~ This recipe creates 2 dishes of eggplant—for all the work involved you might as well cook 2 platters. :^)
For the Eggplant:
 | 1 cup all-purpose flour |
| 1 cup Italian bread crumb seasoning |
| Kosher salt |
| 2 large eggplants, peeled and cut crosswise in ¼ inch thick slices |
| 6 eggs, beaten |
| Olive oil or vegetable oil for frying. Olive oil is better, but more expensive. |
| 1 cup grated parmesan cheese |
| 1 ½ lbs fresh mozzarella cheese grated or cut into ¼ inch rounds |
| basil leaves |
| Tomato sauce (recipe below) Tomato Sauce ingredients: |
| 1 whole chopped onion |
| 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms |
| 1 small garlic clove, minced |
| 1/3 cup olive oil |
| 1- 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (avoid the "no frills" brands. Buy the best, it makes a difference.) |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| 1/4 teaspoon black pepper |
| ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper |
| ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper |
| 1 teaspoon parsley flakes |
| 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed |
| 1 bay leaf |
| Honey to taste. |
| 1 24-28 ounce bottle of your favorite pasta sauce. (buy the best as it
does make a difference.) This sauce added to the above sauce recipe. Directions: For the eggplant: 1. Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange one layer on af a large cutting board or cookie sheet and sprinkle evenly with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. The purpose of this step is to have the eggplant release some of its moisture before cooking. 2. While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. See ‘for the tomato sauce’ above. 3. When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, wipe off the excess salt, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the beaten egg, then in the flour mixture. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until light golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels. 4. The following is for 2 baking dishes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves. 5. Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan, and all of the remaining basil. Add remaining eggplant, and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan. 6. Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. For the sauce: 1. Saute the onion, mushrooms, and garlic in oil in a saucepan until tender (about 3 minutes). 2. Add in the tomatoes, olive, and other seasoning ingredients. 3. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until it is as thick as you would like. 4. Drizzle top of sauce with honey and stir in to your taste. 5. Stir in contents of the additional pasta sauce bottle. Take out the bay leaf and set aside. |
Stir Fried Vegetables with Tofu
~ You can add or switch-out whatever vegetables/ seasonings you like to this
recipe. It’s very easy to make and goes well with rice or pasta. :^)
Ingredients:
| 1 package Tofu (Buy the cubed variety if it’s available. Add as little or as much as you like.) |
| 1 zucchini, sliced (cut lengthwise twice and then crossways to create little ‘pizza’ slices) |
| 1 yellow squash, sliced |
| ½ cup sliced fresh mushroom |
| ½ red pepper |
| ½ green pepper |
| ½ onion |
| 2 garlic cloves, minced |
| optional—1 small red tomato, diced |
| 2 tablespoons white wine |
| 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Teriyaki sauce |
| 1 tablespoon lemon juice |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil |
| ½ teaspoon dried basil |
| ¼ cayenne pepper |
| Salt and pepper to taste. Directions: |
- Sauté the onions, garlic cloves, peppers, and mushrooms in a large
frying pan for 1 minute or until crisp-tender. Add the sliced zucchini,
squash, and optional tomato. Continue to stir-fry about another minute
until all is crisp-tender. Add white wine, soy sauce, lemon juice, and
tofu cubes.
- Add seasonings and salt and pepper to taste. For the salt, I simply
sprinkle a light coating of salt over the whole dish. Try experimenting
with other seasonings such as Rosemary or Sage. This is a fun dish to make
your own special creation. Seasonings can be added while you cook, so you
do not have to wait until the very end to add seasonings.
This dish serves very well with rice or pasta. If using pasta, try a sprinkling Parmesan cheese as a topping.
Lemon-Batter Fish w/ Onion Rings!
~ You can use the sauce to make onion rings too!:^)
Ingredients:
| 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided |
| 1 teaspoon baking powder |
| 3/4 teaspoon salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon sugar |
| 1 egg, beaten |
| 2/3 cup water |
| 2/3 cup lemon juice, divided |
| 2 pounds perch fillets or walleye fillets, cut into pieces |
Oil for frying
Lemon wedges and parsley decor, optional
- In a shallow bowl, combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and
sugar;
set aside. Combine the egg, water, and 1/3 cup lemon juice; stir into
dry ingredients until smooth. - In separate shallow bowls, place remaining lemon juice and remaining
flour. Dip fillets in lemon juice, then flour and coat with batter. - Heat 1 inch of oil in a skillet. Fry pieces, a few at a time, over
medium heat
for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Drain on paper towels. Garnish with lemon and parsley leaves if desired.
