Eggplant Feta Rolls

I am awful at appetizers, but I'm trying to get better. I think appetizers just aren't logical enough for me. I mean, are we eating a meal here, or not? If we are, then I'll cook you a meal. If not, then what the heck are we doing? I know, I know, this doesn't actually make any sense, and appetizers exist for good reason. At least one part of my brain knows this.

Despite all the cooking I do, if you ask me to bring an appetizer, I'll usually show up with a plate of Trader Joe's frozen dumplings and a little bowl of soy sauce. If I'm feeling super fancy I'll slice up scallions on top. Seriously, that has been my appetizer A game for years. But as I said, I'm trying to get better. Today is certainly a step in the right direction.

I made these for a party this afternoon, and people ate them all. I ate...a few. I will definitely be making them again. This recipe is one I got from Nigella Lawson's Summer-themed cookbook, with a few small adjustments. Enjoy! I'm sure you could make these with some other type of feta if you don't live near a Trader Joe's, but I am loyal to TJ's. Most light fetas have almost no fat and a dry, icky texture. TJ's has 1.5g/oz, which is quite reasonable health-wise, and it also has a delicious taste and good texture. Think of it as 2% milk rather than skim.

Maybe we should call these, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding Where I Married a Terrific Man From Thailand" rolls. Then again, maybe Eggplant Feta Rolls is the way to go.

--3 large eggplants, cut thinly lengthwise

--olive oil

--kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

--8 oz. Trader Joe's Light Feta

--1 medium-sized red chili pepper, finely chopped and seeded. I used one the size of a jalapeno (I have no idea what it is called, but I'll try to remember to look at the store tomorrow) and these were very mild. I may go smaller next time (which generally means spicier) but I'm not going to try those tiny little Thai bird chilis, which are lethal.

--1 bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped

--1 lemon, juiced

Preheat your grill. I'm a gas-grill kind of gal, and my new grill is HOT, so I used a medium heat for eggplant. Otherwise I find that I incinerate them.

While the grill heats up, slice up the eggplant and brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper on each side, as well.

Grill the eggplant until it is tender and brown. I had to try grilling eggplant a couple of times before I got it right, but it is easy once you get the hang of it, and well worth learning. The quick heat gets rid of all that liquid and you're left with the delicious eggplant instead of lots of water.

Mix up the remaining ingredients in a bowl with a fork. After the eggplant has cooled for a few minutes, spoon a little bit of the feta on the slice of eggplant and roll it up. Resist the temptation to pile on a lot of the feta mixture, because the fatter the rolls are, the tougher they are to eat as finger food. Of course, if you're going to put them on a plate with a knife and fork, go crazy. In that case, you'll only need 2 eggplants.

I used toothpicks to hold mine together. It probably isn't strictly necessary, but I think it made people more likely to pick them up.

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Asparagus with Portobello Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

People really love this. Honestly, it is so easy, I feel bad that they're impressed. Try it next time you're grilling something. I'm thinking of adding some grilled chicken and serving this recipe inside a big tortilla as a wrap.

1 bunch asparagus

2 portobello mushroom tops

1 t. fresh rosemary, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. lemon juice

1/4 c. olive oil

1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and remove the stems of the portobello mushrooms. Brush the mushrooms and asparagus with olive oil. Grill them. The mushrooms will take a while. It takes a little practice to grill asparagus without burning it, but it is a skill well worth the work. After grilling, slice the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms and asparagus on a platter.

Combine the rosemary, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Drizzle over the mushrooms and asparagus. Garnish with the goat cheese and serve.


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Eggplant a la Baked Potato

Have I mentioned that I love Mark Bittman? I do. His books are as much inspirational as they are instructional, and this recipe is a case in point. His recipe calls for Miso and something else, which is fine, but not as good as this. The great thing his recipe did for me was to make me think of an eggplant as a baked potato. Load it up with toppings and all of the sudden I've devoured an entire eggplant by myself, which I suspect is better for me than the baked potato.

Here's how I make it:

First, cut a large globe eggplant in half lengthwise. Brush the cut side with plenty of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place it flat side down on a hot grill and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook about 5 minutes more, or until the eggplant is pretty squishy, but hopefully not burned on the outside. Even if it is burned on the outside, just slice off the burned part and keep going.

Score the cut side of the eggplant with a fork or knife and mush it up a little bit. This part is way easier than mushing up a baked potato. Drizzle the following ingredients on and mush it up a little more. That's all!

--olive oil

--salt

--pepper

--fresh basil

--minced garlic

--balsamic vinegar

--parmesan

As you can see from the photo below, it isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but it is really yummy.

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Grown-Up Oatmeal Cookies

Okay, I try to keep it healthy on this blog, but it has been a long day, and fortunately or me it is teacher appreciation week. That means I'm supposed to take dessert to school tomorrow for the teachers. (Okay, fruit or dessert, but I know Allison has the strawberries taken care of, so I'll make cookies.) These are adapted from a Cook's Illustrated recipe. They're easy and fantastic, and I rarely make them because one of my husband's few failings is that he thinks cookies should have neither oatmeal nor nuts. He is right about so many things, but he is very, very wrong about these cookies. They are divine.

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Chocolate-chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)

- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon table salt

- 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats

- 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

- 1 cup dried tart cherries

- 3/4 cup chocolate chips

- 12 tablespoon s unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

- 1 large egg

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, stir together oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate.

In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat. Add flour mixture. Gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until just incorporated.

I use a spring-loaded scoop to make the dough balls. The scoop is 1 1/2" in diameter. Chill the dough for a little while -- at least an hour. I think this makes the cookies retain their shape better. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Err on the side of being underdone. Because they're cookies.

Puffata

So, I know this recipe is not a classic frittata, and bears little resemblance to anything Marcella Hazan would cook. My husband suggested we called it a "Puffata", and I think he's right.

The Puffata is delicious, easy, and very flexible. It is adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe. I've never actually made the recipe as it is printed in the cookbook, but I've made a version like the one below many times. I'm posting it for a friend with three small children who finds it impossible to get eggs on the table before getting everyone out the door at 7:45. The great thing about a frittata is that you can cook it and then slice it up and freeze the slices in foil. You can warm them up in the toaster oven or oven and they'll taste terrific.

This also makes a great meal on those nights when you don't feel like your fridge quite has a meal. You can throw all kinds of leftover vegetables and cheese in here and it turns out nicely.

Clean Out The Fridge Puffata

3 T. butter

8 eggs

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/3 c. flour

3/4 t. baking powder

cheese, maybe 1/2 cup, but more if you like more.

other stuff, like vegetables. Sauteed onions are a great choice. If you have any leftover ham or bacon, or smoked salmon definitely throw it in. I have never once had leftover smoked salmon, but maybe I'm weird.

Preheat the oven to 350. In theory you need to use a 10" oven-proof skillet for this, but a pie pan will work fine, and an 8x8 pyrex pan would probably do the trick, too.

Melt the butter and pour it into the pan.

Whisk the eggs, and the salt, pepper, flour, baking powder, and cheese. Then stir in the leftovers and pour into the baking dish or skillet. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until it is puffy and the top is golden brown.