Eggplant Appetizer

What to do with eggplant has always been a question of mine. I used to really not like it. Mostly because I never knew what to do with it. Then I found this recipe, and seriously I can eat a whole eggplant myself!!!

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 T Olive Oil

1-2 eggplant(s)

1 egg

1 T water

1 c dry bread crumbs

1 tomato chopped

1/4-1/2 c parm or mozz. cheese

1/4 c Italian dressing

4-5 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375c, grease baking sheet with olive oil

2. Peel eggplant, then slice in 1/8- 1/4 inch thick circles

3. In a small bowl whip together egg and water

4. Place breadcrumbs in separate bowl

5. Dip each eggplant slice in egg mix, then into breadcrumbs

6. One by one, place coated slices in a single layer on baking sheet

7. Top each piece with tomato, dressing, basil, then cheese

8. Bake in oven for 15 minutes

9. Change to broil, and cook 3-5 minutes, checking they don't burn

10. ENJOY!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie

I love sweets, but with Dominican summer in full swing, sometimes turning on my oven to bake is just unbearable.  So, instead of baking, I make this delicious ice cream pie, adapted from a recipe I found in an old issue of Southern Living.  You must try it! 

This recipe makes one 9" pie (or one pie in whatever dish you have!).

Ingredients

• 21 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 pints chocolate ice cream,softened
• A handful of peanut butter cup candies (or any other candy bar), coarsely chopped (chocolate chips or baking morsels of some sort would be yummy, too... or even marshmallows?!?... whatever treat you can find!)
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee

Preparation

• Smash oreo cookies in a bowl using a potato masher. Add melted butter, and continue stirring and smashing until combined.
• Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, and freeze 15 minutes.
• Stir together chocolate ice cream and chopped candies; spoon into pie crust. Freeze at least 6 hours. Remove from freezer, and let stand 15 minutes before serving.
• Make coffee and then pour it until a small sauce pan; heat over low heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted.  Let chocolate coffee mixture sit until room temperature. Drizzle over pie.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Pumpkin

Real Simple

I've always been a fan of the recipes in Real Simple.  They tend to have only a few ingredients, require minimal prep, and are usually ready in less than 30 minutes.  I used to make their Braised Chicken and Spring Vegetables all the time back in the states, and decided to try it tonight in my little island kitchen with a new twist: fresh pumpkin instead of the carrots and radishes.  The verdict: YUM!

 

Serves 4 | Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 40m

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 small bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1⁄2 pounds) (in the frozen section at IGA)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large piece of fresh pumpkin, cubed (available in the produce section at IGA, or at the market)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (I couldn't find chives, although I've seen them before in Roseau)

 Directions

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until browned, 6 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.  (Tip: when the chicken no longer sticks to the pan, it is perfectly braised and ready to be flipped.  If you flip it too early, the skin will stick and tear.)
3. Spoon off and discard the fat. Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the broth and scrape up any brown bits.
4. Stir in the pumpkin and sugar.
5. Place the chicken on top of the pumpkin and gently simmer, partly covered, until it is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the chives. 

Serve with salad and warm bread (the mini baguettes from IGA are delicious toasted with a little butter!). 

Potato/Veggie Casserole with Cumin Chicken

Ingredients & Cooking Instruction for the Casserole:

4 Potatoes

6 Carrots

1 Large Onion

1/3 Cup Cooking Oil

Lipton onion Soup Mix*

Butter or Margarine

Salt/Pepper to taste

Peel and cut potatoes, carrots, and onions. Put all ingredients in a casserole dish, then bake at 450 for 75 minutes (or until the potatoes and carrots are soft and onions have caramelized).  *Note: If you're able to find a packet of Lipton onion soup mix, I put the chopped potatoes into a gallon ziplock bag with one packet, a little water, and olive oil. I shook the bag up really well to make sure all the potatoes got covered and then let it sit in the fridge over night to absorb flavor. The Lipton onion soup mix is not essential to this recipe and can still be made without it.

Ingredients & Cooking Instruction for the Cumin Chicken:

4 Chicken Breasts
2 tsps ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cooking Oil
salt/pepper to taste

Cut chicken breast into 1-2" pieces. Mix all seasoning together in gallon zip lock bag. Add the (uncooked) chicken into the bag and shake until all chicken is covered (I let it sit in the fridge overnight also). Then cook with oil in skillet over medium heat.

Voila! A very easy, fairly inexpensive, delicious meal! There was enough casserole to last three days (family of two and a half). We ate it over steamed rice when we ran out of chicken and it was just as delicious! Enjoy.

What do you cook when you can't handle the heat?

the kitchn

It. is. HOT.  Really, really hot.  Just thinking of using my propane makes me want to crawl into an ice cold shower and then pass out under the AC for a few hours.  So, I'd love some ideas.  What's cooking in your kitchens in this crazy, summer heat?