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Juliette’s Rosemary Zucchini Skillet Bread: A Tale of Two Puppies

August 28, 2018 By Marge Perry 7 Comments

 

For all but about six years of my life, I have had at least one dog.The smartest one, by far, was Juliette. She was, like all our shelter rescues, a mix of many breeds. She was the color of ginger cookies, or pumpkin pie, or honey: her silken soft hair shed ungodly amounts, as though she was seeding the house so more little Juliettes would crop up.

Alas, that was not the case. My lovely sweet girl was a one-of-a-kind. (Aren’t they all?) She was quite regal, and would often lie with her legs crossed at the ankle, just as Royals should.

Here she is in her Christmas robe. (Her scepter did not make it into the photo.)

She also struck a pose my daughter named the “Voodoo”. I can’t explain it– you just have to see. She did this at arbitrary times, and never on command. She did it facing the window, or looking straight at us. We were never sure what it meant, or why or when it would happen. The longest recorded time she held a Voodoo, should you like to know, was nearly two minutes. Of course, we don’t know what she did while we were out.

In the photo on the left, you will see her brother Jake trying to look the other way and pretend his sister is not Voodoo-ing. The photo on the right is clearly her party Voodoo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many years ago, when Juliette was a young puppy, Ebo planted several small bushes of rosemary in the backyard for me. I love rosemary: it is traditionally the herb of romance and remembrance, and I carried it in my wedding bouquet. When my niece, and then one year later my daughter-in-law, got married, we carried the rosemary plant from our kitchen to (respectively) Maine and then Cape Cod, just so we could add fresh snipped sprigs to their bouquets. (I didn’t want them to have just any old rosemary in their bouquets.)

But back to Juliette. One day, as I let her in the back door, I gave her the accustomed hello kiss.

“Oh!” I said, as I nuzzled her soft fur, “You smell so delicio— NOOOO!” I looked outside, and yes: she had eaten all three of my newly planted, lush rosemary plants. She did smell especially wonderful for nearly a week.

This past Memorial Day weekend, Juliette died quite unexpectedly. She was twelve, and had more than her share of health issues, but we thought we had at least a couple of years left with her. If you are one of the over sixty million people in the US who own a dog, (and even if you are not), you surely understand just how awful that was.

We were a mess. Jake, our other dog, wouldn’t eat or wag his tail. That made me even more distraught. But our book manuscript (including 108 photos) was due July 2nd, and we were working around the clock, seven days a week, to make our deadline. Maybe that was good, but it didn’t feel that way at the time.

One very early morning, just a week or so after Juliette died, I sat down at my desk with my cup of coffee. The rising sun shot rays of hot yellow glare into my office as I somehow, nearly mindlessly, ended up on Pet Finder, the Tinder of dog owners. I scrolled and scrolled, aching and wet-eyed, knowing I was no where near ready. Those cute, longing faces of homeless dogs made me miss my clever, joyful Juliette even more.

And then I saw her. That face stopped me as though I’d been slapped. That face!

And so it was that Zoey rescued us, before we were ready to be rescued. It took Jake a week to succumb to her puppy charms, but now he eats and wags his tail– and plays with her and even goes on walks again.

As much love and pleasure and happiness as Zoey has beamed into our home, now when I cook with fresh rosemary, I think of that day so many years ago when I buried my nose deep in Juliette’s fur and smelled my most favorite smell.

 

Print Recipe
Rosemary Zucchini Skillet Bread
Servings 16
  • 1 1/4 pounds zucchini
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup walnuts chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
Servings 16
  • 1 1/4 pounds zucchini
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup walnuts chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Coat the interior of a 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. (Cast iron works well.)
  2. Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze out some of the moisture.
  3. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl; add the oil, yogurt, sugar; mix thoroughly and stir in the zucchini.
  4. In a second bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Use a rubber spatula to stir it into the wet mixture, but stir only until the ingredients are incorporated. (Over stirring will make the cake tough.)
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake, rotating the pan once in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out nearly dry, about 1 hour.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 288 calories, 5 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 322 mg sodium

Filed Under: Breakfast and Brunch, Desserts, Dogs and Pets, Fast and Easy, Great for Gatherings, Recipes, Vegetables

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Comments

  1. Michelle says

    August 29, 2018 at 9:38 am

    Love this and my Joji (my name for her). Miss her and can’t wait to meet Zoey! Xo

    Reply
    • Marge Perry says

      August 29, 2018 at 11:24 am

      It’s time! Come on by…

      Reply
  2. Amy Nieporent says

    August 29, 2018 at 10:58 am

    I miss Juliette so much! We always have a special place in our heats for pets that are gone.

    Reply
    • Marge Perry says

      August 29, 2018 at 11:26 am

      She’s hanging with Mickey, licking his belly until he can’t take it any more. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Laurie ruckel says

    August 29, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    Oh beautiful Juliette .

    Reply
  4. Kelly Moorman Coggins says

    August 29, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing this story, I am on my 7th rescue..I love how they pick you. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Janet says

    August 30, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    Nothing draws me in faster than the promise of a rescue dog story. What a beautiful tale (tail?), which I read with a honey colored foster pup sleeping at my feet and the memory of all the dear dogs who have shed all over my house and heart and wrecked both in epic ways. SO glad you have Zoe to patch you back up, and once I decide what to replace the rosemary with (I am, bafflingly, allergic to it!), I’ll be raising a slice of savory zucchini bread to all the rescue dogs and especially your Voodoo monarch.

    Reply

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I make my living writing, teaching and speaking about food and travel. In the name of work, I (have to!) eat a lot, meet interesting people (many of whom, like me, are passionate about their work) and travel near and far to see where and how food is made, grown or raised. I am saved from a life of extreme obesity by the fact that I truly love to exercise, but I am always one forkful away from not being able to button my jeans. Mine is a sweet and savory life.

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