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Sunday, October 12, 2014

Free Food from a Surprise Source


 
Surprise offering to me!
 
When I went to KMart to return a skirt and look at makeup, one of the managers and I were talking and laughing. I was telling her about going to my 50th reunion.

As I went up to the service desk, she did too, and we continued our banter. All of a sudden, she said, "Do you like peppers?" I was not sure if she was talking to me or not, so I hesitated. Above is what she gave me. I have never had eggplant cooked where I like it, but I am going to try. It looks as though I will either have hot pepper jelly or dried peppers.

My friend cooked eggplant and mutton in a tomato sauce, sort of thick stew. I gagged it down.  I hate mutton and eggplant in tomato sauce.

Are the peppers at 1 o'clock, cayenne? At 6 o'clock, jalapeno?

I can only eat cayenne and then in pepper jelly on cream cheese and crackers. Hot food is not for me.  None of my three children can eat hot peppers, either.

Your turn
Dehydrating? What are ideas of how to prepare the peppers beyond jelly or jam?  How do you cook eggplant that is not in tomato sauce, like a soup? Would cheese kill the taste so I can eat it? I can find recipes on the internet, but I want an idea you have tried. These look like they need cooking on Sunday or at least Monday. Oh, exbf is coming Monday, so I really need a recipe for the eggplants.

10 comments:

  1. i love eggplant dip, aka babaganoush. i also think it is ok sauteed in olive oil with lots of capsicum and zucchini.

    i never use more than a single chilli in a curry, stir fry or chilli con carne so no suggestions for using those up, they freeze or dry well tho so very easy to keep

    ReplyDelete
  2. kylie,
    I do like babaganoush. Maybe I could make that. Drying in my dehydrator seems to me the easier way to go...lol. I just never cook with peppers at all. Neither do any of my children. It causes us all lots of gastric distress and allergy problems. Thanks for reminding me of the dip. If I put lots of cheese in it, it would be a very hearty dip.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Try making eggplant parmesan. Thinly slice the eggplant. Dip it in egg and then coat in a bread crumb/parmesan cheese mixture. Bake in oven. Top with spaghetti sauce and cheese. The first time I made this, my husband went for seconds before he even realized he was eating egg plant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M Ripples,
      I do need to hide it from myself...lol. thanks.

      Delete
  4. For the peppers, you could remove every single seed so they're not so "hot". I finely slice them and add them to mac and cheese with some bacon.

    For the eggplant, here are two that are good (from my friend at Sherry's Place).

    Eggplant Casserole

    4 cups water
    1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
    1 1/2 pounds ground beef
    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 medium green pepper, chopped
    3 medium tomatoes, chopped
    salt and pepper to taste
    1/2 cup milk
    1 egg, beaten
    1/2 dry bread crumbs
    2 tablespoons butter, melted

    In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add eggplant. Boil for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. In a skilled, cook beef, onion and green pepper until the meat is done. Drain. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or so until the tomato is tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in milk, egg and eggplant and mix well. Place in a greased oblong baking dish. Toss bread crumbs and butter and spinkle over the top. Bake, uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes or until heated through.


    Eggplant Snack Sticks

    1 medium eggplant
    1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
    1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
    2 beaten eggs
    1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce, warmed

    Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices, then cut each slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips. In a shallow dish, combine the wheat germ, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Dip eggplants sticks into the egg, then coat with wheat germ mixture. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

    Spritz eggplant strips with cooking spray. Broil for 3 minutes 4 inches from heat. Remove from the oven. Turn sticks over and spritz with cooking spray. Broil 2 minutes longer or until golden brown. Serve immediately with warmed spaghetti sauce.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brigid,
      If I had thawed ground beef, I would use the first recipe. Those both look great. Thanks!

      Delete
  5. That was an awesome score!!!!!
    And wow the above recipe looks yummy. Brigid needs to invite me over.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sonya Ann,
      Thanks. I thought it was awesome, too. I want to go over, too. She has such tasty sounding recipes.

      Delete
  6. I'm jealous - I love eggplant. We particularly like it after dipping in an eggwash, seasoned flour (salt, pepper, paprika, garlic) and fried. Lordy, now I'm hungry. Enjoy your windfall!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cherdo,
      And, I am out of eggs. Maybe I should go have another talk with Chicken Nugget, Chicken Tender, and Chicken A La King. I will have to glove up to attack those peppers.

      Delete

Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.