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!

Corning Ware French White with Lasagna

It came, I used it. It was nice. Very beautiful looking stoneware. No lid, so I have to use Saran wrap, cause you know the Bberg's aren't eating a full 9x13 of lasagna in a sitting.

Have a done a regular lasagna?

1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 sliced up green bell pepper (just cause I had one)
2 to 4 cloves of garlic minced or finely chopped
olive oil
salt, pepper, basil
1 pound of whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1 thing of fat free cottage cheese (like the bigger container)
1 egg
more salt, pepper, basil and now some nutmeg
1 cup of shredded parm

Cook up the garlic and peppers in the olive oil. Add the crushed tomatoes with some salt, pepper and basil. Cook for awhile, about 15 to 20 minutes.

While that is going, in a larger bowl, stir together the mozzarella, cottage cheese, egg, salt, pepper, basil and nutmeg.

Now, to assemble.

In your new 9x13 Corning Ware, cover the bottom with some olive oil. I use my fingers to spread it all around. Then put some of the red sauce on top of it. Wet the noodles, start to layer. I don't use "no-boil" or anything, I just get them wet before I begin the layer, and I have never had a problem with it. So, noodles, half the cottage cheese mix, red sauce, noodles, last half of the cottage cheese mix, red sauce, noodles, what is left of the red sauce, then the parm cheese.

At this point, I usually put it in the fridge and wait till dinner. You can even do this the night before. Then, bake at 350 for 45 minute with foil on top. Take the foil off after 45 minutes, and cook for another 15 minutes to get the parm all bubbly.

Pyrex

After the exploding Pyrex situation, I filed a complaint online.  They called me back today, I retold my story to the customer service woman.  She offered to send me out a replacement, but since I am nervous about using the glassware.  She agreed to send me a Corning ware Stoneware one instead.  I've never used them before, so I am excited about that.  She even offered to pay for the meal that was in the Pyrex at the time of the explosion, but I had removed the tenderloin before it broke.  I am very pleased with the level of service, and I am exceptionally glad I contacted them instead of just sitting and stewing.

My new dish comes in about a week via Fedex.

Chai

I have made iced chai, now today I just made hot chai. I steeped a bag of chai in about 1 and 1/2 cups of hot water. Then allowed it to cool, not a lot, just till it was warm. Added about 2 tablespoons of sweeten condensed milk, and now I am happy. As I am on my second glass.

Wine Lables

How is this for festive? I used those sticker gift tags to label everyone's wine glass.