It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)

While I may feel fine, many in my hometown do not. This morning Mobile and the surrounding area saw its share of severe weather. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down along I-65 and parts of Midtown. Several trees (even beautiful live oaks 🙁 ) were damaged or blown down, but luckily, this gem of a place, The Avenue of the Oaks, is still standing strong.

While quite a few homes throughout the city were badly damaged and remain without electricity, most of the structural casualties were commercial buildings.

The local American Red Cross headquarters suffered damage, as well. Several relief trailers were flipped over, though the new (2010) building sustained only minor roof damage.

[source]

My heart nearly burst out of my chest this morning around 4 AM when my husband’s phone loudly chirped (bellowed?) a weather alarm. Shortly thereafter, I heard distant tornado sirens. Our property is fine, although the wind blew pretty strongly; unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fall back to sleep before my 6:15 alarm.

No bother; we’ll all sleep indefinitely once the world ends, I suppose?

Or maybe the Mayans were simply developing a recipe for America’s favorite sandwich cookie. It’s in times like this I try to be optimistic…

If, however, the Mayans are right, this stuffed zucchini wasn’t bad for a last meal.

Stuffed Zucchini

serves 4

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini
1 sausage (we used turkey), with casing removed
1/4 of a medium red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated cheese

Directions

Cut the ends of zucchini and slice in half along the length
Gently scoop out and dice the flesh, making sure to leave a 1/4 to 1/2 inch “shell”
In a skillet, fry the sausage, making sure to break up the meat
To the sausage, add the diced zucchini, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper
Once the liquid begins to cook out, add bread crumbs to the mixture
Fill each zucchini half with the mixture
Top with cheese and bake until golden on top, about 20 minutes