Mouth Watering

Fine Cooking is seriously one of thee coolest magazines/websites for food. 

I've made numerous dishes from them and alllll but one were fantastic 

(and even the not-so-great one wasn't bad!)

I usually end up typing in a couple of ingredients I have on hand and lo and behold,

something wonderful comes up!!! 

I HIGHLY recommend trying it out!

That being said, I was at Trader Joe's the other day and saw the most gorgeous, flawless, deep purple eggplants. They were so pretty I literally couldn't pass it up. I didn't know what to do with it, but figured Fine Cooking would know.

(Thanks Fine Cooking!) I think I should be a stinkin' spokesman for them or something!

I varied the recipe here and there... 

I present to you, Eggplant Parmesan: 

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2 medium globe eggplant (about 2 lbs.), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds 
Kosher salt 
4-1/2 ounces (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour 
4 large eggs, beaten 
3 cups dry fine breadcrumbs 
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 
Canola oil for frying (about 2 cups) 
3 cups marinara sauce, warmed 
16 basil leaves, torn into large pieces 
10 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Grana Padano 

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Line a large plate with paper towels. Put down a layer of eggplant slices, sprinkle generously with salt; add another layer of paper towels and another layer of eggplant and salt; repeat until you’ve layered the rest of the eggplant. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Put the flour and eggs in separate wide shallow bowls. In another wide bowl, toss the breadcrumbs with the thyme and 1/2 tsp. salt. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, dip in the egg, and then coat with the breadcrumbs, pressing down to pat the crumbs onto the eggplant, and put on the baking sheet.
Line another baking sheet with fresh paper towels. Pour enough oil into a large (12-inch) skillet or frying pan to measure about 1/2 inch deep and heat over medium heat until hot (if you dip a piece of eggplant into the oil, it will sizzle immediately). Working in batches, add as much eggplant as will fit in a single layer and fry, flipping once, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat, frying the remaining eggplant and layering it between sheets of paper towel.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with 1 cup of the marinara and then cover with a third of the basil, mozzarella, and Grana Padano. Repeat with two more layers of the remaining eggplant, marinara, basil, mozzarella, and Grana Padano.
Bake until the cheese melts and browns and the sauce bubbles around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes (cover with foil if the top browns too quickly). Let cool for a couple minutes and serve.
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Not sure if you've tried these or not, 

but I'm gonna go ahead and highly recommend them too- 

Hearts of Palm.

Oh so good, sliced up in a salad! 

What's been on your plate? 

Try anything good lately that you'd like to share?

Spoon

art on my brain...

Spoon feed me love like a child. 

Kiss my soul and say goodbye.

Plant your scent inside my brain.

Love and Live.

inspired by this rad painting
that and a lil' funky Camera Obscura playing right now...
Just go with this odd mood- don't fight it :)

Becca

"Everyone has photographic memory; some just don't have the film."

                                                                    ...author unknown

Vintage Girl's Delight

New Shop Updates... little by little :D

60's prints of Wide Eyed Girls
SOLD

50's Jewelry Box

And...Sneak Peaks, Coming Soon

Incense snail

The pipes Rene Magritte forgot to paint... 

and yes this is a pipe ;)

 Pink beaded plant hanger

Bow Tie and Handkerchief Combo

Classic Black Bow Tie... Let's bring these things back :D AWESOME!

There are a BUNCH of items for sale in My Etsy Shop... Buy a gift? Gift yourself?

Stop by and say hello :D

Happy Thursday! 

Harvesting Dill

I once thought dill to be nearly a nuisance in my garden due to it's self proliferation, and yes, I told myself I'd never let it bloom again, because our backyard turned into a wild dill refuge for a year! But... every year I'm out there snapping photos of it's cool mod looking firework flowers that yield a plethora of seeds.

I've enjoyed what I've read so far about dill. 

I planted it to use as an herb on fish and to use with my pickles (when I get around to planting 'em).

I figured this year that there just must be more to this herb.

Little did I know the gem growing sky high in my planter box could be useful in so many other ways.

I don't know of a credible herbal-medicinal site (so take the following info lightly)... I know there are a few of you lovely nature girls (Clare, Anne, and Milla) that could direct me to such sites. However, this is what I've dug up so far and it's coincided well with other sites:

DILL:

It is Stimulant, aromatic, carminative and stomachic. It is usually given as dillwater which is very good for children’s flatulence [or husbands- HAHA] or disordered digestion. Amongst its other properties, Dill is known for acting as an antibacterial and antispasmodic agent and as a diuretic. However, its main purpose is for calming the digestive system.  The essential oil found in Dill assists in relieving intestinal spasms and griping so it can be found in many gripe water mixtures and for those suffering from colds and other such related ailments, dill is often added to cold and flu remedies.

Oil of dill is used in medicine in largely the same way, but is also used in perfuming soaps.

