Too Many Eggplants From The Garden?

 Italian Eggplant Involtini 

 Are you having trouble finding recipes for all of the eggplants in your garden?  If so, Eggplant Involtini is the perfect dish.  Serve it with a salad, Italian bread, and some Malbec for the perfect dinner.  The dish appeared in Death of a Foster Child.

Ingredients

2 eggplants (1 pound each)

olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 cups of marinara sauce

1/2 pound of thin spaghetti

20 fresh basil leaves, chopped

8 ounces ricotta cheese

1/2 pound of smoked mozzarella cheese

     Slice the eggplants lengthwise into 3/8-inch thick slices. You should get 8 slices from each eggplant. Brush some olive oil on the eggplant slices and place under the broiler for 4-5 minutes per side.

     Bring the water for the pasta to a boil, add salt to taste, and cook the pasta until al dente. When the pasta is ready, drain, and toss with half of the tomato sauce and half of chopped basil, stirring until the pasta is well coated. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

     Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Put a slice of the cooked eggplant on a plate. Place a few strands of spaghetti on top of the eggplant slice; the strands should drape over the slice on both sides.Add some ricotta cheese over the pasta and roll the eggplant slice around the pasta and cheese. Place the roll in the baking dish.

  

When all the rolls are in the baking dish pour a little of the sauce over them and sprinkle the remaining basil on top. Place a slice of smoked mozzarella on top of each roll. Dot the top of each roll with a little more sauce. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese melts.Serves 8

A Winner

 Mellow Out--Lessons Learned From Household Cats just won a gold Global Ebook Award in the 

Non-Fiction - Animals/Pets category.

Mellow Out--Lessons Learned From Household Cats is a fun read that explores the influence cats have on our lives. The book delves into twenty areas where their behavior provides a calming effect. Each section begins with a quote that reflects mainstream thinking on the topic. This is followed by comments on how this concept plays out in society, and then, how the cats respond. Finally there is a discussion on how to use the behaviors of the cats to improve our lives. The broad themes of the book focus on how to take care of ourselves, how to tolerate adversity and how to embrace our emotions. Topics include such things are dealing with getting high, being overweight, love, and brown-nosing at your place of employment.

This book is available as an ebook or a paperback.  Click here for more information.

There is an over abundance of blarney coming from the

 politicians.  Let's mitigate the noise with an Irish Pie 

and some wine. 

This recipe was featured in Death in the Science Classroom 
Egg, Bacon, and Leek Pie with Syrah

     Cut into six pie wedges, this dish is perfect for parties and informal gatherings. Rick likes to

     take this dish to parties and it’s just easier to make two pies since most of the time the frozen pie

     crusts come two to a package.  This dish pairs with a Syrah and the one Rick likes is from 

     Clos LaChance. 

6 Servings

1 refrigerated piecrust (half of 15-ounce package), room temperature
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    Procedure needs to be followed at all times. The first step is to open the wine bottle and pour
a glass. Now, you are ready to begin
      Preheat oven to 425F. Pierce crust bottom all over with fork. Bake until pale golden, about
10 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
     Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy, medium skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and parsley;
sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Spoon mixture into crust. Cook bacon in same
skillet until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Sprinkle bacon
over leeks.
     Beat eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in small bowl to blend; pour into crust. Bake
pie until filling is set in center, about 25 minutes.

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