The Great Eggplant

When I drew this charcoal sketch some time ago, I wasn't sure what all the items were, like the eggplant in the foreground. I at the time never purchased one let alone cooked with it. Since then it has become one of my all time favorites. Eggplant roll ups, eggplant Parmesan, eggplant and noodles...the list goes on. These deep purple veggies are a delight to the eye, as well as the palette.

Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium eggplants

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups crushed crackers

1 cup oil for frying

12 slices of Swiss or provolone cheese

12 fresh basil leaves

12 slices of tomato

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and cut the eggplant, you should have 6 slices per eggplant. Sprinkle with salt set aside for 20 min. Wash and pat them dry.

Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt, dip the slices into the eggs and then into the crushed cracker to coat them. Heat the oil and fry up your eggplant slices on both sides. Then put the fried eggplant on an absorbent paper towel to cool. In a baking dish arrange the slices, top each slice with the cheese of your choice, then the basil and tomato slice. Sprinkle the Parmesan and salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 min. at 375*f

When I went to the store to make my purchases, I for got what cheese was called for in the recipe, so I went with the provolone... and it turn out great. I also used cracker crumbs in stead of the bread crumbs, that's all my pantry had at the time. The true recipe can be had in the De Lucas cook book.

Cooking the Italian Way

I love to cook Italian cuisine. My husband and I are planning to take cooking lessons at De Lucas Cooking School. The recipes I make from the book turn out very good. I still would like to improve my culinary skills, as well as wine pairings.

When my husband and I arrived at our local Italian grocery store after hours. De Lucas Specialty Food Store and Restaurant. http://www.deluca.ca/ Tony the proprietor was good enough to let us in to do our shopping. As we shopped, he told us of him self and his brothers. Tony made us feel welcomed, he never once complained about keeping the store open late. Tony happily helped us find all the ingredients we needed to make the incredible dishes we were going home to prepare...he also gave us the apron I'm wearing. I wear it every time I cook Italian cuisine.

Here's to you Tony.
http://www.studiopublications.net/

On-line Journaling

A personal journal on line, what a concept! My daughter, whom is much more talented at this sort of thing then myself, set me up with a blog, she joyfully did all the work for me, bless her giving heart. Funny thing is... it didn't last too long, I deleted the whole thing within a week. I believe I was not ready to put my thoughts on "paper". Four months have passed since then, I decided to try my own hand at "blogging". I started to look randomly at other blogs just to see how theirs appeared and what they wrote about. The very first one that appeared on my screen was a blog by a woman in the neighboring Provence of Saskatchewan, "creating abundance" http://www.creatingabundance-cristai.blogspot.com/. I couldn't stop reading. I found her writings so intriguing, thoughtful, and yes, abundant. Her blog has affected me in such a way, that I find my self thinking some what differently more positive, looking for my own abundance. My hats off to all who blog, it really can make a difference in some one else's life. My next thought is... did "creating abundance" pop up by coincidence, fate, chance... or am I subconsciously trying to create "more" in my own life, and it showed up at the right time?
To my daughter, I am grateful for her guidance and the research that she does on the "how to" aspect of blogging, her patience to teach me how to download, surf, and create. Its great, daughter teaches mother.
This blog has a different agenda then the first... I've decided that I will write for myself, not that any one would or should read my blogs, I'm intentionally doing this for my own therapeutic purpose's. (although read if you wish)

My grandchildren bring such a joy to me that I hardly can contain. I look into their gentle eyes and their inviting smiles and I get all warm inside, like a euphoric feeling that wont go away, bliss that cannot be measured. I nearly fall off my seat with excitement of them. My grandson calls me "gamma", for he cannot yet pronounce the "r". I love it! "Gamma, gamma I won", he screams as he holds up the game that he just played. I run to him and cheer him on, as my baby granddaughter looks on in curiosity. I have so much that I could learn from their simple yet full lives's, they find joy in the smallest of things.
That is what I will do this day, my day off from work I will seek out the small pleasures in life and enjoy living in the moment, with what I have.

up close and personal

I awoke this morn. at three am, feeling the "loss" of my mother, I took a few minutes to cry, trying to pull my self together.

I made a strong cup of coffee...still a no-no! seeing as how I'm so-pose to be on my detox program. I drank it back and hoped I would not muck things up too much, in my gastric intestinal system... me gut's.

I jump on the computer in search of ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, needing to communicate with some one who would understand my "loss." Alas I could find none, unless I joined some group belonging to some site...(Maybe I will one day) I've decided to blog instead, not knowing where this will take me.

I don't often cry over my "loss, " I use to, every day in fact numerous times a day, that's about 14 years ago. Today it hits me now and again, like when my ex mother in law passed away. I thought on my own mom, when shes gone...I mean really gone how will I be? Will I manage without her? Will I keel over with more pain? Who will help her? Will I be allowed to help?
 Or will it be easier seeing as how I've already "lost" her, and dad.

I ache for you mom, dad you don't even know. My heart bleeds and breaks.

I need you.

Hold me, as you used to, and I'll hold you back.

I wish I could tell you and dad how much I love you. I wish you could see my heart, you would know that I have not left God.

I can not beg you to see me or reach out to me any more, I'm too afraid of your answer.

I watched mom walk away with my sister arm in arm, I saw she put her head on moms shoulder, I cried behind your backs, you did not see my tears. I wished I had been on the other arm, the three of us as it should be.

Religion is a strange thing, even danderious... it can reek havoc in a persons life, it can do damage that can not be reversed...
the physic gets mucked about with, and you lose so much.

I am hoping this blog will be cathartic for me, and hoping to find a peace with in.