Greek Panzanella

Ina Garten's recipes never disappoint. I am serving this with her "Jeffrey's Roast Chicken" otherwise known as "Engagement Chicken" for supper tonight. This salad is chock full of fresh ingredients and the bread makes it hearty enough to serve all on its own. If you like Greek Salad, give this a try. It's dynamite!





Ingredients:
Good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and sliced thin
1 red bell pepper large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes diced
1/2 red onion cut into large chunks
1/2 lb feta cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

For the Vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

Method:
Complete recipe by Ina Garten found on Foodnetwork.com, HERE.

Happy Cooking!

The Best Eggplant Parmesan

A friend of mine made this for dinner for me a few weeks ago, and I am HOOKED. If you mention the phrase "Eggplant (substitute chicken, veal, etc here) Parmesan" I literally start salivating. It's probably my new number one comfort food. The hardest part of making this is frying the eggplant, but don't let that discourage you...it really doesn't take that long, and it makes the dish so scrumptious. Don't skip the part of letting the eggplant "sweat." The last thing you want is chewy eggplant. The longer you can let it sweat, the better. Also, be sure to get most of the salt off after it sweats or you may end up with a very salty version of this dish. I served this with Ina Garten's Arugula with Parmesan  which was so easy. My three year old had two helpings of both the Eggplant Parmesan and the salad. There were no leftovers from this meal!!!

Recipe from Designer Bags & Dirty Diapers Blog.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons salt
1 jar marinara sauce
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
8 tablespoons peanut oil
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil

Method:
Found on the Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers blog, HERE.

Happy Cooking!