My birthday gift to myself.

Squash

We had a big lunch of bacon wrapped chicken, spaghetti corn and rosemary sourdough but I thought the squash wash too pretty to not take a picture=) While I am definitely an omnivore; fruits and vegetables make better subjects.

Butterscotch Zucchini bread

This is SO good!

Butterscotch Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup rolled oats1 package
(3.4-ounce size) butterscotch pudding mix

Chicken with Eggplant

First off I admit this doesn't look all that appetizing but it's one of those where it really does taste good! This is the last of the eggplant. I looked up a recipe and then used fresh tomatoes(cooked down etc) instead of canned tomato paste and I used cubed chicken thighs instead of halved chicken breasts. Finally some fresh lemon juice over the top and tada.

Here's the link to the original recipe:

http://chicken.allrecipes.com/az/MditrrnnChicknwithggplnt.asp

Rosemary Sourdough

Rosemary Sourdough from the breadmaker
It's just too bad I can't do a smell-o-blog!

Canning figs and peaches

Figs and Peaches

I did my first ever batch of peaches and then a second of figs. We bought a pressure canner this morning too so more canning is to come!

Eggplant Parmigian

This is a variation of eggplant parmigiana. The difference is that it also has sliced tomatoes baked in it. The tomatoes came from the farmer's market. Delicious! Here is the recipe. He substituted mozzarella for ricotta and used whole wheat pasta.

Eggplant Tomato Bake
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 small eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta

DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.In a plastic bag, combine the flour, bread crumbs and Italian seasoning. Shake to mix. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and water. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. There should be enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet. Dip the eggplant slices in egg, then place in the bag and shake to coat. Fry the slices in the skillet until golden brown on each side. Remove, and drain on paper towels.

3.Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9 inch square baking dish. Cover with the eggplant slices, then top with more sauce. Mix together the ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese; spread over the eggplant. Spread sauce over the cheese, and top with tomato slices. Cover with more sauce, and spread remaining cheese over the top.

4.Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

5.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Serve the eggplant tomato bake over pasta.