Grilled Eggplant Lasagna

I was just wandering around the farmer's market near me, gathering the usual things I buy... onions, tomatoes... you know, the normal stuff.  Then I saw them.  The most beautiful dark purple, almost black, eggplant... aubergine if you prefer.

When I had a BBQ at my disposal, I used to love marinating slices of eggplant in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and grilling it.  Some of my friends would make it into baba ganoush - there is nothing like homemade baba ganoush.  My mom makes an eggplant caponata that is amazing.  And of course, there's always eggplant parmesan.  Eggplant is just so versatile.

I will also mention that when I was in Scotland with some dear friends, there was an Indian restaurant below our flat that made the most amazing eggplant recipe... I only wish I could remember the name or find the recipe, because it was a taste of heaven on a fork... I'm not kidding... absolute heaven.

Now... with all those wonderful ideas running around my mind, I bought 2 aubergines to take home and cook.  After a couple days of not being able to make up my mind about what I would turn these beautiful purple nightshades into, I finally decided to make up my own recipe.  So I give you The Lazy Wife's Grilled Eggplant Lasagna.

Normally, I have more pictures, but I wasn't really sure the recipe would turn out that great, so I didn't take pictures till I had the whole thing assembled.  Oh well. 

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Grilled Eggplant Lasagna

Instant Frozen Yogurt

It's summer here... it's so hot that it feels like summer is slapping me in the face:

Summer probably does slap a lot like Batman.

Yes.  That's how it feels.

Anyway.  Here's just a few ways I get relief from the summer heat without having to leave our apartment complex:

1) Go for a dip in the pool.

2) Crank up the AC in the apartment.

Or

3) Make some delicious frozen yogurt.

Let's focus on that last one :)

 

I've been making a series of cooling beverages in my blender.  Because every iced drink tastes better blended.  Then I started thinking about lassis.  They're basically yogurt blended with some fruit and maybe some other stuff.  This recipe is somewhere between frozen yogurt and a lassi - and like most of my recipes, I didn't really measure when I made it, so the measurements are approximate and you can adjust it to your own tastes.

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Some Like it Hot

Nope. Not talking about the movie... I'm talking about snacks.

My husband really likes spicy chips.  Like the FLAMAS® DORITOS®. They're pretty darn spicy... I can eat like 3 or 4 before my mouth catches on fire... but he LOVES them.  He also likes running, and having an extra pound or five can really make running a pain... literally.  So, rather than run out to the store because my husband was craving a high calorie hot and spicy snack, I made some Spicy Edamame.

I didn't use a recipe for these, so the measurements are approximate and really up to your own taste... but here goes.

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Spicy Edamame

1 bag frozen Edamame (I got mine from Trader Joes)
2-3 cups water
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicier)

Put the water in a pot. Bring it to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt and the edamame.  Boil for about 5 minutes (basically follow the instructions on the bag), then strain the edamame.  Place the edamame in a bowl, add the remaining salt, chili powder and cayenne pepper and mix.  Enjoy!

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If you've never eaten Edamame in the pod, you hold one end with your fingers and stick the pod into your mouth up to your fingers, then bite down slightly and pull the pod out to squeeze the beans out of the pod.

The Lazy Wife tries Gardening... again.

Blue/Purple Hydrangea

Well everyone, I've moved.  The boxes are unpacked, but not everything has a home yet, mainly the craft room is still a bit of a mess, but it's coming along.

Some of you may know that gardening runs in my family.  My grandpa at one point had about 300 orchids... my mom generally has several orchids growing and used to have masses of african violets.  My dad maintains the garden around their house and usually has lots of vegetables and flowers to share with family and friends.  My sister always has a great garden going... but somehow, I missed out on this family green thumb.  I've killed just about every plant I've ever owned. 

I think I have identified my problem though... it's that I am an inconsistent water-er. 

I get really excited in the beginning and water regularly... then I lose interest and my plants become neglected... then I realize that I've been neglecting them but I can't remember the last time I watered... so I over water... then I forget for a while... you see the cycle.  This is a pretty consistent feature in my life overall - I can do some things consistently, like brush my teeth and feed my cat every day, but I'm not so good when it's something I have to do every few days... Needless to say, this is not a behavior that many plants can live with... so they give up on me and go to the big garden in the sky.

However, they say that identifying the problem is the first step to overcoming it... or something like that.  So, I'm trying again.  I was going to start out small... like, with a cast-iron plant, which I hear are very hard to kill... but then I visited my sister this last weekend and I ended up with quite a few plants to put in my back patio, and a couple for inside my apartment.  Not that I'm complaining... I just have a horrible feeling that I'll relapse into a plant murderer again :(

But, to be hopeful... things have started out fairly well.  I only have one plant that is looking somewhat dead (but it looked like that when I got it, so I don't feel like it's entirely my fault).  I do feel rather good about the Peonies... since they looked rather sad when I got them from Costco, and now they're looking a lot more perky and happy.

Lovely Peony

Hopefully, I'll continue to be able to post pictures of my tiny garden... with plants that are not on death's doorstep... and my plant murdering days will be in the past.

Baby Basil Plant

A Very Quick Update

Hello Friends!

It has been a while... but I've been working and working and working... since my Husband didn't have a job... Well, he had two jobs, but they were only part-time, so those kind of don't really count as a Job job.  But now he has a Job job... so we're happy.  The only problem now - we have to move (about 280 miles north of where we are now).

But this is good for us!  (I keep trying to tell myself that - over and over again)  And it's good for you because I'll actually have time to write about my cookery and crafty adventures!  (And maybe a few more comics for fun)  Yup that's right, in about three weeks time the Lazy Wife will be back :D

Also, I wanted to do a little shout out to the people that commented because they found my blog on Pinterest.  I wasn't even on Pinterest myself, but people pinned the Honey Bran Muffins I made, so that's awesome!  Thanks to everyone that pinned my muffins!  You make me feel loved :D