Cookie Monster Cupcakes

These are the cuties I made up for the Cupcake Walk, a fund raiser for my son's school. They were a total hit.

And easy.

I used my standard butter cream frosting, dyed it blue, and piped with the star tip little star kisses on to a chocolate cupcake. Then I just regular piped white frosting eye dots, chocolate chips for the pupils. Baby chocolate chip cookies for the mouth. The cuteness is really overwhelming.

Eggplant Parmesan

The Sauce:

• 2 cans of 28 ounce whole tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
  
• Olive Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or more or less, depending on how spicy you feel)
• 1 teaspoon of oregano, basil and another spices (sometimes I use Italian seasoning)
• Black pepper and Kosher salt

Using a large pot, heat up some olive oil to medium heat. Cover the pan, maybe 2 tablespoons. Then add the garlic. Careful not to burn, or else you just need to start over fresh. Brunt garlic ruins things, and you can not save it. Once the garlic is cooked and smelling nice, add the tomatoes. Depending on if you like it chunky, you may want to puree the tomatoes in the food processor. I like it chunky, so I just use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes once they are in the pot. Cook for 10 minutes, then add the spices. Don't be stingy with the salt. I have no idea how much I use, I just keep adding and tasting. Cook for 10 more minutes.

The Eggplant
Slice up two eggplants, in 1/4 inch slices. Salt both sides liberally, and let them sit. I have mine sit on the counter under plastic wrap for a few hours. Doing this makes the eggplant much less bitter. After they have sat for the afternoon, I rinse off the salt. I just use cheapo regular table salt to do this.

Now get the assembly line ready. One dish with AP flour (about a cup), one dish with 3 beaten eggs, and one dish with 2 cups of bread crumbs. I just make my own bread crumbs by putting the ends of bread loaves into the food processor. Then, coat the eggplant in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. I set them onto a cooling rack. Then you have to let them sit for about 15 minutes to firm up.

Get a nice pan with a half inch of canola oil in it. Heat the oil to a medium heat. Put about 4 or 5 slices of eggplant in. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, flip and repeat. When you remove from the oil, allow to cool on a paper towel.

Now, assemble. And preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Coat a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil. Add a cup of the sauce. Layer of eggplant. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. More sauce, then more parmesan cheese, and another layer of eggplant. Another layer of parmesan cheese, the remainder of the sauce, then a good layer of mozzerella cheese. I use about 1 cup and a half of parm, and 2 cups of mozz. I find it key to when doing the layers, make sure you have parm cheese on all sides of the eggplant.

Bake at 375 with foil on top for 30 minutes, and then another 15 with out the foil, let the cheese get all brown and bubbly.

I'll work on a getting a picture of it up. Promise.

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 and 1/2 cup AP flour
1/4 t Kosher salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet type pan over medium low heat, any higher, and it will turn brown. But if you are into that, go ahead, brown butter is fab. Stir in both sugars and the vanilla. Allow to cool just enough so you can mix the egg in. Then stir in the four, salt and baking soda. Finally, add the chips. Bake in the same skillet for 20 minutes. Probably less if you have a cast iron skillet you are using. I used my Earth Pan. <3

Serve as fast as you can with vanilla ice cream. Don't mind the picture, using a Toy Story plate. I am running low on dishes. Send some to the Bberg's!