It also stimulates lactation.

It is administered as distilled water, essential oil.

Source

The English common name origin is associated with the Ancient Norse word dilla and, also, with the Anglo-Saxon word dylle.

Pillows of fragrant, dried herb were placed in cradles to lull babies to sleep..

In the Middle Ages dill was prized for protection. It was infused in wine for increasing passion.

(Ooh, la la)

source

Here's to trying something new! 

Cheers, and happy very early Friday morning- 

(way past) Time for bed!!!

Can't wait for this weekend to rest again. 

The girls and I are all back to school/orientations this week and I'm

feeling that overwhelming knot growing again, though I'm quite excited.

Did I even say it before? I was accepted to an (RN)Registered Nursing Program. Only 3 semesters to go (since I'm already an LVN). Wooo hooo

Buenas Noches!

65 years and a whole lotta fun

Hey, Hey!

We just got back from a week at an all inclusive resort in Maya Riviera, Mexico. 

We were celebrating my grandparents 65th wedding anniversary, so we packed up,

flew to Mexico and just played, talked, ate, and drank all week together. 

It. was. wonderful.

The hardest decisions I faced were:

Beach or pool?

You getting drinks or am I?

Which restaurant do we wanna eat at tonight?

Which of the 26 family members do I want to hang out with now?

Seriously? (I'm a lucky girl... and blessed!)

Vintage dress I picked up from an estate sale right before leaving

 Hanging with family every day/night was a blast. Some live out of state so catching up was a lot of fun... and we had the whole week to do it :D

 "Mapache" 

Mexican raccoon's that were quite friendly

(though Erick IS the dog whisperer. He's got a unique connection with animals)

 Rachel and Olivia enjoying some dessert after teppan style dinner

 jumpshot. 'cause defying gravity is a bit mystifying- especially frozen on film (disk)

More hangin' with cousin's (and my brother on the right) :D

Mmm Hmm. Out for a night with the cousins since my parents were watching my girls :D

We went to a disco which was pretty horrible (Brazilian style dancing- kinda like square dancing with pop music... every one follows the leader.

Luckily my cousins are all fun loving and dorky, like myself... so we had a blast anyway!

Dancin' like kooks  

We took the colectivo (local van/taxi) to Playa Del Carmen for the afternoon to shop and grab lunch.

What??? You want us to pay? With money?

Staying at an all inclusive resort will spoil you quickly!

The heat was incredibly intense here, mixed in with the humidity, that is.

That combo makes my hair wanna jump out of itself- if it were possible- POOF

Here you can purchase a "chal" to wrap around your choulders ;)

After returning from Playa, we experienced a warm torrential down pour.

The mosquitoes just don't know when to quit- 

I got a huge bite on my neck, despite the intense rain, but we were squeeling and laughing the whole way, running through the rain!

I could do a whole post on the mosquitoes! They were freakin' horrific. Man eaters. Little bitty vicious vampires. I've never worn more chemicals and goop on my entire body for a week straight. 

Before leaving in the morning it was bug spray and sunscreen, more sunscreen in the afternoon... then we'd literally run back to our room at 5:30ish to shower for dinner, dodging mosquitoes the whole time. One night, I mistakingly ran back in my bathing suit. 5 bites to my bum and numerous bites elsewhere. YEAH.. cause how classy is that? To scratch my behind later while wearing a dress?!?!!!! hahahah

After we showered and shined? You guessed it. We doused ourselves with bug spray a few more times in the evening to keep the mosquitoes at bay. A small price to pay for the rest being superb!

I regress...

"Coatimundi"

He was one of about 7 traveling around in these trees eating small berries.

They are a type of badger.

Of course we couldn't stop reciting the dumb lines from the "honey badger" you tube video...

The reason for our visit: These two love birds. 

 Our family planned a surprise dinner on the beach surrounded by bushes so it was semi-private. The staff served Mimi and Baba steak and lobster, played some live romantic music, poured champagne, and had candles lit in a circle surrounding the area. All 24 of us stood in a circle around them after their dinner, thanked them and shared some fun memories about them. It was quite emotional and a memory I'm gonna cherish. 

Here are Mimi and Baba, goofin' before being taken back to there room where we arranged for them to have rose petals placed all around their room, shaped in a heart on the bed (next to the towel swans) and rose petals in the bath tub. They were super excited!

♥ Amor ♥

Live music in the outdoor lobby every night. 

This is where we'd all meet up and just keep hanging out after dinner. 

My brother, mom, and cousin... bustin' some moves :D

Cousin, me, Auntie K :D

More cousin time!

This was such a fantastic week. It's a little hard coming back from a vacation like this and jumping back into reality. School started back today and I'm a bit wiped- laundry, cleaning, and what's this cooking crap? We have to make food here... and do the dishes??? hahahha It is nice to be home :D

Bye bye summer.

Hello routine.

xx,

Nicky