Happy Birthday... To ME! @DonnaFaz

I wish for lots of birthday fun

to last until the day is done.

Hoping that all my wishes come true,

and my cake is as sweet as all of you!

I'd like to take this opportunity 

to thank all of you, 

my blog followers, my readers, my friends, 

for filling my life with such joy. Thank you!

Dare To Be Different

Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.

Why fit in when you were born to stand out?

There are two types of people in the world…you and everyone else.

Be among the few who dare to follow their dreams.

Don’t take yourself too seriously; no one gets out alive.

You can’t always wait for the perfect time; sometimes you must dare to jump.

Aspire to inspire before you expire.

If you’re always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be.

Embrace your weirdness.

Dare to be different.

I dare you!

Bacon Zucchini Fritters #Recipe

I realize it's awfully soon to be offering another recipe, but I've had one of those days today. You know the ones, where you’re feeling creative in the kitchen. I pulled some ingredients out of my refrigerator and pantry, and I wondered what I could make with them. I had bacon, a zucchini, Locatelli cheese, eggs, flour, you get the picture. I came up with a recipe that is so delicious I decided to write it down. When you write it down, you know it’s good.

Bacon Zucchini Fritters

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

5 strips of bacon, fried crisp, drained, chopped

3 cups zucchini, grated (leave the skin on)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese (I used Locatelli brand)

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced (slice a little extra for garnish)

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper, or to taste

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for frying

Mix together all ingredients, except the oil, until well incorporated. Heat a frying pan on high until its hot, add oil to the pan, and then turn the pan down to medium heat. You want the oil almost to the smoking point. Use an ice cream scoop (a large spoon works too) and fry the fritters in batches for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and fry on the other side until golden. Remove to a serving platter and keep warm.

I served these fritters as a side dish, garnished with thinly sliced scallions and a dollop of sour cream.