Buon Apetito- Parmigiana di Melanzane

Last night I got suckered into cooking a completely vegetarian meal for a date night with my friend Anneka, and I have to admit, I was weary that I might be lost without a nice piece of steak or chicken breast to jazz up my meal, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised by how a vegetarian meal, if done with lots of cheese and sauce, can really be satisfying.

Seeing as we pretty much eat tacos or spaghetti every time we cook together, Anneka and I decided to venture out of our comfort zone and let the produce section at SAFEWAY do the menu planning for us. What we created was delicious and mentally appeasing, as we were really proud of ourselves for being so much healthier than our days of living together when all we ate was frozen chicken wings and rice-a-roni (which I still love!).

I hope that you enjoy this creation as much as we did, it’s a mild twist on one of my favorite Eggplant Parmesan dishes, we added tons of veggies and really had a great time chopping, chatting and of course finishing our bottle of pinot grigio.

Parmigiana di Melanzane Primavera

Time- 40 minutes

Serving- 4-5 people

Ingredients

One large eggplant

3 eggs

Italian breadcrumbs

4 cloves of garlic

1 can whole tomatoes

¼ large white onion

1 package baby portabello mushrooms

1 large red bell pepper

4 tbs extra virgin olive oil

5 leaves of fresh basil

1 bag of shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

Fresh grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice eggplant into quarter inch slices, you should get about 15-20 slices from one large eggplant. Whisk together eggs, in separate bowl pour in breadcrumbs and prepare non-stick baking sheet. Bake eggplant for 20 minutes or until soft, if you want them more crispy, you can then broil for 5 minutes or until breadcrumbs are browned.

Chop garlic, onion, mushrooms and red bell pepper into like size pieces.  In a blender, puree tomatoes until sauce like. In large skillet heat oil over medium high and brown garlic and onion. Add mushrooms and bell peppers and cook until soft. Add tomato sauce, fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste (at this point  I also add some crushed red pepper flakes for spice), simmer sauce for 10 minutes.

In a non-stick or prepared pyrex dish, begin layering ingredients. One layer of eggplant slices, cover with sauce and smother with mozzarella/provolone and grated parmesan. Repeat steps until you run out of eggplant. Top off with additional cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbling.

I would serve this with a fresh mixed green salad with a balsamic vinegarette to cut through the heaviness of the sauce and cheese.

Buon Apetito!

**This post is in no way meant to convince anyone that I will be adopting the vegetarian lifestyle, I am a cheeseburger, chicken fried steak, carne asada burrito kind of girl and don’t intend on changing my lifestyle anytime soon. I’m just saying, I am starting to see that vegetarians aren’t necessarily nuts-o, they actually have some pretty cool and delicious options out there that I am now more willing to experiment with….just don’t bring me any tofu (yuck!)

Ciao

Happy Friday!

This was posted to my great co-worker, Kate's blog. If you are looking for some inspiration, check her out at Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Journey!

Ciao

Tried and True: Traveling Tips for the Young Professional

As a PR associate, I have had the fun privilege of traveling fairly often for my job and clients. I have also had the unfortunate opportunity to experience some of the serious drawbacks to traveling for business. From the flying in a skirt and heels to the eager-beaver traveler who never quite understands that they are A-21 and you are A-19, hence they should be behind you and not demonstrating the Shaq blockout to ensure that they board the plane first, business travel will always test your patience as it delivers you a constant supply of ‘awww crap’ moments.

So, from one busy young professional to another, take it from me, these are tried and true tips that will hopefully help you avoid some of my very own traveling mishaps:

1.     Never under any circumstances wear a white blouse or kahakis whilst traveling, if you are a caffeine addict like me or just enjoy a simple cheeseburger- hold the tomato-extra special sauce, you can almost be certain that you will hit a bump in the road or a bit of turbulence that will send your cursed affliction flying out of its container and plopping most unfortunately on your freshly pressed chinos.

 2.       Check your gas tank, print off your boarding ticket, and re-confirm your ride to the airport at least 24 hours in advance of your departure. In fact, print two copies of your boarding pass and put one in each of your favorite purses, just in case you decide a switcheroo is in order at the last minute. You may be questioning the gas tank mention, but if infuriate your boyfriend as much as I do by putting in only 5 bucks everytime you stop at Arco, there is a good chance that you are going to run out of gas somewhere between here and your destination, and trust me it takes FORVER for AAA to get to you when you are anywhere on I-5 in the middle of the state.