Yields about 5 servings.
- Onion Rings~ make additional sauce for onion rings!
 | Slice several onions into rings. |
| Put the onions in a bag with flour and shake to coat. |
| Dip the onions into the sauce mix. |
| Fry and drain on paper towels. |
Chicken Cutlets Francaise
~ A tasty twist on fried chicken cutlets.:^)
Ingredients:
| 1 lb. marinated chicken cutlets, cut thin |
| 2 eggs |
| 1/2 c. seasoned flour |
| (season flour with 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 pepper) |
| 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs |
| Olive oil to cover bottom of fry pan SAUCE: |
| 2 tbsp. melted butter |
| 1/4 c. water |
| 1/2 tsp. cornstarch |
| 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or to taste |
- Marinate chicken cutlets first sprinkle with lemon juice. Sprinkle
with salt, pepper,
paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, Add several tablespoons of Teriyaki or Soy sauce. Add at least 1 tablespoon of mustard. Add at least 2 tablespoons of honey. Allow chicken to marinate at least 1/2 hour to absorb seasoning.
- Beat eggs, adding salt and pepper to taste. Mix seasoned flour with
Italian bread crumbs. Dip cutlets first in egg then in flour/ bread crumb
mixture. Fry in olive oil until light golden on both sides. Then place on
a plate with paper towels to help remove excess oil from fried cutlets.
- When all cutlets have been fast fried, put them in baking dish. In
saucepan heat (low)
quickly combine melted butter, cornstarch, water and lemon juice in a pan. Taste sauce and add any seasonings such as salt and pepper or lemon to taste.
- Pour over the cutlets in baking dish, cover with foil and bake 1/2 hour in 350 degree oven. Check in 20 minutes to make sure water is in pan, if not add more until finished baking.
Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Meat Loaf
Ingredients:
| 1 pounds lean ground beef |
| 1 pound ground turkey |
| 2 eggs, beaten |
| 2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs |
| 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese |
| 1 onion, finely diced |
| ½ green pepper, diced (optional) |
| ½ cup finely shredded carrot (optional) |
| 1 garlic clove, crushed and diced |
| 2 tablespoons soft butter |
| 1 tablespoon Teriyaki sauce |
| 2 teaspoons lemon juice |
| 2 tablespoons honey |
| 2 tablespoons chopped parsley |
| ½ teaspoon rubbed sage |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
| ¼ teaspoon pepper |
| ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper Directions |
- In a large bowl, combine ground meat and other ingredients.
- Place in a shallow baking dish and shape into an oval loaf.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes
or until done.
Tip: Use the meat loaf juices and trimmings to make a delicious gravy. Just mix a little flour to water and mix with the juices. You may need to add a little extra seasoning to get it just right. :^)
Sweet Corn Bread
~This goes along nice with just about any meat dish.
Ingredients
| 2- 1/3 cups all-purpose flour |
| 1 cup yellow cornmeal |
| 1 cup sugar |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
| 4- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder |
| 3 eggs |
| 1- 2/3 cups milk |
| 2/3 cup butter, softened Directions |
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk in another bowl.
- Combine flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternatively with egg mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 22 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick
inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
ClairDomene’s Rice w/ Mixed Vegetables and
Sausages
Ugh! I had to pull my wife’s, Claire’s, teeth to get the recipe for this
one. She cooks without a recipe. So good fortune to you with this... But it
is well worth it and not that mysterious to make after all :^)
Ingredients:
| 4 cups of water (2 cups per 1 cup of rice) |
| 2 cups of rice |
| 2 tablespoons of Olive oil |
| 1 garlic clove, crushed and diced |
| 2-3 onion slices, diced |
| Salt and black pepper to taste. Directions: |
- Bring water to boil. Add salt, olive oil, garlic, and black pepper.
- Add rice, then cook on medium heat until water evaporates.
- Cover and reduce to low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cut up sausage, brown and sauté with olive oil and onions.
- Remove the excess grease and add (uncooked) mixed vegetables.
- Cook vegetables with the sausage until vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Add prepared rice and mix all ingredients together.
- Serves well alone or with chicken.