For some reason, I've been blessed with one of my children liking eggplant! Doesn't happen often unless you are born into an Italian family! I have a couple of ways of making eggplant dishes, but this has become a family favorite and considered a treat by my teen. The ingredients are general as it depends on how many you are cooking for that day.
Eggplant Italian
Eggplant (how many depends on how many mouths to feed!
Provolone Cheese, sliced
Grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella, grated
Fresh parsley, chopped
Half spaghetti sauce/half canned, diced tomatoes
Italian spices (mix or use basil, oregano, and chili flakes)
Large, fresh tomatoes
Eggs, well beaten
Flour
Bread crumbs, fresh work best
Oil to fry
Tomato sauce
Combine the spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, and Italian spices as well as salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes and add the freshly chopped parsley.
Slice the eggplant into thin (about a quarter of an inch or so) rounds. Dust each slice with flour, dip into eggs, and then into bread crumbs. Fry each slice of eggplant until golden brown on each side. Place them on a greased baking sheet.
When all the eggplant is done, assemble as follows:
Arrange the eggplant, one deep on the baking pan. Put on a slice of Provolone cheese, a thin slice of fresh tomato, and a spoonful of tomato/diced tomato mixture. Sprinkle with grated Romano and top with another slice of eggplant. Top with more tomato mixture and a generous amount of Mozzarella. Continue until all the eggplant slices are paired up. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until browning on top and bubbling.
*If you like onion, a thin slice of red or purple onion can be added on top of the fresh tomato slice.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Time AND money-saving idea - a win/win solution!
I have found that premixing packages of baking mixes saves time in the long run and last-minute trips to the store. The concept is simple, you mix up the necessary dry ingredients for your recipe, seal it in a bag along with a stapled on note card with what you will need to finish it. Start simply. Make up one supply, try doing it a week later and see how it works into your schedule. You increase your supplies as you begin to include them into your family’s requirements.
A good, nutritious breakfast or lunch bread is easy to have on hand.
QUICK FRUIT-NUT BREAD
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons salt (Can be reduced if you are watching salt intake)
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 cups rolled oats
4 cups raisins (or a mixture of your favorite dried fruit, coarsely chopped)
2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, your choice
Sift together the flour, salt and soda and divide into 4 strong plastic bags or air-tight containers. Add one cup of the oats, one cup of the fruit and ½ cup of the nuts to each container and shake well to mix. Store in refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Additional Ingredients required for baking one loaf:
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Beat the sugar and egg until fluffy. Stir the lemon juice into the milk and set aside to sour. Add the soured milk to the sugar and egg and beat until smooth. Add the contents of one bag of your baking mix to the milk-sugar mixture and stir gently to combine. Stir in the oil. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in 350 degree preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, slice and serve.
The best part of having a homemade baking mix on hand is your ability to whip up another loaf of bread immediately since your first one is sure to disappear within seconds of leaving the pan.
Many of the recipes we make from scratch can be broken down in the same manner as the above bread mix. The trick is combining the dry ingredients ahead of time and attaching a note of what you will need when you want to bake. Think about the cake mixes I know many of us use. We bring home a box of flour, baking powder, spices and flavoring at a cost of over a dollar. And when we come home, we have to add our eggs, water and oil. We can drop the fancy box and the brand name and start using the house brand---our own!
Frugality is a handsome income. (Erasmus: Colloquia 16th century)
A good, nutritious breakfast or lunch bread is easy to have on hand.
QUICK FRUIT-NUT BREAD
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons salt (Can be reduced if you are watching salt intake)
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 cups rolled oats
4 cups raisins (or a mixture of your favorite dried fruit, coarsely chopped)
2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, your choice
Sift together the flour, salt and soda and divide into 4 strong plastic bags or air-tight containers. Add one cup of the oats, one cup of the fruit and ½ cup of the nuts to each container and shake well to mix. Store in refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Additional Ingredients required for baking one loaf:
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Beat the sugar and egg until fluffy. Stir the lemon juice into the milk and set aside to sour. Add the soured milk to the sugar and egg and beat until smooth. Add the contents of one bag of your baking mix to the milk-sugar mixture and stir gently to combine. Stir in the oil. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in 350 degree preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, slice and serve.
