In defense of eggplant.

Eggplant gets a bad rap because no one knows how to cook it right. Or maybe they just like it all mooshy and gross.. could be.

Here's the deal, it needs to be baked or cooked quickly because it is very porous and vulnerable to mooshiness due to it's moisture content. But it is very delish, you guys! Trust me. Here's a little snack that my dad has been making for years. It's very simple, as all of the recipes I post are. All it is is breaded eggplant that you bake and eat later with marinara. My dad also makes a tasty composed eggplant parmesan, but I'll leave it to him to blog about that (on his blog that he doesn't have).

What you need:

• 1 Eggplant
• 1 Egg
• Italian Breadcrumbs
• 1/8 Cup of Milk (I use soy)
• Salt
• Cooking Spray
• Marinara 

1. Slice your eggplant into discs about 1/3 inch thick. 

2. Set up a station (as seen above): one plate with the eggwash (egg + milk).

3. Dredge each slice of eggplant in eggwash and then cover both sides in breadcrumbs. 

4. Place on a cookie sheet that's been doused with cooking spray.

5. Repeat until all eggplant discs have been through the process.

6. Sprinkle with salt.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes each side.

8. Dip in a ramekin of marinara and gobble 'em up.

Might not look perty but it shore tastes good. Plus, it's a much healthier snack than a lot of other things (I can't tell you what those things are.. it's embarrassing). 

Buen provecho,

jayteewo.

Make this sandwich.

I made this delicious and very simple sandwich the other day and it was yummm. I suggest you try it. Here's what you need:

2 slices of multi-grain bread
1 boiled, shredded boneless/skinless chicken breast
a few slices of smoked cheddar
1/2 of a sliced avocado
butter
salt & pepper

Then do this:

1. butter one side of each slice of bread (as though you're making a grilled cheese)
2. assemble as seen above
3. salt & pepper (and by S&P, I mean just salt but my mom said to never separate the two)
4. grill on a panini press (I used my Le Creuset panini set in Caribbean)
5. eat it.


buen provecho,
jayteewo.

Baked apples.

Baked apples are something my dad used to make my younger sister and I before school back in the day. Waking up to that smell ain't nothin to scoff at, in fact, it's great. Maybe the greatest. One might argue that baked apples are more of a fall/winter thing, but I'd counter-argue that they are more of an 'all the time' thing.
Here's what you need:

an apple (I use Gala)
1T butter
brown sugar or maple syrup to taste

-preheat oven to 375°

-cut vertically & core an apple
-poke a few fork holes in there for heat to escape
-put around a 1/2T of butter in what is now the apple valley (duh)
-fill up the remaining space with either brown sugar or maple syrup (or both, holla!)
-place in baking receptacle & bake for 45 min (it's not an exact science- I like my baked apples kind of soft)
-eat!

They should be bubbling and smelling delish. Be careful: apples retain a lot of heat for a lot of time. More than once I've eaten through the pain. I'm not proud of it.* Put as much or as little (don't be a puss) topping as you want.

*yes I am.


yum,
jayteewo.

Smoooothie.

I'm officially my father. I just made the below smoothie. I added carrots and seriously considered the spinach and broccoli in the fridge. This is my dad's MO. Save me from myself.


He's on a "green smoothie" kick where he drinks smoothies made from things that end up looking a lot like baby poo. Mine, thank GOD, turned out a lovely shade of pink. Incidentally, I made this smoothie using the blender we had when I was growing up. My dad saved it all this time and recently gave it to me with some new parts, which is muy cute. Smoothies are a good way to trick myself into eating fruit and especially yogurt. Fruit I like, but forget to eat sometimes (I know) and yogurt I do not like but know I should eat it cuz it's good for me. I do that a lot, trick myself. Another example being that I always choose to live on the top floor in a walkup, to obviously trick myself into exercising. That is neither here nor there. Check out the recipe.

