Eggplant Yummy-ness

Let me set the scene for you...It is Friday night on a week that I've worked my normal full time job and had a head cold. On this Friday, I had already been to work the whole day, soccer practice, the dreaded Walmart, and finally home to try and do dinner and get everyone to bed with maybe just a small fight...I had promised my husband that I would finally cook this eggplant  tonight before it went bad. So it's 8:30 pm..I'm starting my dinner. So, I am reading the recipe, apparently not very well, and start to cut up the eggplant for an eggplant rollup. I get the whole thing cut up and look at where I am in the recipe...and had completely missed the part about cutting it long-ways....no wonder it wouldn't roll..so....we are calling them eggplant sandwiches or something...:) Really, no matter what you call it, it was a great success!
So here it is....

Eggplant ROLLUPS
serves 4   prep 30 min  cook 10 min

1 large eggplant(about 1 3/4 lbs) cut LENGTHWISE into 8 slices
salt and pepper
4 large eggs
3/4 cup store bought pesto (I used Giada's brand from Target)
2 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs)
6 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup of pecorino-romano cheese
1 cup of store bought marinara sauce

1. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and 4 tbsp pesto. Pour the bread crumbs onto a large plate. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the eggplant until golden, 2 minutes on each side, using the remaining 4 tbsp olive oil. Transfer the eggplant to a paper-towel lined baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and 3 tbsp of pecorino-romano cheese; season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tbsp of the remaining pesto on each eggplant slice and top with about 2 tbsps of the cheese mixture. Roll up each slice. Bake until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a toothpick, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer. Serve the rollups with the sauce and pecorino.
5. ENJOY!!!

ADDED BONUS TO THIS MEAL: The total price for this meal is  approximately $9.45! That is $2.36 per serving!!!! AWESOME!!!!

This is what it looks like as a sandwich thing....:)

You have to take the good and the bad...

So, I guess I should tell you that I am always trying new recipes..so you don't have to...when you are trying all of these recipes you are going to get good ones and the not so favorite ones. So, I guess I should tell you the ones that we have tried lately that are not our favorites...

The first one I got out of a Rachel Ray magazine from a while ago..it's a 5 ingredient recipe. It's a soup that has broccoli rabe or rappini as it is sometimes called (one of my favorite veggies!), cannellini beans, mild sausage, onion, and chicken stock. Since I love rappini, I think I might have gone overboard on how much I took a "bunch" for...however, this soup needed something...couldn't quite figure it out...it seemed like it had everything you needed, but still lacking something..

The other one that we tried was another Publix Apron meal. I had walked by the little kichenette that they prepare all of the food and I was amazed at the wonderful aroma drifting toward me. So, I picked up the recipe for Italian pie..like an Italian take on Chicken pot pie...this is another recipe that felt like it had everything altogether. The pie is filled with sauage, pepperoni, spinach, bruschetta, cheese, and onions...yep, it's Italian! However, it was not everything that I felt like I was promised with the wonderful aroma...:(

So, my adventures in recipes continues...

The recipe you've been asking for...

so...when I asked for requests of recipes a couple of my friends said Spaghetti Supreme..so...here it is...( I had to get special permission from my mother..)

Spaghetti Supreme

*your favorite spaghetti sauce- we make it with meat, but you could make it without
*1 lb of spaghetti noodles
*8oz of sour cream
*8oz of cream cheese
*8oz of cottage cheese
* shredded cheese of your choice

Prepare spaghetti sauce (our favorite right now other than my mother-in-laws, is Ragu's Parmesan Romano sauce with a little bit of Italian seasoning and garlic mixed in with meat and onions) and boil spaghetti noodles
Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and 2 ladles of sauce with your drained noodles.(if you like your spaghetti with less sauce do not add the sauce into the cheese mixture..I like a lot of sauce myself) Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan. Pour remaining suace over the top. Cover the top with your choice of cheese. Place pan into the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted. ENJOY!!!

My FAVORite sweet treat place!

I suggest that maybe tomorrow when you are thinking about lunch that you decide to do something different than the typical sandwich and soup! I say cupcakes and cookies!!! Ok, maybe not! But the next time that you are in need of a sweet tooth fix you check out our very own bakery in downtown Winter Haven! It's called Favor! They have everything that you might want to get the sugar high you are looking for in the sweet department! These are a few of my favorite things....(must sing the Sound of Music song there!)...chocolate chip cookies that are stuffed with chocolate, double chocolate fudge cupcake, pina colada cupcake, or the raspberry truffle! YUMMY!!!!! If you still need more yummy-ness after that you can try the number of stuffed cookies including raspberry, apple, apricot, turtle, or peanut butter! Or in the cupcake department, you have the hard decision of choosing from carmel, oreo, strawberry, key lime, or black tie..in addition to the normal yellow and chocolate cake! But if you are looking for just one more bite of something...try the chocolate covered mashmellows, chocolate covered pretzels, Sweet Mimis (chocolate truffles), or a man-in-the-moon(chocolate covered, double-stuffed oreo)!!!! See, the choice is hard on what to eat first, but I think that you should take the challenge! Tell them that Ketura sent you...they will understand after that! :)

they also do cakes for all occasions! -check them out at http://www.favorbakery.com/

First recipe

So...I have stacks of recipes to try but this one in particular was used to get two meals out of one idea. On Sunday after church a lot of times my husband and I get Publix' subs, however, this time I had stopped thru the Apron Meal section and gotten a recipe for a pizza...(First, you should probably know that in normal circumstances I do not like pizza...something about the combination of dough, sauce and cheese in not somethng I enjoy, but my husband loves it so I try and find ways to redo the pizza any chance I get!) This pizza is a "White Chicken and Broccoli Pizza". So, what I did was instead of getting our normal sub, I got a rottessiere chicken instead! We ate half of the chicken for lunch and the other half was used in this pizza!