The best part of having a homemade baking mix on hand is your ability to whip up another loaf of bread immediately since your first one is sure to disappear within seconds of leaving the pan.
Many of the recipes we make from scratch can be broken down in the same manner as the above bread mix. The trick is combining the dry ingredients ahead of time and attaching a note of what you will need when you want to bake. Think about the cake mixes I know many of us use. We bring home a box of flour, baking powder, spices and flavoring at a cost of over a dollar. And when we come home, we have to add our eggs, water and oil. We can drop the fancy box and the brand name and start using the house brand---our own!
Frugality is a handsome income. (Erasmus: Colloquia 16th century)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Peanut Butter and Jelly . . .
There is nothing better than a peanut butter and jelly/jam sandwich! I like mine on wholewheat bread and prefer any flavor jelly or jam as long as it's apricot. We didn't have peanut butter in the house when I was growing up so this has become an adult favorite for me over the years. When I ran across this recipe, I knew it would be a winner especially if the jelly jar is at hand when they exit the oven.
Peanut Butter Muffins
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 16 muffin cups or line with cupcake papers.
Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the peanut butter and milk - stirring in teh milk, bit by bit, until the peanut butter is diluted and smoothed into the milk. Stir in the eggs and half the peanuts.
Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients all at once. Mix only until batter is blended and still somewhat lulmpy. Spoon the batter into the cuffin cups, filling only 2/3 full. Sprinke the remaining peanuts over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Turn out and let cool a bit before serving then pass the jelly.
Peanut Butter Muffins
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 16 muffin cups or line with cupcake papers.
Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the peanut butter and milk - stirring in teh milk, bit by bit, until the peanut butter is diluted and smoothed into the milk. Stir in the eggs and half the peanuts.
Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients all at once. Mix only until batter is blended and still somewhat lulmpy. Spoon the batter into the cuffin cups, filling only 2/3 full. Sprinke the remaining peanuts over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Turn out and let cool a bit before serving then pass the jelly.
Easter Morning Treat?
After Holy Saturday officially closes down Lent and ushers in the Easter Season, we always look forward to celebrating with something special on Easter Sunday after we come home from Mass. Because we are always watching our calories, pancakes don't happen around here too often so I'm thinking that would be a hearty treat especially if I splurge on some maple syrup.
I came across this recipe today and it sound intriguing. I would never have thought of add cottage cheese but can see how this would add extra protein and calcium while producing tender pancakes. If I go with this recipe, I'll be sure to post the results and approval rating from my family. If you want to try it long before Easter, let us know how they turn out.
Golden Pancakes
1 cup cottage cheese
6 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Put all ingredients into a blender. Cover and blend at high speed until ingredients are well combined - about a minute. Bake on a greased griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Makes approximately 20 pancakes.
I like the smell of pancakes cooking in the morning. A side of crispy bacon and a couple of perfectly cooked eggs sure wouldn't go amiss either! Good thing dinner is already cooking on the stove as I'm making myself hungry!
I came across this recipe today and it sound intriguing. I would never have thought of add cottage cheese but can see how this would add extra protein and calcium while producing tender pancakes. If I go with this recipe, I'll be sure to post the results and approval rating from my family. If you want to try it long before Easter, let us know how they turn out.
Golden Pancakes
1 cup cottage cheese
6 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Put all ingredients into a blender. Cover and blend at high speed until ingredients are well combined - about a minute. Bake on a greased griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Makes approximately 20 pancakes.
I like the smell of pancakes cooking in the morning. A side of crispy bacon and a couple of perfectly cooked eggs sure wouldn't go amiss either! Good thing dinner is already cooking on the stove as I'm making myself hungry!
