Pear Jalapeno Stuffed Eggplants

BEST. LUNCH. EVER.  OK, maybe not ever but pretty darn close.

 

This weekend was a great Farmer's Market haul, with eggplants and pears in addition to the normal buys.  I also received a great deal on squash blossoms; I suppose it's getting late in the season for them.  It was a 2 for 1 deal so I snatched them up.  The only problem with so many blossoms is that they don't keep well.  As a result, today at lunch I decided to use a bag before I had to throw any of them out.  

Between meetings, I quickly, washed, chopped and sauteed a few things I had on hand.  Once that was done, I baked everything inside halved eggplants while I sat on another conference call.  Can you say multi-task??  When I finished that call, I sent a text to the Hubby saying there were fresh noms if he was able to take a lunch break and then proceeded to scarf down my half before my next meeting began.

YUM.  YUM.  YUM.  So yum in fact, I almost ate the Hubby's half before he made it home.  He laughed but after a few bites, he agreed we needed more.  He has requested I bring these to Thanksgiving but I'm fairly certain squash blossoms will be in short supply by then.  I'm working on a substitute.

He also said some of my cooking habits, while practical, are not normal. Hhhmmmm <perplexed face>.  My face prompted an amendment to the statement - most people do not put pears with eggplant; and squash blossoms?? Who else cooks with squash blossoms?  Why, my lovely readers of course! ^_^

At any rate, the Hubby does have a point about my jalapeno ice cubes; I'm pretty sure most folks don't make those so I'll have to post that process tomorrow.  In the meantime, here is the main recipe.  Measurements will be approximates; I have noticed most produce from the FM is smaller than what you can find in a grocery store.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium tomato, rough chop
• 12 large squash blossoms, washed and chopped
• 1 small pear, cored and chopped
• 1 jalapeno ice cube (method and recipe)
• 2 small-medium eggplants, halved
• Shredded Cheese (optional but very tasty)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly oil an oven safe dish
2. Scoop the centers out of the eggplants and roughly chop; place with the other chopped veggies
3. Place the pepper ice cube in a medium skillet on medium heat; add a splash of olive oil.
4. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking) place all the chopped veggies in the skillet.  Add the pear.  Salt & pepper to taste
5. Saute for 5 minutes or until veggies and pear have softened
6. Spoon into eggplant halves; lightly spray with oil and top with cheese
7. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until eggplants are golden and cheese is bubbly.

If you can't wait until tomorrow's post to try these, use 1 chopped jalapeno in place of the pepper cube and a pinch of garlic salt.  You can also try a delicate tasting green in place of the squash blossom.  I'm going to try spinach or beet greens to see if I can adapt these bad boys for turkey day. ^_^

18 years and a Deadmau5

My not so little little man turned 18 yesterday. I feel oooolllddd. The day was filled with Freebirds and video games; the night was crammed with his first official big concert - Deadmau5 (pronounced dead mouse for us old geezers). Deadmau5 is a dj who wears a large electronic mouse head. Clever, huh? Think rave without the backpacks. At any rate, I got the kiddo 2 tickets for the Dallas show. He and his friend danced the night away while I sat in a nervous mom wad waiting for them to call. Moms out there know what I mean - curled up in a chair, checking the clock every 15 minutes, chewing on the inside of your cheek just waiting. They had a blast; I was glad when it was over and he was safe and sound back with me. He came home sweaty and exhausted with nothing but a plastic headband with glowing mouse ears and a fisted flyer for the next show he wants to attend. I'm not sure my nerves can take this whole letting go process. I guess we will both have a learning curve for how to become the next stage in adulthood. Happy birthday Little Man! ^_^

Moonshine with my Fantasy Boyfriend

My new favorite author, Rob Thurman, was in a horrible car accident several weeks ago.  It was touch and go for a while.  She pulled through; and I am sooo glad she did.  The Urban Fantasy genre would have sorely missed such a talented writer.  I just finished Moonshine, the second book in the Cal Leandros series.

