Eggplant Parmigiana

My absolute favorite food is anything Italian. Any dish that combines a zesty tomato sauce, sauteed onions, garlic, cheesy, or alfredo is a winner in my mind. Makes me wish they had fast food Italian food...but then I am 100% sure I would be obese.

So this is a wonderfully sinful eggplant parmigiana and yes it is meatless BUT...the eggplant is very filling and serves well to do what meat would do. This recipe serves 6-8.

Here is what you will need:

• 4 eggplant
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 3 large tomatoes
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup Parmesana Romano cheese
• 2 onions
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• oregano
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

 Let's get started:

1. Cut your eggplant into thin round slices.
2. Dry each piece very well and set on a baking pan.
3. Drizzle olive oil over each piece. 
4. Bake at 350 degrees, flipping once, for about 25 minutes
5. While eggplant is baking, chop onion, tomatoes, and garlic and add to large pan along with 3 tbsp olive oil. 
6. Cook down on a medium high heat for 15 minutes, or until cooked down.
7. Add in tomato paste, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp oregano.
8. Turn heat to low and let simmer.
9. In a casserole pan, lay one layer of eggplant down.
10. Spread out half of the sauce on top of eggplant then top with 2/3 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesana Romano cheese.
11. Repeat this process for another layer. 
12. Once to the top, you should be out of sauce, now, just top with cheese, 1 tbsp oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
13. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mexican cheese stuffed peppers and Spanish rice

Jason loves and kind of Mexican food so any time I get to make something spicy, cheesy, and filling, he becomes my biggest fan.

This recipe is super simple and so very delicious. A few changes can be made depending on how much heat you want to bring to the table.

• You can replace the poblano peppers with green bell peppers.
• Instead of pepper jack cheese, you can use cheddar, colby, or a more mild cheese. 

What you will need:

• 8 poblano peppers
• 2 cups pepperjack cheese
• 2 onions
• 1 tbsp cumin
• salt and pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• olive oil
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 packet of fajita seasoning

De-seed with a spoon

 Salsa:

• 2 jalapenos
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 onion
• 1 lemon
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper

1. Seed and slice your jalapeno in four and add to blender.
2. Blend until in a thick liquid state
3. Dice onion, tomatoes, and garlic and add to medium bowl
4. Roughly chop cilantro leaves and add them to medium bowl.
5. Zest and juice lemon into salsa. 
6. Add in pureed jalapeno, salt and pepper.
7. Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes

Let's get started:

1. Place you peppers on a large baking tray, giving them space between each one, and broil for about 10 minutes on each side.
2. Once the skin is charred, remove the peppers and place in a plastic bag (I used a walmart bag) and seal to let cool.
3. Once peppers are cool, remove stems and seeds.
4. Peel off skin and rinse in cool water, set aside.
5. Roughly chop onions and cook in olive oil in a medium pan. Try to avoid browning, you want your onions to be almost a clear color. 
6. Once onions are cooked, set aside to cool.
7. In a large mixing bowl, combine cheese and garlic powder. 
8. Once onions are cool, add onions in cheese and mix along with some salt and pepper.
9. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cumin and set aside. 
10. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray
11. Stuff the peppers very carefully with cheese and onion mix and set in casserole dish. The peppers should fit pretty snugly. 
12. Sprinkle and remaining cheese and onions on the peppers then pour the egg mixture on top and around the peppers
13. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
14. While peppers are baking, bring 1 cup water, rice, and half of the fajita packet to a boil
15. Once boiled for 2-4 minutes, cover with a lid and simmer on a very low heat. 
16. Cook until tender then fluff with fork.
17. Serve peppers with salsa, sour cream, and spanish rice.

'HOLY COW! That's a lot of leftover Halloween candy' trail mix

Roman literally brought home about 5lbs of candy. The kid is never going to eat that much and unless I get a hankering for a butterfingers crisp bar, it will probably stay half uneaten in our cabinet. SO...this is a super simple and yummy trail mix using some around the house ingredients and that ungodly amount of Halloween candy your children swear they will eat.

 I call this my 'HOLY COW! That's a lot of leftover Halloween candy' trail mix.

Now as I mentioned before...I despise raisins, so no raisins in this mix, though you could add 1/4 cup just fine.