Stand up for America before 2012!
This was passed on to me from a friend. Amusing with a scary undertone as these things COULD come true! -Barbara
Winston, come into the dining room, it's time to eat," Julia yelled to her husband. "In a minute, honey, it's a tie score," he answered. Actually Winston wasn't very interested in the traditional holiday football game between Detroit and Washington . Ever since the government passed the Civility in Sports Statute of 2017, outlawing tackle football for its "unseemly violence" and the "bad example it sets for the rest of the world," Winston was far less of a football fan than he used to be. Two-hand touch wasn't nearly as exciting.
Yet it wasn't the game that Winston was uninterested in. It was more the thought of eating another Tofu Turkey. Even though it was the best type of Veggie Meat available after the government revised the American Anti-Obesity Act of 2018, adding fowl to the list of federally-forbidden foods, (which already included potatoes, cranberry sauce and mince-meat pie), it wasn't anything like real turkey. And ever since the government officially changed the name of "Thanksgiving Day" to "A National Day of Atonement" in 2020 to officially acknowledge the Pilgrims' historically brutal treatment of Native Americans, the holiday had lost a lot of its luster.
Eating in the dining room was also a bit daunting. The unearthly gleam of government-mandated fluorescent light bulbs made the Tofu Turkey look even weirder than it actually was, and the room was always cold. Ever since Congress passed the Power Conservation Act of 2016, mandating all thermostats-which were monitored and controlled by the electric company-be kept at 68 degrees, every room on the north side of the house was barely tolerable throughout the entire winter.
Still, it was good getting together with family. Or at least most of the family. Winston missed his mother, who passed on in October, when she had used up her legal allotment of live-saving medical treatment. He had had many heated conversations with the Regional Health Consortium, spawned when the private insurance market finally went bankrupt, and everyone was forced into the government health care program. And though he demanded she be kept on her treatment, it was a futile effort. "The RHC's resources are limited," explained the government bureaucrat Winston spoke with on the phone. "Your mother received all the benefits to which she was entitled. I'm sorry for your loss."
Ed couldn't make it either. He had forgotten to plug in his electric car last night, the only kind available after the Anti-Fossil Fuel Bill of 2021 outlawed the use of the combustion engines-for everyone but government officials. The fifty mile round trip was about ten miles too far, and Ed didn't want to spend a frosty night on the road somewhere between here and there.
Thankfully, Winston's brother, John, and his wife were flying in. Winston made sure that the dining room chairs had extra cushions for the occasion. No one complained more than John about the pain of sitting down so soon after the government-mandated cavity searches at airports, which severely aggravated his hemorrhoids. Ever since a terrorist successfully smuggled a cavity bomb onto a jetliner, the TSA told Americans the added "inconvenience" was an "absolute necessity" in order to stay "one step ahead of the terrorists." Winston's own body had grown accustomed to such probing ever since the government expanded their scope to just about anywhere a crowd gathered, via Anti-Profiling Act of 2022. That law made it a crime to single out any group or individual for "unequal scrutiny," even when probable cause was involved. Thus, cavity searches at malls, train stations, bus depots, etc., etc., had become almost routine. Almost.
The Supreme Court is reviewing the statute, but most Americans expect a Court composed of six progressives and three conservatives to leave the law intact. "A living Constitution is extremely flexible," said the Court's eldest member, Elena Kagan. " Europe has had laws like this one for years. We should learn from their example," she added.
Winston's thoughts turned to his own children. He got along fairly well with his 12-year-old daughter, Brittany, mostly because she ignored him. Winston had long ago surrendered to the idea that she could text anyone at any time, even during Atonement Dinner. Their only real confrontation had occurred when he limited her to 50,000 texts a month, explaining that was all he could afford. She whined for a week, but got over it.
