Successful Recipe o' the Day

My eldest loves when I make eggplant parmesean. I always feel like it just "ok", but tonight's dinner truly hit on the definition of SUCCESS! Even the hubby commented, "Wow, this could be from a good italian restaurant!" Believe me, he usually thinks dinner is fine, so to get this sort of response, I knew I'd done well.

To start, I purchased Italian eggplant from the local farmer's market last week. It has a thinner skin & less seeds. I then sliced it, and used a tip from the farmer to sprinkle salt over the slices and let sit in a colander for about 1/2 hour. It really pulled the moisture from the eggplant. I patted them dry before dredging them in egg & breadcrumbs (to which I'd added some dried garlic). I then put the sliced on a baking sheet & baked for about 20 minutes, making them crispy (and healthier than the typical pan fry method). Then I layered them in a casserole dish, alternating the eggplant, fresh spinach, mushrooms, fresh grated mozzerella, and sauce. Then baked at 425 degrees for about `15 minutes, and Voila! Served some garlic rolls & spaghetti noodles with it, and it was fantastic!

Yeah me!