White Chicken and Broccoli Pizza

1 1/2 cups of  fresh broccoli florets                           1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups of roasted chicken (10oz)                              1 tsp of dried basil
1 cup of pre-sliced mushrooms                                 1/4 tsp of dried oregano
1 cup of Alfredo sauce                                              1/4 tsp of garlic salt
1(12 oz) baked pizza crust                                        olive oil cooking spray
2 cups of Italian- blend cheese

PREP

Preheat to 425 degrees
cut broccoli into bite-size pieces; place in medium bowl
tear chicken into bite-size piecesand add to broccoli
stir mushrooms and Alfredo sauce together
Place pizza crust on pan and spread the chicken mixture on top of Alfredo mixture
Spread both cheeses evenly over the pizza then sprinkle with basil, oregeno, and garlic salt
Coat top of pizza lightly with cooking spray
Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly
ENJOY!

Calories: (per 1/6 recipe) 540 cal 28g fat

(please note that I am not a food photographer, so that may not be what yours looks like..)

Pair this with a salad and your mom will be impressed with you eating all your veggies!!! Hope you like it! (it got the husband approval at our house!)

Some of my favorite restaurants

SO...I think that we should maybe start at the beginning and tell you some of my favorite restaurants right now...You have to know that I am a huge lover of BBQ and Southern kinds of food. So, these couple restaurants are some of those new finds!
First of all...if you have been around me for a second you have probably heard about "Bubbachucks" on Recker Hwy! ( right across from Ridgepoint Church) I think that my husband and I have tried out about everything on the menu ( the owner now knows my husband by name!) So, when you go there you need to bring a friend and order the loaded baked potato! I personally like the Carolina potato. This potato is like a potato on steriods!!!! It is sssooooo huge! They call it the one pound baked potato but I think that it is more like 5 lbs! On this baked potato is moist pulled pork, sour cream, butter, chives, cole slaw and their homemade BBQ cheese sauce!!! YUMMY!!!! The other thing that I suggest is their BBQ eggroll! This amazing little thing has their awesome cole slaw, BBQ sauce and pulled pork all rolled into one! The weirdest thing is that somehow even the people that don't like their food to touch ( even though it touches in your stomach, people! ) will like this!

Ok, and for my next hot spot...Sundown Restaurant ( which for you people that have been around a while, it would be the old Christy's Sundown) I must say that I wish they would have named it something else because if I friend of mine would not have dragged me there I would have thought that it was the old Christy's...and I am simply not old enough for that place! However, their food was ssooo amazing and fresh!
I have been there a few times now and I feel like I can recommend a couple of choices that anyone would love. First things first...appetizer...you will love their yukon gold chips! They make these fresh to order with a creamy sauce that has feta cheese and smoked chicken all smothered on top! Next, I suggest either their soup, salad, and garlic roll combo. Do not be fooled, this is not your average soup and salad! They make different soups each day...choices like tomato leek, potato chowder, vegetable soup, lentil...and whatever other yummy choice they come up with that morning! The salad is something that they make only for that combo which is a fresh spring mix of black beans, corn, onions, tomatos, cucumbers, all tossed in a wonderful house vinagerette! My other suggestion, if you have a friend to share with or you are eating your leftovers for dinner is to get their take on the "Club" sandwich!

(This fork is also HUGE!!!! So the picture really does not do it complete justice...you must go to see!)
 This sandwich has so many wonderful flavors! From the homemade ciabatta bread and herb aioli to the honey ham and turkey with the sundried tomatos! Let me warn you though, this is no little tea time sandwich! This slice of heaven is massive!!! AND, if you are still leaving room for dessert...you have to get the pecan torte! This is the new pecan pie! Their is a pecan brittle (also homemade!) and their take on the pecan pie with a dab of vanilla ice cream! Really, you should order it before your meal!

I hope that you guys get to try some of these things! Let me know what you think! I know you will love it!

Getting to know me

Just a little information about me before I start with the main reason why I am starting this.
I work a full time job and then continue my work at home with my twins, husband, and three dogs.

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I am very involved in my church with the worship team. I love to sing

So, that's a little about me...now on to why I am wrtitting a blog in the first place. I love to cook. I love to try new foods and restaurants. I am from a long line of great cooks...so I guess I just caught on! The one thing that I am most serious about with food is vegetables! Not just your typical green beans and corn...but everything! I want to try anything that I ever hear about or see in the grocery stores, which means that I need to learn how to cook them...The other thing that I love is to try new recipes...so, that is where this blog comes in. I will tell you and show you the recipes I try, the vegetables that I learn how to cook,products I love and the restaurants that  has given me something to talk about! I hope that you enjoy and please comment and request recipes for me to try!