3.       It’s all about the benjamins! Make sure to stop by your ATM the night before and have plenty of cash to get you through the cab rides and hotel doorman/ bell boys, there is nothing more awkward than having a guy lug your 500lb purple paisley suitcase up to rm #316 and slowly meander out waiting for you to slip him a Lincoln….even a couple Washington’s are better than the linty pack of tums and swift kick out the door you’re going to have to offer him if you don’t take me up on this scrap of knowledge.

4.       Here comes the bride! Go out to Claires and buy yourself the flashiest blingiest fakey diamond ring you can! We’ve all been there, you’ve given the stinkeye to every passenger shuffling past your prime real estate aisle seat, you think your’e safe, and then it happens….Somewhere in the mid-life crisis parallel universe, Mr. 50 something-my kids are probably older than you, mistakes your death glare for a, ‘please sit your way to forward-Ed Hardy t-shirt and jeans- self’ right next to me. You can ignore him all you want, but you know that as soon as the flight attendant comes around to offer you a drink, he’s going to jump on his opportunity to try to get you liquored up and stop you from hanging out of your seat into the aisle in an effort to get away from him.

5.    For your sake and the sake of all others that come in contact with you during the duration of your trip, pack all of your toiletries, including deodorant, toothbrush and makeup (especially your under eye dark circles corrector concealer) in your carry on. There is nothing worse than having to make due with the rudimentary hotel supply of cheapy shampoo, rigid toothbrushes, and overly smelly (really just stinky) lotions and soaps, all because the mouthbreathers at your airline of choice were incapable of transferring your bag onto a 1 hour non-stop flight from SFO to LAX (trust me, been there and it’s all bad)



Ciao

Never Forget

This past Saturday our nation honored the lives lost in the tragedies of September 11th. I can hardly believe that it has been 9 years since that fateful day that so violently shook our country to the core, forcing us all to re-evaluate ourselves through and through. It seems like yesterday, I was running into my parent’s room to alert them, just in time to flick on the tv and watch our world as we know it, literally fall from the sky into mass of carnage and broken hearts.


While time has certainly healed many wounds from that day, I can say that September 11th will probably be the most historical marker for my entire generation. It will be our ‘I remember where I was when…’ moment, and from here on out, any political or social revolution will inevitably be traced to the origins of an event that has forever changed the modern world.

And yet, on the surface, it appears that our nation has moved on from the devastation of that day; we wait in endless security lines at the airport like it has always been that way, we drive past armed guards at our bridges like it is natural, we flick on the morning television no longer wincing for fear that another devastating tragedy has claimed American lives. It is all in the past, and yet the cause of our everyday actions have been mindlessly adapted to our present.

I can say without shame that I too have begun to heal and let go, and the thought of another September 11th anniversary approached me this year with less of a sting and a weakened dread.

Actually, I had something to look forward to this September 11th, for it was the day that my best friend and bonafied prince charming, signed the papers and took the oath to serve and protect our country above all. Gathered on the end of the flight deck of the USS Hornet, the SF skyscape in the background flanked by whipping American flags, I watched Michael in awe of his bravery and dedication to his country and his craft. While family and friends alike looked on, I unsuccessfully struggled to hold back the tears of emotion that this moment conjured up for me, thank goodness for waterproof mascara and eyeliner.

USS Hornet

I look forward to embarking on this journey together, while I never thought my life would involve the United States military, I now cannot imagine my future without the endless possibilities that it will provide for Michael and I. Stay tuned to learn more about where this journey will take us, and remember to continue to pray for our men and women in uniform that have sacrificed so that we may all continue to heal and move on.

(I don’t have any pictures yet, still waiting to get those downloaded. But what I can share with you is that I am thankful that I now have a tangible reason to celebrate such a somber day, and that from now on September 11th will be the start of a whole new future for our lives. )

If you are interested in learning about how you can positively effect the lives and morale of our armed forces serving abroad, click on the USO logo to find out how you can donate and/or volunteer!

Ciao

We Don't Impose, We Improve

After a long lunch with my roomie, of whom I haven’t seen in over a week due to some very unfabulous business travels and such, and one of my very favorite boyfriends, he’s not mine or my roommates’ we were just leasing him from another of our best friends, I got to thinking a lot about friendships, both past and present both happy and sad and certainly both toxic and extremely gratifying.

For the most part I can honestly say that I have never really had that group of friends (with 2 or 3 exceptions from highschool, but that is another blog post in the making), that group of friends that makes you want to call one of them before your parents when something good happens, that group of friends that during any get together, the conversation undoubtedly falls back to the classic discussion of whose kids will be friends with whose, and how important it is to find husbands that are all on the same level of ‘Call of Duty’ so they can keep busy when we get together for parties.