-1/3 (~5 oz) of a Naked juice.. another way to cheat. I used Protein Zone Double Berry this time. Usually I use orange juice.
-4 frozen strawberries
-small handful of frozen raspberries
-4 frozen baby carrots (don't go crazy on the carrots)
-1/2 C of fat-free Greek yogurt
-2 T honey
-I just love to blend.

I'm kidding. I love being like my dad and if that means making #2-colored smoothies and drinking them in lieu of food for the balance of my life, then so be it. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.


enjoy,
jayteewo.

Goat cheese & prosciutto bruschetta.

I made goat cheese and prosciutto bruschetta (tongue twister) on Memorial Day. (Pretty sure that makes me thankful to our veterans. What I am not sure of is how to make the connection.) Anyway, it was delicious. Here's how:

1 small multi-grain baguette
1 clove of garlic
olive oil
1/2 lb thinly sliced prosciutto
1 clove of garlic
4 oz goat cheese
1 t rosemary
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 t sugar

-preheat oven to 400 degrees
-slice baguette (I used 12 slices for this recipe), rub garlic on each slice, place on cookie sheet
-drizzle olive oil on slices, put in oven for 10 min
-combine sugar & balsamic in small sauce pan, stir on high for.. a long time. Maybe around 10 minutes
-remove reduction from heat & place in a container of some kind to stop cooking & allow to cool & thicken
-remove toast, reduce heat to 375
-combine rosemary & goat cheese & slather (I wish I could think of a better word, because slather is grossing me out) on toast
-place a single slice of prosciutto on each piece of toast
-heat in oven for 10 minutes
-plate & drizzle with balsamic reduction.


buen provecho,
jayteewo.

Simple fare, improved upon.

So my momma, we'll call her momma here, is a great cook. She makes what we've come to call "simple fare, improved upon." It's comfort food with a spin. She uses excellent ingredients (key) and it pretty much always turns out great. She's a firm believer in feeding as a comfort/nurturing mechanism, which I'm way on board with. When I come home, I can be sure to have a meal waiting for me and breakfast made from scratch in the morning. My momma is, in a word, awesome. Here is a recipe (and I use that term loosely, as she doesn't really follow a recipe) for apple blueberry pancakes. And do not f around with anything but pure maple syrup- it makes a universe of difference. Momma says this yields about six, face-sized pancakes. This is usually accompanied by fresh fruit or a smoothie and center cut bacon. Hell yes.

1 free-range egg
3/4 C milk (we used unsweetened organic soy milk)
1/4 C apple juice (unfiltered)
2 T melted butter
1 C flour
1 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
dash cinnamon
1 apple, thinly sliced
~1 C blueberries

-combine dry ingredients & drop in blueberries
-sautee apple slices gently in butter
-beat egg & add remaining ingredients
-add about 1/4 C batter to preheated pan (preferably the same pan used for butter & apples, mmm..)
-wait for sign of bubbles & flip
-slather with butter & warmed up maple syrup & get after it.


later alligator,
jayteewo.

Chop salad.

I forget how much like Chop salads. (Chop salad or chopped salad?) I like them because everything is about the same size and it's all tossed up so you get a little bit of everything in each bite. It helps with texture, if you happen to be a texture eater like myself.

Today I made mine with romaine hearts, grape tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, Boar's Head hard salami, baby portobello mushrooms and light ranch dressing. I think I would have liked a crunch element so I'll work on that for next time.


with love,
jayteewo.

Things I'm into right now.

Full refrigerator. i.e. directly after thorough grocery shopping trip.

Painting. Acrylic. Whatever I feel like painting. I didn't say I was good.

Rising early. Trying to get a routine going.

Sweet tea. Just learned how to make it. Very easy. Here's how. (credit to HVC on this one)

1) boil about 4 cups of water.
2) remove from heat.
3) add desired amount of sugar: stir and let dissolve. (I add 1.25C for a gallon of tea)
4) add 3 Family Size Lipton Iced Tea bags
5) let the tea bags steep until water is room temp. (usually a couple hours)
6) squeeze out all liquid in bags, disgard.
7) poor liquid into gallon pitcher. fill with water.


kind regards,
jayteewo.