360 days of my life #181 or something

The kid thinks he's Anime...I swear.

Eggplant Rollatini? Not a cocktail

Last night I attempted a Giada Recipe

I have found that although she is very easy on the eyes her recipes don't usually taste that great. Which is a bummer because whenever she tastes her own food she really appears to be enjoying it.

We tried

Eggplant Rollatini

My friend Justine, who owns a fabulous restaurant here in

Longmont called the Sugar Beet ,

(they grow all their own food),

brought me a bushel of veggies from their organic garden and I wanted to use up the eggplant first.

I jimmied around with the recipe and instead of making it rollups I did a layered lasagna type thing.  

Here's what you need:

• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 large eggplant
• 6 no cook lasagna strips
• Can vegetable spray
• 16 oz ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 8 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 20 basil leaves, chiffonaded
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 cups fresh tomato sauce,...whatever you have
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 375 
• 
  
• 
• Slice the eggplant and lay on a rack.  Sprinkle sea salt on both sides to pull out the bitterness.  Leave on for about 15 minutes (just long enough to throw in a load of laundry and grab yourself a cocktail)
• Rinse the salt off the eggplant and pat dry with paper towel.
• I cooked my eggplant on the grill, but you could use a grill pan.
• Coat the eggplant with olive or veggie oil. 

  

I really coated mine because it seems to suck up the oil.  Grill on each side for about 4 minutes or until tender.

let cool a bit on a plate while you get the rest ready.

mix in a bowl the ricotta ,2 eggs, salt and pepper,pine nuts and the basil...however much you like.  

Add in some mozzarella and parmesan.

Now, I used some canned sauce (SHHHH, I was in a hurry and no one really cares).

start layering it up like lasagna.  I used a 9x9 square cooking pyrex, seemed to work perfect.

layer anyway you choose....free form baby!

I topped mine with sauce and a bit of bread crumbs.

now throw it in the oven covered with foil for 40 minutes

take foil off and bake for an additional 10 minutes to brown up the top a bit.

let sit,

maybe whip up a salad, have another cocktail and get ready for the kids to complain about eggplant.

Here's the review:

Dad: wouldn't touch, made a steak

Olive 6:  ate around the eggplant said eggplant is mushy

Ilin 13: ate it, kindly said it was pretty good, but definitely didn't have seconds OR request it for lunch tomorrow.

Me:  I'll eat anything.   It wasn't bad...wasn't great, but you have to like eggplant.

Ann Taylor Loft xoxox

I bought these pants yesterday in white and olive green.

I love them. I love the way they fit. They had them in petite which fit my curves perfectly.

and you know what else I love?

$9.98

uhhuh!

If you have never shopped their sales...check them out

The clothes are well made, comfy and really cute.

yesterday it was too hot

As you know by now I work the night shift...a nice long 12 hours 7-7a...sometimes it stretches to 13 hours, and Friday night was just that...LOOOONNNGGGG.

I got home from work at about 845 am and crashed into bed, knowing I had signed up for Denver Skirt Chasers 5K  (check it out).

I had to be there by 330 to pick up my packet and change into my skirt.  

It was overcast at my house so I was pretty stoked.  At least it wouldn't be roasting, because the hottest part of the days here in Colorado are the late afternoons: race started at 5.

Got there, got my packet, got into my skirt and the sun busted from behind the clouds!   arrrgh.  It was only a 5K (3.2 miles) but running in the hot sun, in the city, on the blacktop is miserable....no matter how far it is.

So ,about this pretty cool race....Gals start at 5pm and the men are corralled behind them.  We Start...they have to wait 3 minutes then they start.  The ladies who are single can wear a sticker or a shirt that shows as such...and the men can pace with them if interested.  Runners are pretty competitive so I really didn't see a bunch of "pace dating" going on...but it's a cool thing anyways.  I heard alot of guys yelling, "move that skirt"  and "nice skirt"...even though we were all wearing the same skirt, hahahaha

The race itself was fast paced uphill through Cherry Creek... Up and down Up and Down...it was tortuous in the 95+ heat.

I think most of the fun was to be had after the race.  It was sponsored by Oskar Blues, so there was free beer, burritos (of course they ran out of veggie burritos), and music.  I wonder how many hook ups there were?   Me, being married, and having started my period 2 hours before the race, I went home to change my big girl panties and relax.

I didn't do as well as I usually do.  I came in 38th in my age group (out of 130 or so) and my time was 31:27  ....10 minute miles !!! argh...but honestly I walked some.  

next month is the 10k. I hope I have an ok time on that one.

It was fun, and i suggest if it comes to your town do it!

reupholster a chair... Step 1

Hmmm, as I move a long in my project I am finding it quite irritating, which means to me the rewards should be great!

First thing...drag chair to workable space where you won't have to move it and where you can shoot little staples all over the room upon removal.

The directions I have say to start at the bottom, so I removed the legs of the chair and started on the bottom...wow, too many staples.

Gross?...just wait.

so the bottom is off and back and look at what treasures of grossness I've found!!!

a HAT!!!!  

really, kids?

Here's a closeup...

poor little army man

I just want you to know...kids are gross, I blame this all on them.

So after approximately on and off staple pulling for 4 hours I had only gotten the bottom section unhooked.  Time to call it a night and I'll start again tomorrow.

Wow... My friend just emailed me and said the staples are the worst part...

So, far it is the only part.

She also said to watch out for dead things.

Bleeech