Being torn in many directions this weekend with a house project and family in town for a celebration, my Sunday called for a fast meal – eggplants saved the dinner! (Recipe later in the post.)
{Backerboard} It was a big weekend for us. A weekend I have been so looking forward to for the last six years, and it’s all summed up in this here very special photo.
It might not look like anything special to you, but for me, it is a great glory! For with the laying down of this last piece of tile in the attic (our family bedroom), we finally cover up the great eyesore that has been our bedroom floor for six years – periwinkle backerboard. Yes, the entire floor in the attic was just a massive swath of periwinkle backerboard. (Don’t worry, when we moved in, it did match the other two shades of periwinkle on the walls). That great expanse has been slowly replaced with beautiful flooring, and at last, the final piece of backer board was covered. Hallelujah!
While things are not quite finished up there, it is such a relief to no longer see that cement board!
{Balloons, of the birthday sort} I do not think the flooring project was at the top of the list for my little R this weekend.
Her quiet excitement shined so bright as we set a candle-lit cheesecake before her (her cake request of the last three years). We sang happy birthday a couple times this weekend, though the truth is she’s three months shy of turning 6. But alas, when you are born on Christmas day, to no fault of your own, you have to carve out a special celebration. So we sing and celebrate on her name day.
{Baby}
Baby E, he goes along with the flow, for the most part, but a baby does always need his/her mama. All the above was wonderful, but left me little time to cook a meal for the family. Enter in the much-anticipated “bake” of this post.
Such a wet summer it’s been here, and the eggplants did not seem to like that. This is actually the majority of my eggplant harvest right here in this photo, despite having 8-10 plants out there. Summers of filling out our meals with roasted and simmered eggplants are a distant memory. These very special three came in handy for one of those fast meals on a very full day this weekend.
This eggplant bake is not fancy; it could not be called eggplant parmesan. It would have your Italian great-grandmother rolling in her grave to see you make this. But. This is not a foodie blog. I aim to show you how I really use our garden produce, including those super fast, non-fancy meals. No, it’s not pretty, but if only I could send you a taste instead of a photo! So delicious and easy! Take a peak at these step-by-step photos to whip up a quick meal with the last of those tomatoes and eggplants coming in from your garden.
Fast, No-frills, Eggplant Bake
The sauce.
A quick, fresh sauce whipped up in the blender or food processor is what a busy day with an abundance of paste tomatoes calls for. No, it doesn’t have the nuanced flavor of your all-day simmered marinara. No, it doesn’t have caramelly or smoky notes from those purees of roasted goodness. It is pure, fresh, deliciousness poured over fresh ingredients and baked to perfection. You can make this sauce in two minutes by tossing the following into your blender:
To thicken your sauce a little, simmer it briefly while you prepare the rest of the dish.
The main ingredients.