His 16-year-old son, Jason, was another matter altogether. Perhaps it was the constant bombarding he got in public school that climate change/global warming or any of a number of other calamities were "just around the corner," but Jason had developed a kind of nihilistic attitude that ranged between simmering surliness and outright hostility. It didn't help that Jason had reported his father to the police for smoking a cigarette in the house, an act made criminal by the Smoking Control Statute of 2018, which outlawed smoking anywhere within 500 feet of another human being. Winston paid the $5000 fine, which might have been considered excessive before the American dollar became virtually worthless as a result of QE13. The latest round of quantitative easing the federal government initiated was, once again, to "spur economic growth." This time they promised to push unemployment below its years-long rate of 18%, but Winston was not particularly hopeful.
Yet the family had a lot for which to be thankful, Winston thought, before remembering it was a Day of Atonement. At least he had his memories. He felt a twinge of sadness when he realized his children would never know what life was like in the Good Old Days, long before government promises to make life "fair for everyone" realized their full potential. Winston, like so many of his fellow Americans, never realized how much things could change when they didn't happen all at once, but little by little, so people could get used to them.
He wondered what might have happened if the public had stood up while there was still time, maybe back around 2010, when all the real nonsense began. "Maybe we wouldn't be where we are today if we'd just said 'enough is enough' when we had the chance," he thought.
Maybe so, Winston. Maybe so.
Winston, come into the dining room, it's time to eat," Julia yelled to her husband. "In a minute, honey, it's a tie score," he answered. Actually Winston wasn't very interested in the traditional holiday football game between Detroit and Washington . Ever since the government passed the Civility in Sports Statute of 2017, outlawing tackle football for its "unseemly violence" and the "bad example it sets for the rest of the world," Winston was far less of a football fan than he used to be. Two-hand touch wasn't nearly as exciting.
Yet it wasn't the game that Winston was uninterested in. It was more the thought of eating another Tofu Turkey. Even though it was the best type of Veggie Meat available after the government revised the American Anti-Obesity Act of 2018, adding fowl to the list of federally-forbidden foods, (which already included potatoes, cranberry sauce and mince-meat pie), it wasn't anything like real turkey. And ever since the government officially changed the name of "Thanksgiving Day" to "A National Day of Atonement" in 2020 to officially acknowledge the Pilgrims' historically brutal treatment of Native Americans, the holiday had lost a lot of its luster.
Eating in the dining room was also a bit daunting. The unearthly gleam of government-mandated fluorescent light bulbs made the Tofu Turkey look even weirder than it actually was, and the room was always cold. Ever since Congress passed the Power Conservation Act of 2016, mandating all thermostats-which were monitored and controlled by the electric company-be kept at 68 degrees, every room on the north side of the house was barely tolerable throughout the entire winter.
Still, it was good getting together with family. Or at least most of the family. Winston missed his mother, who passed on in October, when she had used up her legal allotment of live-saving medical treatment. He had had many heated conversations with the Regional Health Consortium, spawned when the private insurance market finally went bankrupt, and everyone was forced into the government health care program. And though he demanded she be kept on her treatment, it was a futile effort. "The RHC's resources are limited," explained the government bureaucrat Winston spoke with on the phone. "Your mother received all the benefits to which she was entitled. I'm sorry for your loss."
Ed couldn't make it either. He had forgotten to plug in his electric car last night, the only kind available after the Anti-Fossil Fuel Bill of 2021 outlawed the use of the combustion engines-for everyone but government officials. The fifty mile round trip was about ten miles too far, and Ed didn't want to spend a frosty night on the road somewhere between here and there.
Thankfully, Winston's brother, John, and his wife were flying in. Winston made sure that the dining room chairs had extra cushions for the occasion. No one complained more than John about the pain of sitting down so soon after the government-mandated cavity searches at airports, which severely aggravated his hemorrhoids. Ever since a terrorist successfully smuggled a cavity bomb onto a jetliner, the TSA told Americans the added "inconvenience" was an "absolute necessity" in order to stay "one step ahead of the terrorists." Winston's own body had grown accustomed to such probing ever since the government expanded their scope to just about anywhere a crowd gathered, via Anti-Profiling Act of 2022. That law made it a crime to single out any group or individual for "unequal scrutiny," even when probable cause was involved. Thus, cavity searches at malls, train stations, bus depots, etc., etc., had become almost routine. Almost.
