Well, let’s just start off by saying last night’s Eggplant Lasagna was a FAIL. Why, because I’m lazy. Why am I lazy? Well, after getting up at 550 am, driving my hour commute to work, working 8 hours, then driving my hour + commute back home; cooking is the last thing on my mind. All is want is a shower, jammies, and a nice big glass of wine…which is also why working out during the week is such a beating, and therefore, I never do it. Luckily my sweet J went to the store for me yesterday to gather all the ingredients, which is wonderful, because grocery shopping after an hour of road rage is not pleasant.
So, why the FAIL on the lasagna? I used shortcuts, which are not necessarily bad in cooking, but they are when it involves the main ingredient. In this case, the eggplant. I used two different kinds of eggplant last night because at Central Market J bought little baby white eggplants because there were no purple ones. So when he had to go back to the store to get a 13x9 pan, he went to Albertsons and bought purple eggplant. The kind of eggplant was not the problem, the problems were three fold:
1. I didn’t coat the eggplant in salt and let set for 20 minutes. Why? Because I had about 25 slices and no where to put them and I didn’t feel like messing it…MISTAKE
2. I didn’t really season the eggplant properly. Why? See #1…there just wasn’t any room to lay them out and season. So what did I do? I coated them in the pasta sauce and let them stew for a bit.
3. I probably should have covered the lasagna since I did 1 & 2 therefore creating more of a steaming process which would have helped the eggplant to not be tough.
Oh well, you live and learn and you realize that with something in cooking, just as in life, you really shouldn’t take the shortcut. Good thing is J is super sweet and cleaned his plate. Another good thing was it was pretty : ) I ended up eating a corner of it just because I took the time to make it, and then I at the two top strips that were covered in melted mozzarella.
I have a webinar during lunch today so I am eating leftover Split Pea and Lentil soup, tomatoes and kiwi. I’m sure I will eat one of my tomatoes for a snack. Coworkers think I’m crazy because they walk by and see me eating a tomato with salt at my desk. They always say “how can you eat a tomato like that?’ as the eat Twinkies and cupcakes at least once per day. You know what my question back would be…but usually I just smile and say “I don’t know its good” and they chuckle and walk away.
Not sure what tonight’s meal will bring since I’m getting mah hurr did, but I have already found a pasta dish that will completely make up for (and hopefully eliminate the memory of) my eggplant lasagna. A fun website to follow is http://shine.yahoo.com/ . They have a lot of fun articles and stuff to browse through, but you can also sign up for a weekly email of recipes. I have a used quite a few of their recipes, and for my Pasta Redemption I am going to use one that I was sent Monday. It’s from Better Homes and Garden and its Grilled Asparagus Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce. Considering that three of my favorite foods are in the title, I can safely assume that it will be good. It looks quick and easy, which is all I want when I cook on weeknights. The nutrition facts don’t look too bad, but a trick that a lot of magazines use is they give you the facts, but not the serving size. This can obviously lead people to believe that the entire meal has only the facts listed, when in reality, it’s probably per 4 oz or 6 oz serving.
Just by looking at this recipe, I am probably going to add quartered artichoke hearts, sliced black olives, and probably cherry tomatoes, just to give it some extra color and flavor.
Garlic Asparagus and Pasta with Lemon Cream
Ingredients
8 ounces dried rotini (spiral) or bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
2 cups fresh asparagus cut into 2-inch pieces
8 baby sunburst squash and/or pattypan squash, halved (4 ounces)*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
Meanwhile, melt margarine in a large skillet; add asparagus, squash, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to pasta.
Combine whipping cream and lemon peel in skillet; bring to boiling. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup. To serve, pour cream mixture over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat.
Serves 4. *Note: One medium zucchini or yellow summer squash cut into 8 pieces may be substituted for the baby sunburst squash and/or pattypan squash.
*Nutrition Facts*
Calories – 370, Fat – 15g, Sat Fat – 8g, Cholesterol – 41mg, Sodium – 49 mg, Carbohydrates – 49g, Fiber – 4g, Protein – 10g, Vit A – 22%, Vit C – 21%, Ca – 4%, Fe – 18%
*Real happiness ies in that which never comes nor goes, but simply is*
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