Eggplant, Mozzarella, and Saffron Rice Bake

I discovered this heavenly recipe in an issue of Bon Appetit Magazine a couple of years ago, (September 2012) and asked Kate to make it.  I can't remember the circumstances around Kate preparing this instead of doing it myself, but she rolled up her sleeves and went to work.  The resulting dish was absolutely heavenly.  It's Farmers' Market season right now, so buy a gorgeous eggplant and make this soon- you won't regret it!

Foolproof Rice

Since I've posted a recipe requiring rice on the side I may as well post the recipe which I now use, after years of trial and error, to cook rice. Several years ago I was given the great big Gourmet Magazine cookbook and I'm not ashamed to say that this is the recipe to which it falls open.  It's not rocket-science, but when the simple dish doesn't come out right it can spoil the whole meal.

Cuban-Style Roast Pork

This is the roast pork that goes with the Cuban-Style Black Beans with rice on the side.  So tender and flavorful, it will melt in your mouth.  Badia is the brand of Mojo that Justo recommended, but the further you get from South Florida the harder it may be to find.  Look in the ethnic food section of your grocery and you will find at least one brand of this marinade among the Hispanic-type products.  It's also good for roast chicken, just smother your bird and roast until the mouth-watering smells can no longer be resisted...

Cuban-Style Black Beans

After enjoying these beans with the roast pork and rice at a church function many years ago when we lived in South Florida I wasted no time asking for the recipe.  Our authentically Cuban friend, Justo Escobar, gladly shared his authentically Cuban recipes with me.  And now, I share them with you.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Muffins

Simply because these will likely be breakfast tomorrow, and have become my favorite breakfast muffin since I found the recipe in Runner's World magazine a couple of years ago, I'll post this up now.  I've increased the amount of sweet potato to keep the muffins moist, and topped them with cane sugar for a delightful crunch.  Bake several sweet potatoes at once, ahead of time, and refrigerate or freeze until you're ready to bake them up into these wonderful, good-for-you, perfect-before-a-morning-run, muffins. 

The BEST Blueberry Muffins

These have been a breakfast standard for long years now... since we lived in Harrisville, PA and only had two children, now that I think about it!

½ C butter, room temperature

1 C sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

2 C blueberries, fresh or frozen

2 C flour

½ C milk

1 T sugar mixed with ½ tsp. nutmeg or cinnamon

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat butter in a medium-sized bowl until creamy.  Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add vanilla, baking powder and salt.  Fold in half the flour, then half the milk, adding remaining flour and milk in same fashion.  Fold in blueberries.  Scoop batter into 12 prepared muffin cups.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (may take slightly longer if using frozen blueberries).  Allow to cool before removing from muffin pan.

Pumpkin version: Same as above, with the following additions/ adjustments:

* add 1/2 C Pumpkin puree, after eggs

* add 1/4 C flour

* add "pumpkin spices": 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. cloves

* adjust milk to 1/3 C.

Bessie’s Cheese-n-Grits Casserole

Bessie cooked for my Great-Aunt Helen and Uncle Foster in Monroe Louisiana.

Since Bessie could neither read nor write my Mother followed her around the kitchen one day writing down every move she made in the preparation of this recipe.  I am so grateful that she did.