The Supreme Court is reviewing the statute, but most Americans expect a Court composed of six progressives and three conservatives to leave the law intact. "A living Constitution is extremely flexible," said the Court's eldest member, Elena Kagan. " Europe has had laws like this one for years. We should learn from their example," she added.
Winston's thoughts turned to his own children. He got along fairly well with his 12-year-old daughter, Brittany, mostly because she ignored him. Winston had long ago surrendered to the idea that she could text anyone at any time, even during Atonement Dinner. Their only real confrontation had occurred when he limited her to 50,000 texts a month, explaining that was all he could afford. She whined for a week, but got over it.
His 16-year-old son, Jason, was another matter altogether. Perhaps it was the constant bombarding he got in public school that climate change/global warming or any of a number of other calamities were "just around the corner," but Jason had developed a kind of nihilistic attitude that ranged between simmering surliness and outright hostility. It didn't help that Jason had reported his father to the police for smoking a cigarette in the house, an act made criminal by the Smoking Control Statute of 2018, which outlawed smoking anywhere within 500 feet of another human being. Winston paid the $5000 fine, which might have been considered excessive before the American dollar became virtually worthless as a result of QE13. The latest round of quantitative easing the federal government initiated was, once again, to "spur economic growth." This time they promised to push unemployment below its years-long rate of 18%, but Winston was not particularly hopeful.
Yet the family had a lot for which to be thankful, Winston thought, before remembering it was a Day of Atonement. At least he had his memories. He felt a twinge of sadness when he realized his children would never know what life was like in the Good Old Days, long before government promises to make life "fair for everyone" realized their full potential. Winston, like so many of his fellow Americans, never realized how much things could change when they didn't happen all at once, but little by little, so people could get used to them.
He wondered what might have happened if the public had stood up while there was still time, maybe back around 2010, when all the real nonsense began. "Maybe we wouldn't be where we are today if we'd just said 'enough is enough' when we had the chance," he thought.
Maybe so, Winston. Maybe so.
Organizing suggestions compliments of me!
1. Get everyone longer jeans and skirts to cover mismatched socks.
2. Better yet, get everyone beige socks.
3. Coordinate children’s clothing to match the main meal of the day; red - spaghetti, brown - stew, etc.
4. Make safety pins a fashion statement.
5. Let dog and cat in the house just before short-notice guests arrive and blame the animals for any clutter.
6. Ban socks and promote sandals during the summer.
7. Go ahead and wash all the whites with that one red sweatshirt and avoid the suspense of when will it happen.
8. Explain away cobwebby corners as unit studies in process on arachnids.
9. Keep outside of closet doors scrubbed, cleaned and never open them when anyone outside the family is in the house.
10. Never date the messages written in dust.
2. Better yet, get everyone beige socks.
3. Coordinate children’s clothing to match the main meal of the day; red - spaghetti, brown - stew, etc.
4. Make safety pins a fashion statement.
5. Let dog and cat in the house just before short-notice guests arrive and blame the animals for any clutter.
6. Ban socks and promote sandals during the summer.
7. Go ahead and wash all the whites with that one red sweatshirt and avoid the suspense of when will it happen.
8. Explain away cobwebby corners as unit studies in process on arachnids.
9. Keep outside of closet doors scrubbed, cleaned and never open them when anyone outside the family is in the house.
10. Never date the messages written in dust.
Makes sense!
“It is necessary, too, that we shun the occasions which have been the cause of sin. We must have recourse to fervent prayer, receive frequently and worthily the sacraments. He who does this will be sure to persevere.” ~St. John Vianney
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