Friday Feast number 148

Appetizer
Fill in the blank: The best thing about where I live is _________________…

Our house.

Soup
Create a new name for a deodorant (like “Flower Fresh” or “Shower Scent”).

Fresh cut grass

Salad
What was the last piece of software you installed onto your computer?

Some batch picture uploader for Flickr

Main Course
If you were to receive a superlative award today beginning with the words ”Most likely to…”, what would the rest of the phrase say?

Take a nap... sorry, nothing exciting but I have worked a little too much this week.

Dessert
What two colors do you like to wear together?
Well I almost always wear jeans so i am going to say blue and brown

The Friday Feast is a weekly meme intended to "feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions."

Friday Feast number 147

Appetizer
What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food?

Its not good for me but I would consider chips and sour cream dip as perfect. I could probably eat it every day, which is why I never buy any. I am sure I will think of something better later but this is what came to mind first.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name?

probably a 7 or 8 if you count all forms of Meyer (Mayer, Meier, etc... ) but I would say probably a 4 or 5.

Salad
Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why?

All time would be Heathcliff Huxtable.. I can still watch Cosby Show reruns all day. Jason makes fun of me because I know almost every episode.

Main Course
Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies.

Yes, I used to browse alot more often on ebay but I still buy things from time to time at Kohls, Target, and Amazon.com.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I think ___________ should be ___________.

Paris Hilton, back in jail.. sorry to put her name in my blog but its all that I have heard on the news this morning.
Maybe I should say that I think Paris Hilton should be ignored by the public.. what has she done that is so special to get all this attention?

The Friday Feast is a weekly meme intended to "feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions."

Plum tart

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 8 servings, one slice each

1 refrigerated ready-to-use pie crust (1/2 of 15-oz. pkg.)
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3 cups sliced plums (about 3 medium)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon sugar (3/4 tsp. granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon)
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PREHEAT oven to 450ºF. Place pie crust in greased 10-inch pie plate. Carefully spread cream cheese in 6-inch circle in center of crust; set aside.
TOSS plums with granulated sugar and flour; place over cream cheese. Gently fold edge of crust about 2 inches over plums, leaving center of plums uncovered. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over tart.
BAKE 25 min. or until crust is golden brown and fruit juices are bubbly. Cool slightly before lifting out of pie plate. Cut into slices; top with whipped topping.

KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS

Substitute
Prepare as directed, except substitute PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese and COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping.

Jazz It Up
Mix additional 1/2 tsp. cinnamon sugar into the whipped topping before using as directed.

This recipe was so easy. Again, I forgot to take a picture until we were almost done eating. I think it would also be good with just about any other stone fruit

Sausage Pepper and Onion Fake Bake

1 pound rigatoni
Salt
1 pound cooked chicken sausages
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock, a couple of glugs
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
Handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup fresh basil, 10 leaves, torn or shredded
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass at table
Place a pot of water on the stove to boil for pasta. When the water boils, salt it and cook pasta to al dente, with a bite to it.
Prick sausages with a fork. Place chicken sausages in a large skillet and add 1 inch of water. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat a little. Allow all the liquid to cook away then brown and crisp the casings, 5 to 6 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

While pasta and sausage cook, heat a deep skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add the peppers, onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. When the sausages are cooked through, slice them on an angle and add them to the peppers and onions. Cook together until peppers and onions are tender and sliced sausages are crisp at edges then deglaze the pan with white wine or chicken stock. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bring to a bubble, reduce heat to low.

Drain rigatoni and return to warm pot. Add ricotta cheese, salt and pepper, parsley and basil and half of the Parmigiano, a couple of handfuls, stir to combine.

To assemble the "fake bake," place half the sausage, peppers, onions and sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with all of the pasta and then the remaining sausage and sauce. Cover the top of the dish with the grated Parmigiano and place until broiler 2 minutes to brown cheese and set pasta.

I made this for a dinner party last night. I usually use rigatoni and regular italian sausage but I tried some precooked garlic and herb chicken sausage and it turned out pretty well. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture until we were done eating. I also used Campanelle pasta instead of rigatoni (just because that is what we had in the pantry). Another bonus is that I was able to use the basil and parsley that I am growning on our deck.

New Car

We picked up the new car yesterday. I would say that I am very happy with it... I already put about 40 miles on it!

Here are some more pictures, both of the new car and my old Camaro that I traded in. I promise to take a few more pictures of my new car when it is sunny outside.

Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium eggplant (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices
Kosher salt, as needed, plus 1 tablespoon
5 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
All-purpose flour for dredging
6 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
Olive oil, as needed
7 cups QUICK MARINARA SAUCE, recipe follows
2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.

Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)

Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

QUICK MARINARA SAUCE

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1/3 cup)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree (about two 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh basil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Yield: about 3 1/2 cups

I have been wanting to make this recipe for a while. Jason really likes chicken parmesan and whenever we go to NY, I get eggplant parmesan. It is a nice change from the chicken. I used a graffiti eggplant (the ones with the white stripes) and made a half recipe using Prego and Italian breadcrumbs instead of the seasonings in regular breadcrumbs. It turned out pretty well and the leftovers made great eggplant parmesan hoagies the next day!

Friday Feast number 146

Happy Friday everyone! I sign the papers for my new car today!

Appetizer
Name something you think is “the best.”

I say this about alot of things. Olives, martinis (because of the olives), a relaxing day, just to name a few.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?

4.. mostly because I feel like the last few days, I have been at 12. Today, I feel really good.

Salad
What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?

Neutrogena Deep Clean.

Main Course
Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”

Hmmm, I think that alot but for some reason I can't remember exactly what I think that about... how about Jason and I both have a whole day off. That is definitely true.

Dessert
When was the last time it rained where you live?

Technically it rained here yesterday and the day before but you really can't tell, it was only a sprinkle and we need more.


The Friday Feast is a weekly meme intended to "feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions."