Eggplant Parmigiana

I've never made eggplant parmigiana before today... I don't know what I was waiting for.
Well, because Derek won't even try it I always thought it wasn't worth the effort. But, with my new eating plan I've decided to give it a try and since Derek & the kids are away for the night, I thought tonight would be the perfect time to try it. DELICIOUS!!  I seriously may eat it all... well, it was a tiny eggplant... 


It was so simple to make!  Here's how I did it, in case you want to try:
1 eggplant, sliced
Tomato Sauce (I used homemade that my grandmother made & froze for me)
Fresh Mozzarella
Oil


I brushed the eggplant with oil lightly, preheated my oven to 400F. Baked the eggplant for 10 minutes, flipped it and baked another 10-15 minutes. After that, I topped with a bit of tomato sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella. Then I put it back in the oven, set to broil, for about 5-10 minutes or until the cheese was melted and beginning to turn golden brown.


Really, I did it very simple. You can add seasonings and adjust the sauce/cheese to your liking. I was worried it wouldn't turn out well, but it did!!  Now I'm starting to think what else I can make parmigiana out of when Derek & the kids have pasta... has anyone tried portobello parmigiana? That seems like it would be a nice dinner as well. 


Do you have a good eggplant recipe to share?

Lucky Me!

A few days ago, I got back to my desk at work and had a voicemail from the cashier in the cafeteria.  My first thought when I heard her voice was that something was up with my debit card, until I realized I hadn't bought lunch in quite a while.  She continued to say that I won the cookbook giveaway for October.  To be perfectly honest, I'm not a very lucky person and I entered near the end of the month after seeing that only a handful of names were in the basket- thinking that I'd have a good chance.  Plus, with my new crusade to find and try new recipes and cookbooks, I thought it was worth a shot.

The book I won was called A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash: Seasonal Recipes. If you click on the link, it'll take you to Amazon and I think the book has a peek inside feature.  While I'm not a huge fan of squash, I do love pumpkin desserts and breads. I can't wait to try out some of these wonderful recipes!  Don't worry- I'll post reviews as I try them. Look for them under my Exploring New Foods feature!!