A day off...to muse, of course.

Muse? What a strange word. But, I do have some musings to share, regardless of how odd that word may sound.

-I went through an addiction of Tejave unsweetened black iced tea last summer...it's back. Blame it on the unreasonably hot weather we've been having. A friend (who grew up in Ireland, don't judge) called it "stupid hot" weather. I agree.

-Every time I open my front door, I'm greeted by cool air. Praise the Lord I have a downstairs, mountain-facing apartment that stays cool naturally...otherwise, I'd be living out of my car with the AC blasting.

-2 year old children make the best companions. They are little sponges. It's a great form of entertainment to teach them new words. Yesterday, the 2 year old I spend most of my free time with looked at my leg freckles and then gave me a face that said "what on earth ARE those?" I said "freckles" and he repeated "freckles" about 30 times as he attempted to count all of my freckles. By #22, "freckle" sounded more like "freak hold". Priceless.

-I greatly dislike the "Two of us.org" ad that pops up on Pandora. "Make your relationship recession proof?" "Tips on how to make your marriage last?" Really? (gag) Cheesy. I just want my music.

-Where the heck did September go? Seriously. I have rent due tomorrow and I'm pretty sure that I JUST paid rent last week. Wasn't last week Sept 1st? This year's months have flown by faster than I ever remember months flying by.

-The clouds were beautiful yesterday afternoon/evening. I wonder if the Netherlands have beautiful clouds in November. Hmm, I shall see. :)

-I risked it. I bought nectarines from the store today. They looked really good. I couldn't resist. I hope I'm not disappointed.

Eggplant Parmesan

You might need to check your jealousy at the door. Unless you aren't a big fan of quality girl time, grown-up slushies, or fantastic food...in that case, read on, oh cold-hearted.

A few weeks ago, a good friend (who is working her butt off in PT grad school) migrated south from Seattle for a much need R&R in her hometown. This, of course, meant fro yo, quality conversation time, debriefings on life, and a date with our favorite person ever: Cari.

You can't have a girl's night without a little vodka, lots of laughter, and good home-cooking. Am I right, or am I right?

Enter Eggplant Parmesan.

Neither of us had ever made this dish before, but there's a first for everything...and our grown-up slushies gave us the extra boost of confidence we needed (if we were lacking any).

Needless to say, it was a success.

As always, we made our voices hoarse from talking, had sore cheeks from laughing and smiling, and left with the feeling that we are so blessed to have such great people as friends.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced

1 egg, beaten

2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

3 cups spaghetti sauce

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 Parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in breadcrumbs. Place eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes on each side.

In a 9x9 dish, spread half of the spaghetti sauce on bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices on top of sauce, sprinkle with cheeses. Repeat with sauce, eggplant, and end with cheeses. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Zucch.

I present to you the mother of all zucchinis...and there were TWO of these monsters.

It is time for a baking transformation. Zucchini bread (lots and lots) here we cooooooome!

Bakery Dreams

I may be running hard and training a lot for the upcoming half marathon, but I've also been eating goooood and making up for all that running. That's how it works, right? You run and workout so you can eat extra dessert, right? I'm pretty sure that's why I choose to be active.

My mom is incredible. Baking runs in our blood. It's a Giorgi/Heinz thing.

She recently created Margarita Cupcakes (picture tangy fresh lime cupcake with lime margarita frosting, crushed pretzels on the bottom and sprinkled on top) that were amazing.

Then, we fell in love with a Caffe Latte cupcake from a local cupcake bakery and the hunt for a similar recipe was on...and we take these recipe hunts very seriously.

Well, the hunt ended on Monday. My mom created a homemade chocolate cupcake with espresso buttercream frosting. Incredible. Seriously, the best cupcake that has even been baked in the Stow Canyon kitchen.

Confession: I ate one for breakfast the next morning.

My dream of owning a bakery or selling pies/cakes/cupcakes out of my kitchen (or a roving van??) will become a reality. Someday. And I know who my co-owner will be...my mom.

Start placing your orders!