Eating out for Breakfast

This was a perfect Sunday morning to go out to breakfast.

The weather was cool and we went to one of our favorite

breakfast spots, Radial, and sat outside on the porch.

My husband ordered the Raspberry Vanilla French Toast

and my stomach did a leap for joy when I read

their Sunday special, The Mexican Chocolate Waffle.

The food was excellent and the service was great.

Our waitress was delightful and we enjoyed the

morning sipping coffee, eating good food and chatting.

As you can cleary see we enjoyed our breakfast!

Radial is definately a place that will make you happy!

Eggplant Lasagna with Cheese Sauce

I took trip down memory lane today and looked through

the cookbooks my Grandma gave me over 10 years ago.

They are the "Look&Cook" books by Anne Willan.

I love this collection of books because each recipe

walks you through a series of steps so that you are sure

to create a wonderful meal if you follow the directions.

These cookbooks still contain some of my favorite dishes

like: Straw Hay Pasta, Hunters Chicken and Lasagna Roll-Ups.

This time through I looked for recipes I haven't made yet

or ones that I haven't made in a really long time.

Here is what I selected this time around:

Eggplant Lasagna with Cheese Sauce

By Ann Willan

Filling:

2 medium eggplants

vegetable oil

1lb tomatoes

1/2 lb mozarella cheese

Cheese Sauce:

1 quart milk

6tbsp butter

1/3 flour

ground nutmeg

salt & pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan

* Lasagna Noodles

* Deep Casserole dish

Directions:

Prepare the Lasagna noodles according

to directions on box.

Preparing the filling.

1. Trim ends from the eggplants and cut them into

1/4 inch slices. Put slices in colander and sprinkle

generously with salt. Let stand 30 minutes to

draw out the bitter juices.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the eggplant

slices with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Oil the baking sheets. Spread out the eggplant slices

on the sheets and brush them with oil.

4. Bake them in the oven until tender turning once,

Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Make the Cheese Sauce:

1. Scald the milk in a medium saucepan.

2. Melt the butter in another saucepan

over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook

until foaming, 1-2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and whisk in the hot milk.

Return to the heat and cook, whisking constantly,

until the sauce boils and thickens. Season with

a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper and then

simmer two minutes.

4. Remove sauce from the heat and stir in

three-quarters of the Parmesan cheese,

reserving the rest for sprinkling.

Assembly:

1. Butter the baking dish. Ladle a layer of

cheese sauce into the baking dish to cover

the bottom.

2. Cover with a layer of lasagna rectangles

and arrange half of the eggplant slices on top.

3. Ladle another layer of cheese sauce over

the eggplant slices. Cover with lasagna noodles.

4. Arrange half of the mozzarella on top, then

half of the tomato slices.

5. Cover with another layer of lasagna rectangles.

Continue with another layer of eggplant,

then cheese sauce, then noodles, and then another

layer of mozzarella and tomato slices. Ending

with a generous layer of cheese sauce.

6. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake the lasagna in the heated 350 F oven

for about 30-45 minutes until bubbling and brown.

This is one great Lasagna and perfect for the

vegetarians out there!!

I am submitting this recipe to Ruth of

Once Upon a Feast for her

wonderful event Presto Pasta Nights

hosted by Michelle of the Greedy Gourmet this week.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Sometimes it is just not possible to grill

outside so my solution is the grill feature

that is an option on my panini maker.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
salt, to taste
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 -4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
Wheat Hamburger Rolls

Monterey Jack Cheese, sliced
2 Tbs. pesto ( basil, olive oil, spices)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Stir together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic,

salt and the 1/8 tsp. pepper.

Using a small spoon, remove the gills

from the underside of the mushrooms.

Brush both sides of the mushrooms

with the oil mixture.

Place the mushrooms, stem side up,

on the grill and cook until nicely grill-marked,

about 4 minutes. Turn the mushrooms

over and cook until tender, about 4 minutes more.

Place cheese slices on top of each mushroom

a few minutes before you remove them from

the grill and cook until melted.

Toast the rolls .

What a great summer option

and it taste great too!