Rob's Site

Hello, my fantasy boyfriend.  I have missed you and your cohorts. How I wish I could roam the gritty New York streets with you.  <ahem, yes I know it's all make believe; leave me alone will ya>

Again, Thurman blew my mind with her inventive take on urban fantasy; her monsters are always an exciting deviation from the norm.  And again, I loved the way everything felt real, believable (to an extent of course).  Cal takes things in stride but his inner monologue shows him to be just as freaked out as I would be in certain situations.  It also highlights his anger, destruction, and self-loathing in a way I could only dream of acheiving.  In this second book, the characters simmer like a good stew.  The individual ingredients mingle and grow into a brothie perfection with chunks of mayhem.  I can't wait to read her third course with this group.

I'm not much of a werewolf fan but the Thurman pups do not disappoint.  The only thing that I think she could have done better was adding a little more depth where the wolves were concerned.  But it was still well written and an excellent adventure.  The guns and knives were on par too. ^_^  Ahhh, a girl's dream boat guy - leather jacket, longish hair and really cool guns.  I did miss the ferret though! o.O

Solid A on the Brewed Book scale.
Happy Reading ~ BrewedB!

Fake Risotto & Summer Squash

Ever since the Italian night book club, risotto has been my new favorite throw down dish.  What's a throw down dish, you ask?  It's a dish that meets the "I really don't want to cook but I'm too lazy to go out" criteria.  It must be relatively simple, easy and fast.  And here at BrewedB it includes items I have on hand.

I've been whipping up risotto and tossing in chopped veggies all summer, usually to use up some farmer's market left overs before they go bad.  The other night, I went to the kitchen with risotto on the brain only to find I was out of Arborio rice.  Eeekkk!  But being the lazy creature I am, I rumaged through the pantry to see if I had a substitute.  I settled on barley and now have a new favorite throw down dish -  Fake Risotto Ala Barley.  I know it sounds weird, but stick with me on this.

Barley soaks up water and begins to puff as it cooks.  If you let it go long enough, it gets the same creamy consistency of risotto.  (And according to the Hubby, if you drain the water off it can be used in beer production.  I'm thinking barley is a perfect grain for the BrewedB household - what do you think? <wink>)

I added sauteed summer squash, a little pasta sauce and a dash of cheese to make the best fake risotto around.  And I think it might even be healthy.  At least that's the story I'm going with - it's healthy.

Fake Risotto with Summer Squash

• 1 cup uncooked barley
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2-3 medium summer squash, chopped (I used 1 yellow and 1 zucchini squash)
• 1 small eggplant, chopped (you can peel it if you think eggplants are bitter)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 Tbsp jarred pasta sauce (I know I'm a total slacker for not making my own)
• 2 Tbsp shredded cheese (Parmesan works well)

Method:

1. In a saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil.  Add the barley and cook for 5-10 minutes or until most of the broth is absorbed and the barley is puffy.  Drain and set aside.
2. Saute the veggies in a tiny splash of oil for 2-3 minutes.  I use an iron skillet and just enough oil to coat the bottom and prevent sticking.  The veggies should be softened but still crisp and crunchy.
3. Add the barley to the skillet and mix well.  Add the sauce and allow the entire skillet to simmer for 5 minutes.  Add more sauce if things dry out too much.
4. Add the cheese and mix well.  The pan should be creamy.  Salt & pepper to taste.

This dish freezes well.  I usually freeze it in individual servings for a fast and easy lunch.
Enjoy!
BrewedB

Our first give away!!

So yesterday I told you my sad addiction story.  Well guess what?  All that book buying means I now have TWO of the same book.  I am usually pretty good about checking these things but this book happened to be a steampunk read of the Hubby's and I was trying to be nice, spreading the book love around.  I picked up the second book in a series he was reading, only to find he had already purchased the second book.

Rather than a trip to the local Half Price (which would no doubt result in more book purchases by yours truly) I have decided to host my first Brewed give away (or is it giveaway?  I never know.)!!

Just to reiterate - this is VOLUME TWO of a series; it is up to you to procure volume one by other means. ^_^

Feast your eyes on the lovely Steampunk-y cover of our very first give away.