What you will need:

• 10-12 pieces of bite size Halloween candy (Chocolate, caramel and peanut butter something)
• 2 cups of nuts
• 1 cup pretzels ( I use butter snaps because they are delicious)
• 1/2 cup seeds (Optional if you have any...but I used pumpkin)
• You can add in oats, cereal, marshmallows, dried fruit...whatever you want in your trail mix.
• 1/3 cup butter
•  1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Let's get started:

1. Pick out some of your favorite (or the hubby's favorite) candy from your candy tax stash. I went with M&M's, Butterfingers, Carmel square bites things, Reese's peanut butter cups, and Whoppers.
2. Combine all your other ingredients into a large mixing bowl ( I went with butter snap pretzels, mixed nuts, and pumpkin seeds.
3. Unwrapping all of your Halloween candy, roughly chop your candies (except your M&M's) and add to your bowl. 
4. Melt your butter and combine that, along with your brown sugar to bowl.
5. Mix your ingredients to ensure even coating.
6. Cover a baking pan with parchment paper and pour ingredients from your onto your baking pan. Make sure they are spread out but still in the same area.
7.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, being VERY careful not to scorch your chocolate. 
8. Once out of the oven and still hot, flip with a spatula to mix it all together and let cool.
9. After cooled, keep in an air tight container or on the table to enjoy.

Mincemeat pie with whiskey butter

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for anyone who gets drunk off of this pie or while making this pie.

Seriously though, you need whiskey in your house and the aromas are so strong while baking and mixing this delicious goodness, it will knock you on your rump.
Also, I do not like raisins. I feel like they are failed grapes, so...if you are like me and cannot stand raisins, then this pie if NOT for you.


You can buy a pre-made pie crust from the store if you would like, but if not, here is what you need for the crust:   

• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 2 3/4 cup flour
•  6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco is the way to go)
• dash of salt
• 1 egg

Pie Filling:

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup golden raisings
• 1 large apple (Granny Smith's are usually used but I prefer a red apple)
• 2 cups seedless grapes
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tbsp whiskey
• 1 lemon
•  1/2 cup packed brown sugar
•  1/2 tsp allspice and cinnamon

Whiskey Butter..yum:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup whiskey
• 1/2 cup sugar

Let's get started with your crust:

This dough needs to stay as cold as possible. Make sure you do not skip the chilling. 

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt into a medium bowl. Slicing the fats (butter and Crisco) into your flour mixture, begin cutting it into the flour. Make sure you limit how much you handle your butter and Crisco, you want to keep your dough cold.
2. Quickly, with your hands, crumble the butter and Crisco into your flour, creating a very course crumbly mixture. 
3. Slowly begin to add 1 tbsp of water at a time, stirring enough for the flour to stick. DO NOT add too much water. 4-6 tbsp will suffice. 
4. Once your dough forms, shaped into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap tightly. Chill it for 30 minutes at least. 

• This dough can hold for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.

Moving on:

1.  While your dough is chilling,  you can begin on your pie filling.
2. Peel and dice your apple and add to a medium mixing bowl.
3. Zest your lemon into your bowl of apples, then squeeze the lemon juice in the same bowl. 
4. Roughly cut your grapes (they should at least be cut once) and add to bowl.
5. Add in your almonds, spices, raisins, sugar, and whiskey to your bowl as well.
6. Let these ingredients get drunk and have their own little party for about 30 minutes, stirring every ten.

Once your dough has chilled: 

1.  Once your dough has finished chilling, fold out onto a floured surface. 
2. Be sure to separate your dough. You will need 2/3 for the pie crust and 1/3 for the lattice.
3. Roll the 2/3 dough into a flat circle and lay into a greased pie pan. Make sure your press your dough against the sides of the pie tin. 
4. Be sure to trim your dough off the pie tin. 
5. Roll out the remaining pie dough and cut into strips. This is where you need to eyeball it as see how wide or thin they need to be. 
6. Spoon in your mincemeat filling
7. Carefully weave your lattice on to your pie. Use water if you need to 'glue' your dough strips on to your pie. No worries if it doesn't look perfect, cause it will taste amazing. 
8. Put your pie tin into your fridge and let cool for 15 minutes while preheating your over to 350 degrees and working on your.....

Whiskey Butter:

1. In a blender, cream your butter until soft. 
2. Add in your sugar and cream for 5 minutes.
3. Slowly add the whiskey in, 1 tbsp at a time. 
4. Put your whiskey butter in the fridge to let it harden again.

 Now that we are done with the butter, back to the pie:

1. Lightly beat an egg and brush your lattice.
2. Place your filled pie tin on to a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. 
3. Once baking is finished and pie is still warm, serve with whiskey butter as your would whipped cream.

Cooking lobster tail

Not something you would think to ask yourself...but...go ahead and ask: Do you know how to cook lobster tail?
 Around the area I live, meat markets inside the stores sometimes have great sells on lobster tails and sometimes I do get a hankering for some lobster. I picked up two lobster tails for 10 bucks. They were about 5 oz and pretty dang fresh, which I should have to say this but when selecting ANY food you plan on eating, especially meats, they need to be fresh.

