September 29th, 2014

Meatless Monday!! Baked Eggplant Casserole, Recipe, Easy, From The Galleys of Nantucket, Cookbook, Rehoboth Beach Cooks!!, Delaware Beaches

Tried and  true recipes are always found on church cookbooks, school cookbooks, and other organizations.  Anyone that likes to cook is a collector of these cookbooks.  Having worked on a cookbook myself, it does take time to compile recipes.  And, if you forget someone’s favorite recipe, forget it….chaos, and apologies will have to follow.

The Baked Eggplant Casserole recipe that will follow is from the recipe book of The Galleys of Nantucket.  This cookbook was published in 1998 and it is now in its 17th edition.  I bought Volume II.  The Ladies’ Union Circle of The First Congregational Church in Nantucket, MA, are responsible for getting all these wonderful recipes.  Many are given by the residents of Nantucket.  The ones that don’t have any names are recipes used by the islanders; they just don’t know where the recipes came from.

I was reading the book and it does have great recipes.  One, that was so simple, caught my attention and I think is perfect for Meatless Monday; a day of the week when maybe you might just want to leave meat aside.  Really, it can be done any day, you know what I mean.

The recipe could be made gluten free by using gluten free barbecue sauce, and bread crumbs.  These ingredients are easily found in any grocery store.

BAKED EGGPANT CASSEROLE

1 (1 1/2 lb.) eggplant

1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (your choice)

1 tablespoon instant minced onions

2 large tomatoes ( I used smaller tomatoes, therefore, I needed more than 2.)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Peel eggplant and dice into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

Cook 10 minutes in boiling, and salted water.  Drain.

Mix barbecue sauce and onion together. Let it stand 5 minutes.  While waiting, slice the tomatoes.

Fold sauce mixture, eggplant, garlic and parsley.  Looks messy, doesn’t it.  It is pretty good.  You’ll see.

Spoon 1/3 of the mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.  Top with a layer of half of the tomato slices.  Repeat, ending with a layer of eggplant.

Mix butter, bread crumbs and cheese.

Sprinkle over eggplant.

Bake for about 45 minutes and until it browns a bit on top.

Serve and enjoy!!

Note:  You can easily double this recipe.  It can be used as a main dish with other veggies on the side.  The recipe really surprised me.  It tasted so good.  If you like eggplant, this one is a winner.  You might want to double it if you have hearty eaters in your household.

September 22nd, 2014

Fall Travels, Sayle’s Seafood, Nantucket, MA, Take Out, Fresh Seafood, Nantucket Lobsters, Clambakes, Eat on The Porch

Dining in Nantucket is a popular pastime.  It reminds me of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  You can enjoy fine dining but also plenty of casual eateries are sought out by many…

Visiting Nantucket with a local has been great.  Knowing where to go, what to see, and what to appreciate.  We decided to stay in and cook seafood.  A visit to Sayle’s Seafood located at 99 Washington Street Extension was what we needed to do. Tel. 508-228-4599  Website?  http://www.saylesseafood.com.

You can order seafood and appetizers, chowders, sandwiches and even dinner and sit out on their small porch.  Or, take it home.  Sayle’s Seafood offers catering services, including famous Clambakes.

We did not choose lobster but there were plenty to choose from. From a few pounds to over 4 pounds.  They, actually, had pretty good deals.

Cod that’s what we chose and 4 or 5 pounds of mussels.  These had just come in.

We had everything else we needed at the house.  And, to Never Moor we went.

The cod was so easy to prepare.  Just grated lemon, lemon juice, pepper, a bit of salt and butter.  On 425 degrees cooking it 10 minutes to the inch.

The mussels were gorgeous and came out just beautifully.  I love mussels and order them often. But, these climbed to a different level.  Butter, wine, and their own broth….so delish!

The housemates were getting restless….too much wine at the table.

I sat down and looked at all of them and thought…..Friends are always there when you need them.

Totally loved these mussels.

We went outside after dinner.  It was so quiet.  The sunset was awesome!!  And, then the stars came out.