Beautiful!

The other day I came home to these beautiful

flowers left for me, on my birthday, from

Marsha and James. Aren't they gorgeous?

The bouquet has some of my favorite flowers.

I love Gerber Daisies! They have such bold

color: red, hot pink, yellow and orange.

The yellow lilly in this arrangement is

also incredible.

Thank you!!

Breaded Goat Cheese over Tomato

This is a recipe you absolutely must have!

I caught Michael Chiarello's show the other

day on Food Network. I sat with my mouth

open, possibly even drooling a little, as he made

Tomato Steak with Baked Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

I immediately added this dish to my list for the week.

I did not follow the recipe to the letter of the law but

everything still turned out wonderful!!!

Baked Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

This saladlooks best when the tomato slice

and the goat cheese slice are about the same size.

1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon water

1 egg

4 rounds fresh goat cheese, about 2 ounces each

4 thick, ripe beefsteak tomato slices

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the salad

2 cups lightly packed mixed tender fresh herb leaves

such as basil, chervil, tarragon,

Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chives (1-inch lengths),

Red wine vinegar

In a small, shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs

with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the water and work it in with your

fingers to moisten the crumbs lightly.

In another small, shallow bowl,

beat the egg just until blended.

Dip one flat surface of each goat cheese

round in the egg, and then in breadcrumbs,

patting the crumbs in place.

Repeat on the other flat surface.

Refrigerate the coated cheese rounds for about 15 minutes.

Center the tomato slices on 4 salad plates.

Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet

over moderately high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil.

When the oil is almost smoking, add the cheese rounds,

one coated side down. Cook until lightly browned,

about 45 seconds, then turn and cook

on the second side until the cheese

just feels quivery, about 45 seconds longer

depending on the thickness of the rounds.

Place a cheese round on each tomato slice.

In a bowl, toss the herbs with a splash of

red wine vinegar, a light drizzle of olive oil,

and salt and pepper to taste.

Mound the herbs on top of the cheese,

dividing them evenly. Serve immediately.

This is a dish that I will be making frequently!!!

Tilapia with Balsamic Butter Sauce

I just came across this great new event

"Bookmarked Recipes" hosted

by Ruth of Ruth's Kitchen Experiments .

It is such a good idea because we all have

those recipes that we have come across

online or in magazines that we have read

and thought I should make this sometime.

Well, now we can try those recipes out and

share them with fellow bloggers via this event.

My entry for this weeks "Bookmarked Recipes"

is Tilapia with Balsamic, Butter Glaze

By Epicurious

Ingredients:

Balsamic Butter Sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup ( 1 stick butter) cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Simmer vinegar and garlic in small saucepan

over medium heat until reduced to thick syrup,

about 5 minutes. Set aside.

**Cook fish**.

Rewarm balsamic syrup over medium-low heat.
Whisk in 1/2 cup butter 1 piece at a time.

Tilapia

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 4- to 5-ounce tilapia fillets

salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 large skillets over high heat.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.

Sauté fish until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

This is a very nice dish.

The balsamic, butter sauce is just right on the fish!!

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese & Peach Panini

You know that there are just some ingredients that

just work really well together!

The other day I spent hours, I know it is crazy,

but hours looking at the Williams-Sonoma website.

I found so many recipes that sounded fantastic but this

one went directly onto my list for the week.

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese & Peach Panini

by Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
1 firm-ripe peach, peeled if desired, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 slices sweet batard, each 1/2 inch thick
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp. apricot preserves
2 Tbs. crumbled goat cheese (chèvre)
2 thin slices prosciutto

Directions:
Preheat an electric panini maker according to the

manufacturer's instructions.

Arrange the peach slices on the preheated panini

maker and cook until grill marks appear, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Brush one side of each bread slice with the butter.

Lay the slices, buttered side down, on a clean work surface.

Spread the top of one slice with the apricot preserves.

Sprinkle the cheese on the other slice and top with the

prosciutto and peach slices. Top with the other bread slice,

buttered side up. Place the sandwich on the panini maker

and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until

the bread is golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Now that is some sandwich!