jet ski. Never mind the fact that we’re 4 weeks away from summer’s end (WHA?!), but we have a baby on the way and jet skiing is a one-person activity. He’s gone as far as to install a trailer hitch on my car and get quotes for a jet ski. I was getting nervous with his commitment to the idea, I’m not going to lie. But I think I’ve talked some sense into him. At least for the time being.
Nicole – 2. Mr. Prevention – 0.
My winning streak continues with a whole bunch of online gambeling winning recipes off last week’s weekly menu, but this one tops the yum charts. I generally post recipes in the order in which we make them (correction, I make them)…but the best of the best deserve to be shared sooner rather than later. So, here we are.
Do not mistake the simple ingredient list and easy preparation for simple flavors and lack-luster results. Mr. Prevention ate THREE SQUASH for dinner. And lucky for us, our garden and CSA are putting out squash at a rapid pace. I plan to fill every last one with goat cheese and marinara and enjoy every last bite.
- 4 zucchini, halved lengthwise
- ½ tsp salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 5 oz goat cheese
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- Preheat oven or grill to 400F.
- Scoop out the seeds of the halved zucchini, leaving the zucchini hollowed out. Season with salt and black pepper and place on baking sheet.
- Using half of goat cheese, spread a small amount in the bottom of each zucchini. Spoon marinara sauce on top, then sprinkle with remaining goat cheese to finish.
- Grill or bake until the marinara is hot and the zucchini is fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the zucchini. Serve immediately.
Weekly Menu: July 27th – July 31st
- Sunday: Grilled Chicken Skewers with Asian Flavors and grilled local corn
- Monday: Pretzel-Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers with more of these Goat Cheese and Marinara-Stuffed Zucchini/Squash
- Tuesday: leftovers – work and tennis until late
- Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna (from the freezer) with salad (from CSA)
- Thursday: Cinnamon Whole Grain Power Pancakes
Grocery store and workout ahead. Why do I always try to be productive after the beach? It’s always a struggle.
Be well,
This may be my favorite version of stuffed zucchini I have seen yet.
Nicole, I feel like I would order this at a fancy restaurant – I am craving it already and its only 7:15am!
I am just starting to get zucchini from my garden–love this idea!
Ugh, mosquitoes are the WORST! I’ll take the bad weather any day if all the mosquitoes would disappear. Since we got the new pool, it’s been nothing but yucky bugs. And I’ve got poison ivy on top of it. I definitely need a delicious dish like this to console me!
Zucchini and goat cheese are two of my absolute faves!
i despise rain as well…unless im staying in and have nothing to do all day long – which never happens. I love the addition of goat cheese.