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two by Gordon Dahlquist

According to the Hubby, it's a well written series and is original for the steampunk genre.  It's still on my reading list but I take his word as gospel on these types of things.

Below is the entry form; I need your name and an email address.  I will contact the winner via email to get the correct mailing information.  Anyone with a valid mailing address is eligible. ^_^

My beautiful friend, the end

I have a book review this afternoon but before I get into the wonderful writing that is The Paris Wife I must share a confession - I have purchased so many books over the past month that I need a new bookcase. o.O

I have books stacked on the counter, by the bed, double stacked in the bookcases we do have, tucked away in my car trunk, hidden in the closet where most women hide new shoes and a few hidden in my kitchen cabinets.  I was joking with a friend the other day that I wouldn't tell her hubby about her new shoe purchase if she didn't tell mine about the new book I just had to buy.  It was a win-win for both of us.

If you asked how this could happen to such a good girl, I would quickly point my finger at the bookstore down the street and blame them for going out of business.  It's like they are handing out free crack with the prices they are rocking right now.  It is bitter sweet to see any bookstore depart this world since I think bookstores are the next best thing to chocolate, but I have been drooling like a junkie at the 70%-90% off sales tags.

I've been three, OK maybe four (possibly five but who's counting) times over the past month to this store and each time I come out with an armful of books.  Now I just have to figure out how to hide a new bookcase full of books in our library.  The good news for you?  Lots of reviews over the coming months; I bought books on everything from zen bread making, to Rasputin (hey it was less than 5 bucks - don't judge), to autographed urban fantasy anthologies.  So let the reading fun begin!

To kick things off, I recently finished The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.

Barnes & Noble Link

Anyone who has read my book club posts knows I'm hard to please; I expect good sentence structure, limited typos, and a well thought out plot.  This book has all of the above.  It is smooth and reads like a memoir.  And it is obvious McLain did her homework.  Even though it is a work of fiction, she captured the period and the people in a way that kept the reader engaged without questioning accuracy.  I looked up a few points and asked The Hubby, the ultimate Hemingway fanatic,  about some things and everything in The Paris Wife checked out.

Although the main story line is about love and loss, the underlying context had my mind bursting with questions and ideas.  It's rare to find a book so engaging on multiple levels.  I thought about my writing style and wondered if good writing was about bringing something new to the game or capturing my own thoughts.  (Maybe it should be a combination of both.)  I thought about the feminist movement, where it was then and where I think things are now.  I thought about relationships and what I would give up for the man I love.  Where would my line be?  I thought about being a parent and how often they both left their child with a "sitter" in this story.

I am now riveted by this time period - how they moved around without a care, lived in excess and decadence; how they were self-destructive and self-absorbed all at once.  And I'm fascinated by the lifestyle; some of the greatest writers of the 20th century came out of this Lost Generation.  How exactly did that happen?

Yes, this one book laid all of this at my feet.  An incredible task if I do say so myself.  It is a fast read, a good read.  And while you might not get as much from this book as I did, the writing alone is worth the time and effort.  A+ on the Brewed book scale.

Squash Blossom Spinach Enchiladas of summer

I stalk food blogs; lots of food blogs. And lately all my food blog friends are saying one thing - goodbye summer, hello fall!  Um, really?  Fall is here?  Did anyone tell mother nature about this here in Texas?  O.K. I will admit the recent cool front has been beautiful.  I love 90 degrees instead of 100.

Well, I suppose I can concede autumn is on its way.  At the very least, it has cooled off enough for me to fire up the oven again. Wahoo!  Hello, roasted vegetables and enchiladas. ^_^

My favorite type of enchilada is a spinach lada with tomatillo sauce.  LISHIOUS!  Unfortunately, this is also the type of enchilada that is the easiest to mess up.  I have even had ones made with canned spinach. Yuk.  Happily, the local Farmer's Market carries a hearty New Zealand spinach along with my other favorite summer veggies and I just happened to have a bag lying around.

My only challenge would be tomatillo sauce; I have never made enchilada sauce so needless to say I was a little intimidated.  And of course I would have to make a cheese version for the kiddo.

