Hits & Misses August 2020 (837 views)

Erin, I can't have you playing by yourself and lonely so I'll play again too this month!!

Excellent:

-Moussaka Stuffed Eggplant-Ina Garten. I prepared the eggplant for stuffing(I scored/roasted vs. boil) a bit different than she did and cut the filling down a bit as it was too much for the amt. of eggplant I had but delicious.
-Soup au Pistou-Milk Street Kitchen
-Everyone's Favorite After school Cookie-Joy The Baker-a chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal raisin cookie, and snickerdoodle had a baby!
-Watermelon Aqua Fresca-it's what you do to revive a "eh" watermelon. It worked. Watermelon, simple syrup, and lime juice in the vitamix!
-Grilled Gochujang shrimp-MSK-for DH as I am allergic to shrimp but he licked his fingers
-Pasta Meatball Soup-good comfort food. Used homemade turkey meatballs.
-Parmesan Lemon Basil Risotto-C.I.

Good/Very Good:

-Mostly Vegetable Pasta-C.L. Nothing exciting but not bad either. If I make again, I'd doctor a bit
-Bruschetta Chicken-Skinnytaste
-Tilapia with Summer Squash, Tomato, and Basil in packets-C.I.
-Savory French Toast-Joy of Cooking/C.I. combo. Use herbs, garlic, and Parmesan in egg custard instead of sugar and vanilla, then cook as usual and top with fried egg and avocado. DD's last Sunday brunch before heading back to school (tomorrow).

Tried and True:

Had a big jar of artichokes to use as you can see so made a lot of artichoke stuff and froze a lot to use on sandwiches, crackers etc....down the road....
-Eggplant Caponata-C.I.
-Artichoke Caponata
-Artichoke Basil Olive Tapenade
-Roasted Red Pepper Artichoke Tapenade
-Artichoke Dip With Chickpeas and Kale
-Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables-I think this was originally from Southern Living (it's on my recipes) but always a hit. I add a bit of lemon zest to ricotta mixture which I think really sends it over the top.
-Ratatouille-C.I.
-Tuna Antipasta-Norene Gilletz
-Eggplant Parmesan Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
-Chickpea Fatet-Martha Rose Schulman. Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking. I had a lot of squash and eggplant from my garden so tossed that with zata'ar and roasted/diced; then added that as a layer to the dish this time and I think I'll make it this way all the time!! 
-Roasted vegetable Spread-Alton Brown -grilled veggies this time in lieu of summer heat. Still a hit.
-Heary Minestrone-Cook's Ill.
-Oreo Meringues-me. had leftover egg whites to use from French toast
-Italian Turkey Sausage stuffed Zucchini Boats-Skinnytaste

This looks good. Do you see any reason why I couldn't sub regular milk for the evaporated milk? I just don't like evaporated. Thanks.

Hi Patti-Very simple and not even a written down recipe so feel free to improvise however you like. I take portobellos and roast or grill (depending on weather!) after seasoning with S & P and olive oil. At same time roast/grill thick cut slabs (rounds) of seasoned/oiled eggplant. When everything roasted/grill, place some marinara (homemade or store bought) in a baking dish. Mushrooms on top of marinara. Then layer more marinara, cheese (mozzarella), basil, eggplant slice, more cheese (Parmesan) etc... and bake until everything is melted and tender. May broil to brown top if you want at end. May garnish with more basil and/or some Italian seasoned buttered breadcrumbs. I have this with some plain pasta and/or bread and salad for a light meal. SO GOOD!

I just picked 2 gorgeous eggplant from my garden today. Going to try a new recipe from Milk Street this weekend for a charred tahini topped eggplant with cucumber tzatziki sauce and frehs herbs.