A little Kitchen Talk and an Eggplant Parmesean

Everybody has their own special way of winding down.. for some its exercise, crafting, painting.. but for me its cooking. 

Sipping a buttery Chardonnay and chopping a pungent onion is my FAVORITE way to relax. I love to feed people.. its my happy place. 

I know I listed my Fall bucket list and traditions below.. and while they are SO much fun to look forward to my most special and much awaited tradition is Sunday Dinner.

It all started when I got married...I had a TON of fancy glass wear and china and we really never used it except for Christmas Eve and Easter... I started to get creative in the kitchen and Every Sunday I would pull out my china and in the midst of Sunday Football..I would make us a nice little dinner to look forward to. After I got a little confident with the food I was making I started inviting over friends and family to join in on my special little Sunday tradition.. I learned to LOVE the company, the prepping, the wine drinking.. the conversation. It was the best. It still is. 

Now come Fall...every Sunday I make a really big To-Do dinner..

I don’t let it overwhelm me..and if one sunday I am to tired I simply skip it. I may not use my fancy china every Sunday anymore because #babies but I set the table, use my good silverware, and my stemmed wine glasses. 

Whether it is a crock pot meal, casserole, or five step classic dinner...

Sunday Dinner is Served :) 

I love to cook for the season.. and Fall brings out such a different array of produce and fruits.. appetizers like figs and goat cheese come into play and eggplants, fall squashes, and heavy rich sauces take the place of the lighter fare we grilled all summer. 

I thought up this egg plant dinner and y’all it is quite possibly one of the best recipes in my little back pocket ...but I wanted to share

Eggplant Parmesean with a Meatball Sauce

Shopping List:

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 ½ pounds), sliced into ½-inch thick rounds (12 to 14 slices)
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ cup plain panko bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• cooking oil spray 
• 2 cups homemade tomato sauce ( favorite brand)
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly into as many slices as your eggplant
• 1 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

For the meatballs:  

• 1 lb ground beef
• Burratta Cheese ( ask your cheese monger for some)
• 1 cup Bread Crumbs ( italian herb style)
• Worstechire sauce 
• Mozzarella and parm cheese ( shredded)
• one yellow onion chopped
• One Jar of your favorite Tomato Sauce. My absolute favorite is William Sonoma Eggplant, garlic herb sauce.. 

Procedure:

Eggplant:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with a double layer of paper towels and spread the eggplant slices among the sheets evenly. Liberally salt the eggplant slices, using about a teaspoon total of salt, and let them sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour. Using fresh paper towels, wipe the tops of the eggplant to remove excess salt and firmly press to release any remaining liquid. Dry on both sides and transfer to a plate. Wipe the baking sheets and line them with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray well with cooking oil. 
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. In another medium shallow bowl, combine the panko, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. 
3. Dip one slice of eggplant into the egg, coating both sides, and then press ONE side into the bread crumbs. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with all remaining slices. 
4. Spray the tops of the eggplant slices well with cooking oil and bake until the eggplant is soft and the crust is crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and set aside.

Meatballs:

While your eggplant is cooking in the oven you can get started on your meatballs...

1. in a large bowl combine ground beef, 1 cup bread crumbs, a liberal amount of S & P,  a few glugs of worstechire sauce and the shredded parm/mozzarella mixture. Roll into medium sized balls.

2.  Over medium high heat preferably in a cast iron skillet ( any skillet will do) heat up your onion with a glug or two of EVOO. once onions are giving off a yummy smell ..sear your meatballs on each side ( about 4 minutes each) to lock in flavor. Pour a generous amount of your sauce over the meatballs and stick them in the oven with the eggplant. Cook for up to 20 minutes.

3. Set eggplant aside and top with the meatball sauce and add your burratta cheese to top everything off.

4 Garnish with basil and serve

I wish I had a camera so I could take pretty pictures of my food.. but I don’t.. haha so this is a real life pic right before I devoured this dinner!!!

My Sunday Crew..