I decided to include squash blossoms in the filling and a little Latte-Da cheese since it worked so well in my stuffed blossom recipe.  They were all good choices.  I found an easy sauce recipe online but had to wing-it on several ingredients and a few time steps.  The sauce and enchiladas went a little something like this:
Tomatillo & Jalapeno Enchilada Sauce

• 1 medium white onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I use a cheese grater for the same effect)
• 1 14-ounce can tomatillos
• 7 small to medium jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 2 regular tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• salt to taste
• 4 cups water

Sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil until the onion is clear. Add the tomatillos, jalapenos, tomatoes, and bell pepper; saute for a 1-2 minutes.  Add the water and boil for 10 minutes.  Pour the entire mixture into a blender or use an immersion blender. Make a coarse purée.

Return mixture to heat. Salt to taste, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes until sauce is thick.

Squash Blossom & Spinach Enchiladas

• 4 cups raw fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• 10 squash blossoms, washed and chopped
  
• Spreadable cheese (MMMMM - Mango Tango by Latte-Da, try it people!)
• 16-24 count corn tortillas
• 2 cups tomatillo sauce
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Place 2-3 large spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom of a 9x12 casserole dish.  Sauté the spinach and blossoms in a little water and 1 tablespoon of tomatillo sauce for approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  While the filling is cooling, soften the tortillas in 2-4 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of sauce heated in a skillet on low.  Allow the tortillas to cool slightly.  Once the tortillas can be handled, spread each with cheese, add two spoonfuls of filling and roll the tortillas.  Place each roll into the casserole pan.  Once all the tortillas have been rolled, pour the remaining sauce over the top.  Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly.
 

I ended up with a very spicy sauce over tangy fresh enchiladas.  Perfect veggie ladas even if I do say so myself. ^_^

Italian Seafood on Frenchmens

I am not a big fan of tourist-ie spots but when the BFF asked, I was stoked about a birthday celebration in New Orleans.  I had never been to the French Quarter but as a huge fan of urban fantasy (and a leaning toward vampires and pirates) many of my imaginary worlds have Crescent City roots.  I was excited to see the dark beauty described in all my books.

It's a dirty city but parts of it were just as beautifully gritty as I had imagined.  Tropical storm Lee cooled things down but it never washed the grime away.  It also didn't deter the obnoxious party fiends on Bourbon street.  Go figure.

Luckily, the cemeteries were lonely in a lovely way and the French Market was wonderful.  Mother's had excellent bloody marys as promised but the other food wonders seemed to blow away with the storm.  We struck out a few times in the Quarter.  Then our hotel bar tender (yes, there were many cocktails) suggested an Italian seafood joint just off the Quarter on a street called Frenchmens.  He said Adolfo's was hard to find if you weren't looking for it but that it was a local gem.  He was right.  Adolfo's was yummy even if it was tucked away above a bar.  It was dingy (just like the rest of the town) but it was packed.  We took the advice of the waiter and had the cannelloni stuffed with crab and corn. YEEEUUUMMMM.  I had the speckled trout with "ocean sauce".  The ocean sauce consisted of half shrimp, half crab with a light red cream sauce.  Again - YEEEUUUMMM.

I pulled up reviews on Urban Spoon; they were mixed and most of the bad comments were about the service.  The service wasn't great but it was good, especially considering how slammed the place was.  AND it was a thousand times better than some of the other places we tried. <cough, Daisy Dukes, cough>.  I would recommend trying it out as long as you have a laid back attitude and cash; it's cash only. 

One of my favorite parts of the Big Easy was the local atmosphere.  Every native we spoke to was wonderful, friendly, easy-going.  Well, except for the soup nazi at Mother's and the staff at one specific double D eatery.  I enjoyed the trip but I really loved coming home to a clean house and sunshine. ^_^

Ignoring Lee in the Big Easy

Blogging on an iPhone-who knew. My first experience with the French Quarter has been very grey and rainy. If only this rain would head west; my lawn really needs it!! I have several posts lined up once I get back from this holiday weekend including two book reviews, a spinach enchilada recipe, and a NOLA food review. Until then my Brewed friends!