Eggplant with tomatoes and avocado

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One of my favorite vegetables is the eggplant.  It is very versatile in my opinion and will hold up to almost anything you pair it with.  I call it the hamburger of the plant world.

Last week I purchased two of these purple beauties and promptly forgot about them.  Scavaging for something to eat last night I pulled them out and they were still very firm so I decided to use one.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, I had seen a recipe on Pinterest I liked, however a scan of my pins and likes did not reveal the recipe.  I decided to wing it.  Here is the recipe I came up with just using what I had on hand in the fridge.

Recipe: Eggplant with tomatoes and avocado (For 2)

1 large eggplant
1/2 cup Ham (cubed)  *Optional
2-3 tomatoes (Diced)
1/2 Avocado (Diced)
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
Garlic Salt

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices (about 5 slices).  In a skillet heat olive oil and add eggplant slices. Season with garlic salt to taste. Brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside.  To the pan add the ham and heat through, add the tomatoes and saute about a minute.  Finally add the avocado and heat till everything is warmed through.  Arrange the eggplant slices on a plate and top with the tomato and avocado mixture.  Top with Parmesan and serve.

Notes:
I say this is an 2 serving meal.  I used about 3 small tomatoes from my garden, this was my preference.  I used the two larger slices of eggplant for my husbands portion and 3 smaller slices for myself and split the tomato/avocado mixture evenly between the two.
I am not vegetarian so I used what ham was left in my fridge from making pizza the week before, so it is not an essential component.  Without the ham about one to two shakes of garlic salt per piece of eggplant should be enough seasoning.  The ham added more salt than I thought it would, so my first attempt, though good (even in my dear husbands opinion) was salty.  If using ham I would reduce the garlic salt used or use garlic powder instead.  I was very pleased with the  outcome though and think this is definitely a repeat dish in my house.  Now to figure out what to do with the other eggplant.

The kitchen ain't just for baking

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I haven't been feeling well the last few weeks so really haven't felt like cooking anything blog worthy.  Lots of boxed mac-n-cheese as that is the littleman's favorite.  That is about the only thing I can remember cooking. 
I did make Pizza Casserole , which my son promptly refused to eat because he realized it wasn't actually pizza and Cucumber & Tomato Salad, which was a very refreshing side dish to the casserole, and a great way to use up the veggies we got from our neighbor (she's was so kind as to bring us more today).  Both I will be repeating but no pictures unless you want to see what's left in the fridge...that will be gone tomorrow.  My daughter the endless wonder couldn't get enough of the cucumbers or the tomatoes.  She's such a darling and sooo different from my son in the eating department.
As the post title states the kitchen ain't just for baking and cooking...it's for decorating!  I seldom have ideas of my own, I rely on blogs and pinterest to get my imaginative juices flowing so it was a welcome treat when I started putting the dishes away tonight.  I was putting the measuring cups in the drawer and thought, "I really dislike these in here, but where could they go?"  I looked up and a light bulb came on.  Over my range!!  I had just recently found our collection of cup hooks so off I went to find them and anything else I thought would help me get the job done.

 Before

It was sparse to say the least.  I love the cheese grader so it got to stay and the salt and pepper are up there only because my daughter won't stay off the table, which is where that cute little holder belongs.  With new homes I measured out where I wanted the hooks for the measuring cups and a couple other items I found that I loved and wanted to display. Yes that is 12:09 AM.

After

  

Pretty isn't it?  I want to eventually replace the range hood and the stove and the toaster (all our new appliances are steel), but for now this gives the area a little pick me up that was much needed.  I actually use these items quite a bit so it made sense to display them so that they were easy to access.

So there it is, cheap decorating.  I personally love this mini-makeover and it makes me smile when I walk in my kitchen...I won't show the other side with all the dirty dishes that makes my smile turn up side down. 

Zucchini bread - A must have

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This time of year I devote several hours a day to baking savory loaves of bread.  I particularly like zucchini and pumpkin bread.  In prior years I would grow my own zucchini, but only was able to plant tomatoes, eggplant, radishes, green beans, and strawberries.  Therefore, this year I was saved from buying zucchini as my wonderful brother gave me some fresh from his garden.  Three beautiful green elongated veggies for my cooking and baking delight.
Back in 2010 I had another blog: Small Town Cook, where I had posted the below, I felt it was time to unearth it.  Today however I had the help of my son, who is now five.  He loves watching me and helping me.  I let him stir as I added the ingredients....typically I would use the mixer, but he was just so excited to help.  I still feel the mixer incorporates the ingredients better, however nothing beats the smile on his little face, and the fact that I get veggies into his little tummy. 

I had seen a recipe I wanted to try in a small recipe book, you know the kind you pick up for a few bucks up at the registers next to the celebrity newspapers. This one was put together by Betty Crocker and Gold Medal and is called, "Fall Baking - Cookies, Breads and Desserts", put out back in 2003. The recipe is called Raisin Nut Zucchini Bread and makes 2 scrumptious loaves in just an hour.
Recipe
Makes 2 Loaves (16 slices each)
3 medium zucchini, shredded (3 cups)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins, if desired
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, with shortening. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.
2. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 1 week.  This can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 4 months, so I like to make extra loaves now for later.

Now to tell you what I do differently. I do omit the raisins. I don't care for them in this bread and I used walnuts. I buy them in a big bag when on sale and put the desired amount into a sandwich bag and take a rolling pin to them to crush them up. This helps take out any frustrations from the day. I also found though trial and error that baking spray on the bottom of the pans allows the bread to release from the pan much easier than shortening and is less messy. ALWAYS remember to spray or grease the pan before pouring in the mixture if you do not plan on keeping the bread for yourself. In the past I have made this bread for family and friends as gifts, and had to make extra loaves because several came out mangle because I did not spray the pan at all.

I've also found that actually using an electric mixture to combine the wet and dry ingredients incorporates the mixture better. Stirring is doesn't cut it I discovered as I bit into a slice from one of those torn loaves and got a mouth full of dry, overcooked flour. Yuck...the rest of the bread tasted amazing. It also rose better when mixed like this verses stirring.
What else can I say but try it. Whether it's vegetables from your own garden or you go buy it from a stand or market, making something like this for my family is a gift of it's own....the couple glasses of rum I had while cooking made it all that much better. My husband likes to cut himself a slice, heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds and then smother on butter....yummy.

**Italicized portions from original post