Cheesey Eggplant Pie!

Otherwise know as eggplant parmesan.  This version is pasta-less, but feel free to add your own.  My husband and I prefer garlic bread as the carb in this one :)  It's a fast dish to prep so you can get back to the party, of 1, 2 or more!

Indigents: 

1 large eggplants, cut crosswise into rounds

2c pasta sauce

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

3tbs basil

1/4tsp black pepper

1/4tsp red pepper

2 eggs, beaten in a large bowl

1 1/2c breadcrumbs, fine, and seasoned to taste

1c flaked cheese (harder is better)

Serves: 4-6 people

Time: 20 min. pre

          40 min bake

             1 hour total

This recipe requires a slightly longer cook time due to the "skipped" step of dehydrating the eggplant with salt.  If you choose to do this step: Toss all the eggplant rounds with 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl... then rinse and let drain for 30 minutes. This step does leave a fair amount of salt in the dish, so health conscious cook beware!  

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.

2) Set up your dinner prep area as the eggplant does oxidize.  Make sure you are ready with your washed eggplant and cutting board, your beaten egg, your seasoned bread crumb mixture, and your baking dish!

3)Add 2 tbs of pasta sauce to the dish you will be baking in.  Swril teh dish or spread teh sauce with a spoon to coat the bottom of the dish.

4) Slice the eggplant in to 1/4 to 1/3 inch rounds.  This is a cross section cut.

5) Coat both sides of the round with the egg mixture.  (If you choose not to dehydrate the eggplant, not much egg will stick.  If you did dehydrate the eggplant, you will probably need a third egg.)

6) Place your egg coated round in the bread crumb mixture.  Flip the round to cover both sides. PRO TIP: Add some cheese to the bread crumb mixture as well ;)  

7) Transfer eggplant to your backing dish.  If you want your egg plant extra crispy you will need to precook the eggplant in a pan after you coat it in bread crumbs.  Otherwise, you can arrange it to go straight in the oven.

8) Work with one piece at a time until you have arranged the first layer of eggplant. 

9) Add 1c of sauce, a layer of cheese, and 1/2 your basil, minced garlic and pepper seasonings.

10) Create another layer of eggplant rounds.  Fill in as necessary to make for a "full pie."

11) Add  the rest of the sauce, cheese, seasonings and garlic.

12) Bake covered for 35 min. The sauce should be bubbling and the cheese melted and golden!

13) Uncover for the last 5 to 10 minutes to give it a crisper top.  Serve hot!

Cost:

eggplants              $1.50

pasta sauce           $1.50

seasonings            $0.30

eggs                      $0.27

bread crumbs        $1.00

Cheese                  $5.00               

Total                     $9.57

Per serving           $1.59

The Most Colorful Birthday Cake EVER

This three layer tie-dye Birthday Cake with homemade custard filling and chocolate frosting "takes the cake" for both the best looking and the best tasting birthday cake I have ever enjoyed.  My husband made it for me, so please bare with me through some of the photos, etc. (Disclaimer: Initial idea did come from a box mix.  However, this blog is about how to take that box mix and make it that much more awesome!)

Ingredients:

1        box (Tie tie cake OR white cake)

3        egg (or as box reads)

1/3 c  oil (or as box reads)

food coloring

2 tbs white sugar

2 tbs molasses

1 tbs butter

frosting (or powered white sugar)

8 inch round cake pan (or smaller), or something close to this :) 

Time: 

2 hours total

I have to say, although my role was more supervision on this one-- Just watching this cake get made was a blast!  Feel free to have fun with it, as there will never be another cake like it-- even if all your cakes are tie-dye from this day forth! A nice thing about this particular cake is that quickly getting the batter into the oven is not as important.  So make sure to relax and enjoy the fun :)

Directions:

1) Make up the cake as instructed EXCEPT, do not include the yoke of the egg.  An easy way to do this is to crack the egg without letting the inside of the egg fall into the bowl.  Then, over a bowl, pass the egg yoke back and forth between the two shells until nearly all of the translucent "whites" of the egg are in the bowl, and the yoke is still in one of the shell halves.  Set the yokes aside for now.

2) Preheat the oven to 350.

3) Divide the cake batter into 5 (or more) bowls. 

4) Mix in food coloring to make intense colored batter. Go heavier rather than lighter on the food coloring.  And feel free to get creative!  The purple on the right was a good five minute project for my husband as he got it 'just right.'

5) Add about a third of all the batter colors to your greased 8 inch round pan.  If you don't have an 8 nice round pan, a small crock pot dish also works well! (Featured above.)  Make sure to pour in one place for each color, so that batter color can sink to the bottom of the cake.

6) Bake each round for 30 minutes.  If you only have one pan, wait ten minutes before removing the baked cake layer from the pan.

7) Repeat 4 through 6 for the other two layers!

8) While you are making the layers of the cake, you can start on the filling: Take the three egg yokes, two tbs molasses, 2 tbs white sugar, and 1 tbs butter.  If inclined, add a 1/4 tsp of orange extract as well.  In a small double broiler, beat the custard mixture continuously over low heat.  If you don't have a double broiler, then put the ingredients in a small metal mixing bowl, and the water (for the broiler) in a small pot. Balance the metal bowl in the small pot that is 1/3 filled with water.  No mater what you use to this, mix continually! 

9) Once all bake layers are baked and cooled, it's time to construct the cake.  One whatever dish you will be serving the cake, place the first round.  Add 1/2 of your custard mixture to the top.  Then add your next round and repeat.  After the last round is on top-- It's frosting time! You can use a pre made mix, (like I said my husband was doing this one), or you can make the frosting.  As this is a budget friendly blog, I recommend making it.  Just combine well 1/4 cup butter and 3 cups powdered sugar.  Add coloring or flavorings of choice to that.  Some butter frostings have milk, but I find the frosting is stiffer without it.

10)  Add the sprinkles!  This is a very important step :D

11) Sever up!

Cost:

box cake mix     $3

egg                    $0.60

oil                      $0.10

food coloring    $0.20

white sugar       $0.20

molasses           $0.45

butter                $0.25

frosting             $3.00 or less

Total                 $7.80

The Chef at his best!

A very happy birthday to me :)

Even the crumbs are fun!