Your plans for the evening primarily consist of a protracted excursion into no man's land, fighting dragons, trolls, bad guys, other drivers, or just one more turn in your god game of choice.

You've filled the cooler with libations, and set it within arm's reach of your digital mistress. You've practiced opening it and removing the contents without removing your eyes from the hypnotic glow of your multi-pixel circus.

Only one thing is missing from your night of electronic bacchanalia. Food. Food that can be eaten one handed, with a quick popping motion so as not to leave your keyboard and mouse uncaressed for any appreciable time.

Thus our theme for this week's gaming gourmand; one handed eating.
On our menu:


Baked Zucchini Sticks with Yogurt-Dill Dipping Sauce

Pecan Pesto Pinwheels 

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies


Total prep and cook time; about a half an hour. 

Ingredients: 

Baked Zucchini Sticks Ingredients

Directions:

Make Cookies: Mix first four ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for three minutes being careful not to scorch the milk. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, peanut butter and oats; mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool until firm.

Make Pesto: Combine the basil, garlic, cheeses and nuts in a food processor or blender. Process to mix. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper and process to the desired consistency. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 1 cup. Pesto refrigerates and freezes well, rumor has it. I've never had any last long enough to find out. It's great on bread, and pasta and anything else you can think of. Mmmm, pesto. 

Start preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash and trim unpeeled zucchini and cut into sticks about the size of french fries. Beat eggs with water, salt, pepper and herb mixture. Dip each zucchini stick in egg mixture and then in cracker crumbs. Place zucchini on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and drizzle butter over the sticks. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until tender and lightly browned. 

(For menu timing purposes, Set the timer for 5 minutes.)

While the zucchini is baking, on another parchment lined baking sheet, lay out your tortillas. If they're not super fresh, brush them with a little olive oil, else, just spoon and spread pesto across them, leaving about 1" clearance around the edges. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of pesto. Roll tortillas from one end, like a jellyroll. Secure with a toothpick if necessary. 

When your five-minute timer goes off, pop the pinwheels in the oven with the zucchini and set the timer for 10 minutes. 

While everything is baking, mix yogurt with dill and salt if desired. If you prefer it to be a little tangier, add up to a tablespoon of either Dijon mustard, lemon or lime juice. A little chopped green onion wouldn't be amiss, either. 

When timer dings, and everything looks all toasty and melty from the oven, place it on a big enough serving tray to get it to your computer. Remember to take napkins. Nobody wants a slippery keyboard on raid night. 

Notes: When making the pinwheels for a party, you can use puff pastry instead of tortillas for a really nice touch. Remember to cut the rolls at about one-inch increments when planning on serving to the masses. They're really pretty when you slice them. Also, add cooked chicken breast strips in the center for a change of pace. 

All of these recipes make about 4 normal servings. Adjust as your crowd or appetite demands.

Categories: Game Night, Appetizers

Nutritional Info: There's nothing bacon wrapped or deep fried, and there's a veggie, so it must be healthy.