Sunday, May 31, 2009

I hope I win! And more.

Tonight is when winners of all of the what seemed like hundreds of materials/handmade gifts giveaways I entered will be announced! I do hope I win something! I still need to conquer the last of the handmade list...

On another note, I am just so INTO the gift I finished last night for my dear friend's birthday in two weeks. I can't say anything more and it's killing me! Today I'll take a ton of pictures in anticipation of that future blog I'll be writing.

Last night I used the recipe found on Posie Gets Cozy bloggy for Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage. My eggplant sure didn't end up looking like Alicia's, and honestly that was my first and last time cooking eggplant. I really don't like it! I think if I had fried it a little more (but I fried it for way longer than the recipe called for, and they still turned up squishy and weird) then maybe they would have been good. Or maybe if eggplant had a better taste, the texture wouldn't bother me so much. Anyways, this isn't a rag on eggplant; I'm sure it has a place but not in this dish next time I make it. And I will make it again as it was super delish. Mike agreed that perhaps artichoke hearts or zucchini would be a better fit. Of course we enjoyed this dish with the last drops of Fieldbrook Winery's barbera, and opened (and tried not to finish) the lovely 2003 Turnbull syrah. Yummms. Sausage was cooking when I took this picture. I used whisky fennel chicken sausage for a healthier version rather than the traditioal pork sausage. Eggplant is so pretty - I do wish I liked it better.

It smelled amazing, with the freshly grated parmgiano reggiano on top and the fresh basil leaves (from my garden!) mixed in with the tomato sauce.

Just delicious! And now I have my meal for the rest of the week until payday. I will try and not pick out the eggplant. Maybe a re-heat of leftovers in the oven will make them tastier?

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