babcia's zucchini appetizers

Some things should never change. Some things are already perfection, defined.

I feel this way about the weekends I spend with four close friends every summer at a Vermont lake house. Each year we do the same thing. We bring up tons of food-- fruit salads, cupcakes, veggies and dip, and lots of things to grill-- and spend our time lounging on inner tubes in the water, making s'mores over a bonfire, and staying up late into the night chatting. This is perfection.

My grandmother's zucchini appetizers also reach this rare level of perfection. I'd never made them before, but when I decided to try my hand at them I knew I wouldn't change anything from her recipe. So what if the recipe calls for Bisquick, something I'm not even sure I understand. Is it weird to use Bisquick instead of combining the flour and leavening ingredients yourself? Is it old-fashioned? It doesn't really matter for the sake of this recipe.

These zucchini appetizers are addictive. Babcia (which is Ukranian for "grandmother") makes these mayyyybe once a year, freezes them, and brings them out before every family dinner. She'll warm them up in her toaster oven on a low heat for, ohh, a couple of hours to dry them out and get the outsides nice and crispy. It's totally delicious, and I always eat so many that I'm practically full before dinner. I'm not messing with what works.

I felt like I was making a garden-fresh salad as I grated all the zucchini, chopped all the onion, and minced all the garlic for this. The vibrant green of the zucchini was fabulous. Be sure to serve these warm. Do like Babcia and toast them until they're extra crispy for real success.

Zucchini Appetizers

3 cups zucchini, grated

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs

2 tablespoons parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

pepper, added to taste

paprika

breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the zucchini, onion, garlic, Parmesan, parsley, salt, oregano, and pepper in one large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and oil. Add to the larger bowl. Then add the Bisquick and stir until well combined.

Spread into a lightly greased 9 x 13" pan. Sprinkle the top lightly with breadcrumbs and paprika. Bake for 25-30 minutes, and serve hot.