Eggplant Parmesan

The weather is already getting cold... Freezing temperatures mean it's the end of our garden. We had a lot of success this year, thanks to my parents. I have the best timing when it comes to having my kids, so my parents bought us starter plants, and my dad planted them for us. We've had zucchini and tomatoes coming out of our ears. We also did peppers this year both green and jalapeños. Nola's favorite part of the day is going out to the garden and seeing if she can carry it all back to the house.
Don't worry, some of the zucchini has been as big as her! (You have to have at least one monster.)

While we've benefited from our garden, we've also been lucky to be the recipients of some of my parents harvest too. They have a HUGE garden this year. They've planted spaghetti squash, beets, green beans, pumpkins, carrots, and eggplant just to name a few.

So I was really excited to get some eggplant from our last trip "home". Of course I had to make eggplant Parmesan! YUM!

First I pealed and cut the eggplant into rings about 1/2 inch thick.

Then I coated them in an egg wash and bread crumbs, and fried them until lightly brown in a little bit of oil.

Then I put a little bit of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a greased 10x10 pan and layered the eggplant inside. Then I topped with shredded motzerella cheese, and repeated.

I then baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until all the cheese was melted and bubbly! I served it with spaghetti (of course) and a green salad.

I received raved reviews! Both my husband and Nola slurped it right up! 

I hope you can enjoy your garden as much as we have!

Enjoy! 

Bread Stick Sticks

Everyone loves bread.... and when you make it into sticks it's even better right? So how much do you love when your bread stick is well on a stick?

 I have to admit this isn't an idea I pulled out of my head, all by myself. There's a pizza shop in Utah called "The Pizza Factory" who serves these... and honestly probably fed me throughout my last two years of college in Cedar City. I had to create my own version of these... and I think it was a success.

So one week when my FAVORITE niece came to help me with my girls, we made these for dinner. I thought it would be more fun for the kids, and maybe Nola would sit still long enough to actually eat one. The first batch I made with whole wheat flour. They were good. Then for a family party I was asked to bring rolls, but I thought these would be a lot more fun! I mad those with just white flour... delicious was the reaction I received.

1 Tbsp Yeast
2Tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 C. Warm Water
1 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
3 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Melted Butter (you'll need some for now, and some later)

Garlic Bread Seasoning:
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

8-12 Skewers (depending on how thick and long you make the bread stick)

Start by mixing the yeast, sugar and water together and let sit until it foams. (2-3 mins)
Mix in oil, salt, and flour and knead for 5 mins or until dough combines.
Remove dough from bowl, coat with oil, and return dough to bowl. Cover and let rise until double. (about 1 hour)
Divide dough and roll into 14-16 inch snake.
Soak the skewer in water, then wrap the dough around, leaving about a quarter of an inch at the top, and half of an inch at the bottom.
* you can do this next step however fits your fancy* I hung the skewer on a 9x13 cake pan and let double again. (the dough seems to droop, so you could probably just use a cookie sheet if you want to.)
Brush the dough with 1/2 of the melted butter. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Mix the garlic bread seasoning with the remaining melted butter, brush onto the hot bread stick... sticks and enjoy!

If you wonder how I keep my toddler busy while I'm cooking.... this is  not how it usually is. But I was lucky this day.

Pesonal Pizza Party

Another night spent asking what's for dinner? My husband would be home in an hour and I had not pulled anything out of the freezer, so pizza it will be.
I had planned on making pizza one night before my last trip to the grocery store, but as I was mixing the dough...a genius idea, or maybe two.
Why not keep my toddler occupied while I was cooking, and why not cook outside on the grill!
So to start I mixed up "the best pizza dough" from Camilles Casa. It's so easy and delicious!
Instead of cooking the dough in the oven,i rolled out small pizzas, brushed it with a little olive oil and threw it on the pizza stone i was pre-heating on the grill. I pre-baked them before placing the toppings on them.

Then i chopped all of my toppings into bite size and placed them in fun bowls along with sauce and cheese on a cookie sheet for easy transporting. (aren't they cute?)

Here comes the fun part. Everyone gets their own pizza to top however they please.
Then we threw them back on the grill for a few minutes, or until the cheese was melted.
YUM!
!
A few notes... It's messy, so doing the toping outside helps with clean up. Another issue, we soon found the bees loved us, so "bee" warned. I also took the cooked dough we didn't use, and threw it in the freezer to use for a quick microwave version!
Enjoy!

Oh Bananas!

In my hunt to become a domestic goddess, I've found I'm too poor to buy everything i want to make. This discovery has me searching for every way to be frugal....and accept every handout I get. So....when my sister handed me a CASE of bananas to take home, of corse I said yes!
There are a lot of bananas in a case... so I'm sure this has you asking at least two questions: 1 where did she get them from? And 2: what did you do with them all?
1: My brother-in-law worked a bike race over the weekend, and brought 4 cases home...so they had bananas coming out their ears!
2: Of course I made a delicious treat FROZEN CHOCOLATE COVERED BANANAS. (you thought I was going to say banana bread didn't you...and believe me, I probably still will.)
Anyways... 65 bananas on skewars later I've learned a few things.

First I peeled all of bananas, placed them on skewers, laid them on waxed paper and flash froze them.

 
I cut the chocolate into squares and chopped some peanuts.

Then, I melted chocolate in a double boiler, with a little bit of oil.

(here's the learning part)
My first batch I tried to dip the bananas in an old big gulp cup that i had filled with the chocolate. Not exactly what I had imagined. Because the bananas were frozen, the chocolate set up super fast and i couldn't get the nuts on.
The second attempt went a little better. I left the chocolate in the pan and scooped it onto the banana with a spoon. It still set up fast, but they look a lot better!


Another thing I learned was i had to re-freeze them after i dipped them.some of them melted.
Now all we need to do is enjoy them! Yum!

Otter Pop Snowcones

I feel bad that i didn't discover these little gems before now. The summer it's almost over and snowcones are my favorite treat.
My two year old lives on otter pops on hot days, and we have been pretty warm this year, so it was by accident there weren't any frozen ones in the freezer... So I improvised.
Ice, a blender, and an UN frozen otter pop, and there you have it. Cheap, easy, and delicious!