Easy Eggplant Parmesan

I was watching a rerun of The Sopranos the other day and as usual, they were eating dinner! Carmela Soprano was dishing out some eggplant parmesan and it looked sooo good! I've never tried making eggplant parmesan before, but after watching that, I knew I just had to try it. So, I went online to search for an easy eggplant parmesan recipe. I found one that was pretty simple to make and it turned out to be really yummy. Here's how you make it.

Start off my slicing one large eggplant into 3/4 inch slices. If your eggplant is really huge (like the one I bought), you can half the slices too. Place them in a colander and sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant slices. Place the colander in the kitchen sink (or you can place a big bowl under it). Allow the eggplant to sit for about an hour. This is done so that the eggplant can sweat out as much liquid as possible.
After about an hour, wash away all the excess salt with cold water. Then, dip the eggplant slices into some egg.
Once you have dipped the eggplant slices, coat it with some breadcrumb mixture. To make the mixture, all you need to do is mix some Italian breadcrumbs with some corn meal, black pepper and parmesan cheese.
Now it's time to fry your eggplant slices. Heat up some olive oil in a pan. Once it's nicely heated, place a few slices of eggplant into the hot oil. Remember not to over crowd the pan. Once you have browned one side, flip it over and allow the other side to brown.
After frying the eggplant slices, allow all the oil to drain. You can also place them on kitchen towels, if you like. I did both, so that all the excess oil is removed. Then, set it aside.
Alright, time to put everything together. First, spread some of your favorite marinara sauce at the bottom of a deep baking dish. I just used those ready made marinara sauce from a bottle. Then, place a layer of eggplant on top of the sauce.
Scoop on more sauce on top of the eggplant slices and sprinkle a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce. Then, place another layer of eggplant on top of the cheese followed by more sauce. Continue layering until the top. Remember not to go all the way to the top. Leave a tiny bit of space at the top, so that is doesn't bubble over while cooking.
Pop it into a preheated 350F oven for about 45 minutes.
There you go. A hot, bubbly, cheesy dish of eggplant mozzarella! Doesn't it look yummy? It definitely tasted really good! Both Kevin and I love this so much, I must say that this recipe is a keeper! You must try it. It's so easy to make and so so so good to eat. You can even make it in advance and just pop the casserole into the oven when you are ready to eat! :D

Spinach Stuffed Cod with Mushroom and Feta Cheese

I had some really thick cod fillets sitting in my freezer the other day. So, I decided to try out this new recipe that I downloaded off the Internet. The recipe was actually for spinach stuffed flounder, so I made a few changes to it and made it my own. It turned out to be really yummy, so I have decided to share it with all of you.

Start off by heating some olive oil in a pan. Then, add in some minced garlic and saute until it turns to a light shade of brown. As soon as it starts to change color, add in some sliced Crimini mushrooms (also known as baby bella mushrooms). Mix the mushrooms with the minced garlic and allow it to cook.
Once the mushrooms have soften, add in a few big bunches of spinach. Be very careful when you do this. As soon as the wet spinach hits the very hot oil, it's bound to splatter! Stir fry the spinach with the mushrooms and garlic until it's wilted.
Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese onto the spinach mixture. Gently stir in the feta cheese and your stuffing mixture is done!
Now, it's time to prep the fish. I premarinated my cod fillets with some of Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seafood Seasoning Blend a few hours before. You can pretty much use any seafood seasoning that you like or just some old fashioned salt and pepper. It is important that you use a thick fillet, so that you can butterfly the fillet in the middle. Then, place it onto a lightly greased baking pan.
Then, stuff your cod fillet with the spinach stuffing that we made earlier. Cover the stuffing with the top half of the fillet. Gently poke a few toothpicks all the way through the fillets. This is to prevent the top part of the fillet from popping up while it's in the oven. Then, squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto your fillets and it's ready to go into the oven.
Pop it into a preheated 375F oven and allow it to bake for about 25-30 mins (depending on your oven). Remember not to over cook your fillets. After 25 minutes, use a fork to check and see if it's done. If it flakes, it's done. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving. I served my stuffed cod with some dirty rice and steamed vegetables. Mmmm mmm mmmm, a healthy (not to mention yummy) dinner that is so easy to make!

Roti Canai Ham & Cheese Roll

Remember my post about the Roti Canai Hot Dog Roll and Roti Canai Chicken Puff? Well today, I am going to make another really simple and quick recipe using frozen roti canai. This time around, I'm making Roti Canai Ham & Cheese Rolls.

Start off by taking out a piece of frozen roti canai from the freezer and allowing it to thaw on the kitchen counter for about 5-10 mins. Remember not to over thaw. We just need it to be pliable. If you overthaw the frozen roti canai, it will be very sticky, thus making it really hard to work with.

Next, brush on some egg wash onto the roti canai. If you notice, the first few steps in this recipe is exactly the same as the roti canai hot dog recipe.

Then, place a large piece of ham (you can use two or three pieces if your ham is really small) and one stick of mozzarella string cheese onto the roti canai.

