Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Was it just me?

Every time the Olympics is played, I look forward to them with great anticipation. I love watching the athletes no matter what country they represent but am always cheering on Team USA. The opening ceremonies are always a big moment for me, especially the Atlanta and Chinese ceremonies held a few years ago. The picture of Mohammed Ali carrying the torch in Atlanta was a huge thrill and the pageantry and magic of the Chinese opening was spectacular.
Being an incurable Anglophile, I looked forward to seeing what the British would come up with. So I settled down to watch what one of my favorite countries would give us, bowl of popcorn in my lap and a soft drink by my side. I kept switching channels trying  to find the opening ceremonies but all I could find was American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest and other American announcers blathering about inconsequential things they knew little or nothing about. 
Where are the wonderful Brits who do everything with such class, I wondered.   And where are the proud athletes marching to their country’s banner, After about 10 minutes of extreme boredom, I turned the channel to the Investigation Discovery Channel, extremely frustrated with the Olympics coverage. No British accents, the coverage could have come from Timbuktu.  During commercials I would peek at what the opening ceremonies was showing but turned back in disappointment.
And then I found the problem. NBC, the channel that has the franchise for broadcasting the games, was editing what they thought the Americans should see. It wasn’t the Brits after all. It was NBC telling us what we should and shouldn’t see. They were making it an extension of the Today Show by showcasing Matt Lauer and Merideth Viera — they just wouldn’t stop talking. (I was looking for Kathy Lee Gifford to interview the American swimming team.)
One blogger wrote: NBC did a dismal job broadcasting the opening ceremonies. I wanted to gag Lauer and Costas. I wanted to hear the British announcers at the actual ceremony…. after all they were speaking ENGLISH! I wish NBC would come to their collective senses and get rid of the dullard Lauer and Costas is so yesterday that it is high time he was put out to pasture. Worse yet their comments were nothing short of mundane. Many other bloggers were as disappointed in the overall broadcasts.
I still try to keep up with the athletes but the coverage is so patchy that I can’t concentrate on a certain segment since NBC cameras don’t stay on that segment long enough to see who wins. I’ll be watching, say, gymnastics and all of a sudden the camera switches to ping pong. The athlete who has spent years of his or her life training for this big event, has to give over to a bouncing ball. But that’s what NBC wants you to see.
I can always watch something else.

This makes a wonderful lunch or brunch dish. If you are not concerned about gluten or wheat, use any pancake mix you have on hand.

Zucchini Cheese Casserole

2 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup shredded mexican cheese mix
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup GF pancake mix (such as Pamela’s GF Pancake and Baking Mix)
1/3 cup egg white
4 whole eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven 350F.
Oil a medium size round oven proof dish.
In a small bowl combine the eggs, egg whites, olive oil, salt and basil.
In a larger bowl combine the zucchini, onion, cheese and pancake mix.
Mix the egg mixture into the zucchini mixture. Mix well and transfer to pre-oiled dish.
Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.