Ratatouille

I've heard of ratatouille before... I don't know why I've never tried it, because I LOVE eggplant. Now that Disney has made Ratatouille famous, at least in our house, I thought I'd actually try to make it. I should have done this sooner ~ it is awesome!

8 strips of bacon (you can use more if you're a meat lover, but 8 slices is what I had in my fridge)
1 small onion, sliced
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 large eggplant, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium yellow squash, sliced
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
4 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and let cool enough to crumble. Drain grease out of pan, but leave renderings.

In bacon pan, cook onion in the olive oil just until the onion starts to become translucent. Add garlic, bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato paste & salt. Simmer for a few minutes.

Spread 1/2 sauce in a 9x13 baking dish. Layer with eggplant, zucchini, squash & cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 1 hour or until hot and bubbly.

*I'm fairly confident you could freeze this because everything in it freezes really well. You could also easily make it a vegetarian dish by substituting the bacon with portabella mushroom. Or just take out the bacon and use only the tomato sauce.

Cabbage Rolls

Medium head of cabbage
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 small onion, chopped
15 oz tomato sauce, divided
15 oz diced tomatoes

Boil head of cabbage for 3-4 minutes, until leaves start to fall off. Peal off 10-12 leaves and cut the thick vein from the bottom. Set remaining cabbage aside.

Combine beef, pork, rice, parsley, salt, chili powder, onion, and 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Place about 1/4 cup meat mixture on each cabbage leaf, fold the sides in and roll completely.

Chop remaining cabbage. Place in the bottom of a 9x13 greased pan. Arrange cabbage rolls in pan seam side down.

Combine remainder of the tomato sauce & diced tomatoes. Pour over cabbage rolls.

Bake at 350 for 1.5 hours.

Marinated Steaks

My local grocery store was having a sale on selected meat: 5 packages for only $20. So we're having steaks for dinner tomorrow night. This is kind of a strange recipe because there aren't any specific quantities of the ingredients. This is the way my hubby likes to prepare steaks so I hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredient list:
Steaks
Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
garlic salt
1 can of Coke (you may need more than one if you're doing a large quantity of steaks.)

Place the steaks in a Tupperware bowl at least a couple inches deep. Keep in mind you'll need it big enough to work but small enough so that the steaks are covered as much as possible in the marinade. Splash a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce on each steak and poke it several times with a fork (or a meat tenderizer if you have it). You want this meat tender and to be able to really soak up the marinade. Use your judgment on how much to use, but you will need to use quite a bit--maybe 1/4 cup per steak?? That's a rough estimate because I don't measure it before I put it in. Flip the steaks over and repeat. You may want to tenderize each side 2-3 times. Season with the salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. For good measure I splashed another couple tablespoons of the Worcestershire sauce in the bowl until they steaks were about 1/2 or 3/4 covered. Pour some of the coke over the steaks until they are covered and marinate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.

I apologize this isn't a very precise recipe but the combo of the Worcestershire sauce and the Coke is very good. I would probably recommend that you use more of the Worcestershire sauce than the Coke.

To go with this meal I'm going to try my friend Becky's recipe for corn on the cob. I want to make sure she gets complete credit for this recipe, so click HERE for the recipe. It sounds so yummy and I can't wait to try it. (And isn't her little girl just darling!)

Spinach Nectarine Salad

I'd like to give credit for this recipe... but I can't. I was sitting in the Dentist office and picked up a magazine to flip through. I saw this recipe and thought it was worth trying out. Then they called me back to work on my teeth. I have no idea what magazine I was looking at... and I'm not even sure that I got it right, but I thought it turned out pretty good. This makes enough for 2 salads... except I really like nectarines so I used a whole one instead of half.

1 bunch spinach

1 ripe nectarine, sliced
Handful of slivered almonds

2 Tbsp sweet orange marmalade

1 small shallot

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Toast slivered almonds. Set aside.

Finely mince shallot. In a small fry pan heat up orange marmalade and shallot, reducing slightly. Add balsamic vinegar and reduce again slightly. While whisking dressing, add olive oil.

Plate up spinach and top with nectarines. Drizzle over dressing and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant has been one of my big pregnancy cravings... and thankfully my 2 year old LOVES it! Eggplant can look a little intimidating, but it really is delicious! And it also freezes like a champ!

1 small eggplant
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp milk
1/8 cup flour
1/8 cup bread crumbs
2-3 Tbsp cooking oil, or Italian salad dressing
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Wash eggplant, and cut cross wise into 1/4" tick slices.

Combine egg and milk, set aside. Combine flour & breadcrumbs (you can also season this, salt & pepper, garlic powder, oregano, etc.), set aside.

Dip eggplant slices into egg mixture and then into flour, turning to coat both sides.

In a large skillet, cook eggplant in hot oil or Italian dressing for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Place cooked eggplant slices in a single layer in a baking dish. Top with spaghetti sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses; repeat layers.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Oven Fries

This is my absolute favorite way to make/eat french fries!!

Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Wash potatoes and cut into wedges/fry shapes.

On a baking sheet, drizzle with a little Olive Oil and a little seasoned salt. Toss around to coat.

Bake at 350 until tender, 25-30 minutes (I like "fat" fries, so mine take a little longer. But if you like yours "skinny" then obviously they'll cook quicker).

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

36 large cherry tomatoes ( red &/or yellow)
4 hard boiled eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp curry powder
2 Tbsp chopped chives plus 10 whole chives

Cut a slice off the top of each tomato & use a spoon to remove the meat & seeds. Set upside down on paper towels to drain.

Put the eggs, mayonnaise, & mustard in a mixing bowl and mash with the back of a fork until fairly smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, mix and taste for spicing.

About 1 hour before serving, fill each tomato with egg salad, garnish with several 2” chive spears standing up out of the tomato.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1 package (10 oz) chopped spinach, drained & thawed (if frozen)
½ cup Mayonnaise
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, minced

Beat cream cheese & mayo with electric mixture on medium speed until well blended. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon into 9” pie plate or quiche dish. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until very lightly browned. Garnish with chopped tomato, if desired. Serve with crackers, bread chunks, or vegetables.