 So, let's get started:
Lobster is often seen as a super fancy and high priced seafood. If you get the change to get your hands on some good lobster on sale, buy it. Even if you have zero idea what to do with it, buy it and freeze it.

When you buy your lobster, it should still be in it's shell or skin. You can either leave this on to cook it, or cut it off. When cutting off the shell:

• Hold the lobster right side up, so the reddest part of the skin is pointing upwards at you.
• Take your kitchen shears and carefully cut a line straight downs the tail shell of the lobster all the way to the fan of the tail. Make sure you do not cut too deep.
• Flip the lobster over and do the same to the underside.
• When you are done cutting the shell, carefully start digging the lobster out of it's shell using your fingers to pull it off of the shell. 

Whether you are leaving your lobster in its shell to cook or cutting it out, cooking instructions stay about the same:

1. In a steamer, pour a small amount of water, making sure none of it touches your lobster.
2. Steam, on a very low heat, for 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your lobster. 
3. DO NOT cook thoroughly, you want to partially steam your lobster. 
4. Once your lobster is partially steamed (removed the shell by simply pulling out the meat) in a small sauce pan, melt 4 tbsp unsalted butter.
5. On a low heat, finish cooking the rest of your lobster. Make sure not to over cook your meat, as it will become very rough and chewy. I suggest cutting your lobster into pieces and cooking it that way. I would also suggest adding some garlic powder to your unsalted butter.

For a quick recipe for your lobster:

• Add to green leaf lettuce salad, scallions, chives and butter sauce. 
• Add in grilled cheese
• Eat on a bagel with some cream cheese
• Add to pasta like you would shrimp.
• Add in scrambled eggs or omelet. 

Looking for a great buffalo sauce?

Hm...so one of my favorite things to do in the world, is go out with Jason, watch the fights, eat buffalo wings and drink beer. Don't really feel like that can be topped. The only problem is, Hooters and BWW is usually packed not to mention, finding a sitter is not always the easiest thing, so we have to compromise at times. Instead of going out, I found an easy way to order the UFC fights through Xbox, and all I needed now was a great way to make some buffalo wings. So here is a cheap, easy, and oh so delicious way to make buffalo wings.

What you will need:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 bottle of your favorite hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot here baby!)
• 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip (the dry kind)

Depending if you want bone in or not, I suggest buying pre-made and frozen wings. You can find regular unseasoned wings (bone-in) and chicken strips in the freezer aisle in Wal-Mart. I use the Great Value brand.

Let's get started:

1. If you buy the boneless chicken strips, let them sit out and de-thaw. Once they are cool enough to cook easily, cut them into bite size pieces.
2. In a small saucepan, melt your butter and add about hmm 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot sauce, depending on how spicy you want it. Keep in mind, even 1/4 cup hot sauce makes a pretty dang hot sauce. If you don't like too much heat, start with 2 tbsp.
3. Once your butter has melted and your hot sauce has blended, add in your ranch packet. On a low heat, stir sauce until blended.
4. IF you over cook your sauce, it will be separate so make sure you use it within a few minutes of cooking and DO NOT overcook. Make sure you keep your sauce on a very low heat.

When you cook your chicken, your sauce can either be tossed with your chicken, or poured over top. You could always use your sauce to dip the chicken in.

I suggest, after coating your chicken in the sauce, throw the chicken back in to the oven for a few more minutes to keep that nice crisp crunch to it.

If you want to add some variety to your sauce, you can omit the ranch and add:

• 2tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tsp parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp sweet and sour sauce
• Any other flavor you would like to hit your dish with.

Menu for November 2nd- Nov 15th

What's on the menu for these next two weeks?
I really hope you all enjoyed the recipes I covered over the past two weeks. Due to scheduling, I could get them all but I did have a lot of fun working on the ones I got done. If you see any recipe on my list,  one you need someone else to take a stab at, or are looking for any recipe, email me or leave a comment and I will work on it.
                                 

Mincemeat pie with whiskey butter

1.       Chicken paprika and dumplings

2.       Fish and chips

3.       Subs and tabbouleh

4.       Eggplant parmigana

5.       Tuna and bacon bites and potato chive monkey bread

6.       Mexican cheese stuffed peppers and Spanish rice

7.       Pepper brats and sweet pot tots

8.       Baked macaroni cheese

9.       Grilled cheese and tomato soup

10.   Buffalo chicken pizza

11.   Big Yummy Salad

12.   Brinner

13.   Nachos