With a title like, ‘we don’t impose, we improve’ , you may have been confused about the topic of this post. But bear with me, I can assure you that once you know a little bit more about what we like to dub ourselves as the ‘fab 7’ (don’t worry, we know…we are totally vain), you will know why that title could not make more sense.

Sit back, relax and enjoy your introduction to the girls who let me be me.

ANNEKA

AKA Anakin Skywalker (dubbed by myself before I realized that I didn’t despise her every move), she and I, well I guess it’s sufficient to say that we didn’t exactly mix like peaches and cream when we first met. But who can blame us? With the struggle between her ego and my incessantly on the prowl crazy eye, it is clear in retrospect that the Lord above really wanted us to work hard for the friendship. Who would have known that all it would take was one crazy toga party, an ill timed fire alarm and a year of living in an apartment with minimal furniture a resident keg and a shopping cart in the living room to really understand that we were soul mates? PS- Anneka, I don’t despise you anymore…well, sometimes maybe I do…but just a little bit.

MICHELLE

AKA Meeshy Peeshy (I think peeshy means cat in Persian but who really knows…lol) Meeshy and I met, well, if you knew either of us, you could guess exactly how we met. It was summer advising, and while everyone else was cowering in the corner of the DC wolfing down chicken nuggets and fiber spiked salad, we both embraced our nerdy dispositions and one, ‘Excuse me, can I sit with you’ and a ‘Of course, hi I’m Michelle’ later, we were the best of friends. We quickly became one, I mean this sarcastically, because, to many in our social circle, we literally became one, while Meesh is Persian and I Italian, it never seemed to matter to anyone, her hairy arms were my hairy arms, my sideburns were her sideburns, at any given moment she was Danielle and I was Michelle, and quite honestly I wouldn’t have had it any other way…

ALI

 Ali doesn’t really have a nickname from me, let’s just say Ali is Ali and there are no other names to really describe her…we met one fateful spring quarter of debauchery and tanning. I honestly for the life of me cannot remember how we met, or for that matter very much of that first spring or summer. All I can say is one morning I woke up with a bangin tan, sportin a tiara and some serious blisters on my feet from hauling a$$ through Arlington in stilettos, I’m thinking we were running away from some salacious scandal that one of us, ahem, Ali, had gotten us mixed up in. Ali is a culinary aficionado, so you ever catch me throwing back a rack of ribs smothered in barbecue sauce and washing it down with a nice big glass of kool aid, you will know that I am paying homage to the days gone by with Princess Ali by my side.

MARIE

AKA Rie, this girl has seen and heard it all….and I mean allllll of it, including the time that she was living with me one summer and had to endure hours of disgusting noises from the closed door of my even more disgusting roommate. From her notorious catch phrase that would make you blush like my former roommate in church, to her adorable cat that sometimes poops on you when you hold him, Marie can simultaneously make you wince with an extremely defaming diatribe directed at an overly pushy guy in a bar all while you admire her stunning snow white complexion and fabulous fashion sense.

LINDZY

AKA, Anjou AKA LiLi- I am pretty sure Lindzy floated down from heaven on the wings of an angel and entered my life to bring me joy and the kind of laughter that makes you feel like you are going to cry and barf all at the same time. While I can recount crazy stories of each of my friends, this girl truly and without any competition takes the gluten free cake for high intensity-how the hell did she get out of that situation alive-make up melting down the face action. With a penchant for very tall ethnic men and dance moves that you wouldn’t expect from a bible reading blondie from suburbia, USA, forever graceful, kind and thoughtful, Lindzy is by far the captain of our very own hot mess express.

CLAIRE

AKA roomie de jour- This girl has the lockdown on the best roommate ever title. While she doesn’t have much to live up to, read Marie’s description and you might guess as to why, she doesn’t leave behind giant hairballs in the shower or every corner of the apartment (ahem, Meeshy, another former roomie), she doesn’t pass out partially de-robed during parties or leave shredded cheese all over the floor (ahem ahem, Anneka, another former roomie) and she most definitely does not judge my sometimes foul often inappropriate fast food binges. This svelte fro-yo obsessed, vegetarian modern hippie is most certainly the yin to my carbo loading, vegging out, fox news morning show blaring, sleeping in yang. I love her in all of her morning wardrobe malfunction-body exposing glory.

While in school, I often said that choosing UC Davis was the greatest decision I’ve ever made, for academic opportunities of course, however, in retrospect I look back and am surprised by how little I remember of my classes, and how much I can only remember the relationships that I gained and will eternally hold dear. I am so thankful to have met these girls, and I am proud to be a part of a ‘true’ group of friends, but for now I have to go, I need to go call one of to tell them that this post is finished, I hope that they all think that this post is va bene.

Ciao