Roll the roti canai up and tuck in the sides. Make sure that everything is nicely tucked in. If not, the cheese will ooze out when it melts. Once you have rolled it up nicely, you can then place it onto a greased baking tray. Remember to cut some slits on the top of the rolls. This is to allow steam to escape while baking.

After cutting the slits on the top of the rolls, brush on some egg wash. The egg wash will give the rolls a nice golden brown color when it's done baking.

Pop it in a 350F preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Once it's done, allow it to cool down for a while before serving.

There you go! A yummy looking piece of roti canai ham and cheese roll. You can cut it to half before serving. It's just perfect for an afternoon snack or something to munch on while watching TV. Not only are they really simple to make, but they are really yummy to eat!

Simple Pita Bread Pizza

I know it's been a while since I last shared any new recipes on this blog. Quite a number of you have asked me what's happening and why isn't there any more new recipes. Well, I've been pretty busy lately and haven't really had a chance to test out new recipes. However, I managed to try out a few really simple ones over the weekend. I'll start off with this. I made this simple pita bread pizza as a little midnight snack on Friday night but it will be good as a light lunch or afternoon snack too. It's really yummy and easy to make. Check it out.

Start off by heating the pita bread up in the oven or microwave. You can pretty much use any type of pita bread. I used garlic pita bread just cos that's what I had in my pantry. Once the pita bread is heated up, press it down to make sure that it's totally flat and place it on a baking sheet.

Next, spread some pizza sauce on the pita. Again, you can pretty much use any type of pizza sauce that you like. Just make sure that you do not spread on too much sauce. We do not want a soggy pizza! :P

Then, sprinkle on some shredded cheese onto the pita. I used a combination of mozzarella and provolone.

Now, this is the fun part! Time to put on the toppings! What you put on is entirely up to you. I used some chopped up franks, Virginia ham, green peppers and onions.

Sprinkle on more cheese. I added some freshly cracked black pepper on top of the cheese but that's optional.

Pop the baking sheet into a preheated 425F oven for about 8-10 minutes.

There you go! Doesn't it look yummy? It sure taste good! Not only does it taste good, but it's also so simple to make. Go ahead and try it. This recipe is a keeper!

Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu

I tried making a simplified version of the Chicken Cordon Bleu yesterday for dinner and it turned great! Chicken Cordon Bleu is basically chicken breast, rolled up together with ham & cheese, and then fried. I decided not to fry the chicken but baked it instead (I usually prefer to bake instead of fry). It turned out pretty good too. It's really simple. Here's how you make it.

First, you would need to butterfly some skinless chicken breast. Then, sprinkle on some salt and black pepper, just a little pinch.

Next, lay a piece of ham on one side of the chicken. If the ham doesn't fit that well, you can just cut it to shape.

Then, sprinkle on some cheese. The original recipe calls for swiss cheese but I used some shredded mozzarella instead. It's equally as good.

Cover the cheese with another piece of ham.

There are two ways to go about the next step. You can either just cover the chicken breast over the ham or you can roll it up. I would suggest rolling it up if you are planning to fry the chicken but if you are baking it, just flip over the side that doesn't have any filling and cover.

Next, dip the chicken breast in some egg. This is to make sure the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.

Stuff in whatever ham that is sticking out from the chicken breast and coat the whole chicken breast evenly with seasoned breadcrumbs. You can use Italian breadcrumbs or like me, Shake n Bake :D

Once you have coated the chicken breast, place it in a greased baking pan.

Use some toothpicks to hold down the chicken, so that it doesn't open up during cooking. Then, pop it in a 425F oven for about 35 minutes. Once that is done, just remove it from the oven and it's ready to be served! I served the chicken breast up with some steamed broccoli and cheesy rice. Very simple to make and taste mmm mmm mmmm good! :D

Grilled Ham & Cheese Wrap

Since I'm the only person eating lunch at home, I would not usually make anything elaborate. My lunch would either be leftovers from yesterdays dinner or something simple and easy to make, like a sandwich, instant noodles or a wrap. Today, I made one of my all time favorites, Grilled Ham & Cheese Wrap. Let me share this simple recipe with you.

First, spread some Miracle Whip on a tortilla. Today, I used a regular tortilla but sometimes I would change it up by using Wheat, Spinach or other types of tortilla.

Then, place a few slices of cheese on top of the Miracle Whip. I used Provolone but you can basically use any type of cheese that melts well (Swiss, Mozzarella...ect).

Next, place a few slices of deli meat on the cheese. I used Virginia Ham but again, it's totally up to you. You can use roast beef, corned beef, turkey, roast chicken, pepperoni...it's entirely up to you.

Place a couple more slices of cheese on top of the deli meat.

Now it's time to roll up the tortilla. All you need to do is roll it up half way, tuck in the side and continue rolling. Then, place it on a George Foreman grill that has already been heated.

Allow it to grill for a couple of minutes (until you can see the grill lines).

Once it's nice and grilled, remove it from the grill and cut it into half.

There you go! A yummy lunch all ready in less than 15 minutes! You can serve it up with some chips, a side salad or even a fruit salad. Today, I had my Grilled Ham & Cheese Wrap with a large handful of Lays Original Potato Chips and a tall glass of Coke. Mmmm mmmm mmmm =)