What's for Dinner, Sat., June 30, 2018

[NJCher]

A cold soup which has the advantage of being anti-inflammatory: Avo-berry bowl. It has mixed berries (blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry), spinach, yogurt, and cherry juice in it. Some of it is blended, but the rest is chopped and served in the soup.

The main course will be a cold salad plate with tossed red leaf lettuce and romaine using buttermilk ranch dressing. Along side it is firecracker shrimp (breaded shrimp with spicy sauce), crab salad, and tuna salad. Also egg salad.

For dessert, a five-seed bar and peach iced tea.

[Ohiogal]

1. I'm trying a new recipe

Baked Eggplant parmesan.

Tri-color penne pasta

Salad from the garden

A glass of Cabernet

and Breyer's chocolate ice cream for dessert.

[smirkymonkey]

4. I love Eggplant Parmesan!

I have a great family recipe, but it's kind of "by ear" and not written down. It's the best, although the eggplant is fried and drained of oil, so it's not the healthiest meal, but it's so delicious! Once the eggplant has been dredged in a seasoned egg mixture and dredged in Italian breadcrumbs (I add a little Romano cheese for flavor) and fried, I layer it with homemade sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, romano and will vary it with the following: Italian sausage/ground beef mix or ricotta (like a lasagne). It's even better the next day.

[elleng]

5. Recipe for the homemade sauce, please!

[smirkymonkey]

6. I don't use measurements, but I can tell you what I do - based upon recipe

from my Italian grandmother.

Saute fresh garlic (chopped or pressed) in some olive oil in a large saucepot, then toss in a few cans of tomato paste and saute that for a little while. Once that starts to smell fragrant, throw in 2 or 3 cans of crushed tomatoes and if you like it chunky a few cans of chopped tomatoes. Add oregano, basil, parsley and a few bay leaves. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few hours on low. Continue to cook down and add water. Toss in a handful or two of parmesan and/or romano cheese (my grandmother used to just throw a chunk of parmesan in the sauce). Optional - add a little red wine or another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. I usually let it cool down to taste it to see if it needs anything else before heating back up and serving or freezing. You can also add some hot pepper flakes while cooking if you like it spicy.

My grandmother used to cook pork ribs in her sauce which gave it a really good flavor. I don't usually do this, but it's another option.

Hope you like it!

[elleng]

7. Thanks!

[Cairycat]

2. Ooh, your cold soup and salads sound so good in this heat!

Nice variety too.

Homemade pizza here, and a Cuba Libre made with Mexican Coke - it was hot at today's March for Immigrant Families!

[smirkymonkey]

8. Where do you get Mexican coke?

Sounds very refreshing on a day like today!

[Cairycat]

10. We have a number of Mexican tiendas and mercados around here

We also have a Burmese store, and a few stores offering Bosnian foodstuffs. Oh, and another store offering goods for the Congolese and Indian immigrants who live here. Immigration, in addition to all its other benefits, broadens our culinary possibilities!

[Yonnie3]

3. Jambalaya

TJ and FLFC are both sound asleep, I couldn't wait so I warmed up some of yesterday's Jambalaya. It seems even better today.

I'm craving veggies now so the next course will be a simple salad. Cuke, lettuce, tomato, radish, and green olives. Vinaigrette for dressing.

There's vanilla ice cream and several kinds of berries for later if I'm still hungry.

[smirkymonkey]

9. I love Jambalaya!

Sounds awesome!