Now calm down, despite what you might think I am not going to re-create ‘Debbie Does Dallas’ with my veggies.
Though I bet someone has.
(Oh, I dread the Google searches that will land people here now!)
What I mean to say is that I think food is lovely, I like it very much. I have little food gasms every time I eat something delicious, or think about eating, or just look at pictures of pretty, pretty food. Like these, I mean look at these mouthwatering beauties! Don’t you just want to cook ‘em up and eat ‘em?
I did, and I’d love to pass on a really great recipe to y’all, but the trouble with me is that even though I love food, I am terrible with recipes. I don’t really use them (unless they are Smitten Kitchen’s, I worship her.) And even when I do bother with a recipe I modify it and futz with it, until sometimes, the end result is indistinguishable from the intended.
Case in point? When I was twelve I attempted to make “Fettuccine Alfredo” but we had none of the ingredients required, so I ended up with “Cappellini al Cheddar” better known in some culinary circles as mac n’cheese. It was terrible. I wouldn’t even eat it. But I digress.
The way I tend to cook (on the days we’re NOT eating cereal for dinner) is to throw together things in my fridge and pantry and hope they stick. Which is literally what I did for this here meal.
I took eggplant, sliced it up, dipped it in egg and then coated it with a mixture of panko breadcrumbs, garlic salt, pepper and parsley (because I had it not because it necessarily goes together.)
I then slapped ‘em on a baking sheet and tossed ‘em in the oven (probably at 350, though we’ll never know for certain) until they were cooked. Then to round out the meal I cooked up some whole wheat pasta, added some sauce and grated some parmasean cheese on top. Voila! Dinner is served.
So can I keep posting my pretty food pictures without a recipe per se? Challa back.
Tags: eggplant, recipe-less recipe
So much better that the actual porn that arrived on our computer last week! ugh!
http://t.co/JGGUobv
Miserable times for all … now food, that truly gets me going
I think you can, that looks great!
Oh my! That looks delish! I may have to give it a try this week. I happen to have an eggplant or two hanging out in my kitchen.
By the way, I cook in a very similar fashion. A friend told me recently that I don’t use recipes, I use a “method”. I love that.
Ooh a method? Does the method have a name?
Nope, we just call it Method Cooking. It basically means that it’s hard to recreate a recipe because I don’t often use a recipe. And even when I do, I combine several, skip ingredients and add things that sound good. It’s a pinch of this, a dash of that, oops I forgot to saute this first, but oh well.
Well, you have me, er um my tummy, turned on.
Delicious!! I once made fettucine alfredo with a can of sweetened condensed milk. My husband kinda liked it. It was like dessert pasta.
Hmm dessert pasta? I think I’ll stick to chocolate….
Would you believe I’ve never cooked eggplant? Isn’t that crazy? Maybe you’ve sparked a desire I didn’t know I had? Love the side by side photos. I need to go eat lunch. You’ve at least sparked my appetite ; )
Dana
Never cooked eggplant?!? Well I hope you’re not munching on it raw…
That looks incredible! I prefer to just “wing it” in the kitchen too – sometimes with disastrous results.
Dropped by from SITS to say hi.
How about no recipe but at least an ingredient list?
How did it taste?!
It was aight…I’m actually not as into eggplant as other people, my husband for example…
Well those look absolutely spectacular. My husband has a contact allergy to raw eggplant, isn’t that funny? but he’ll still eat it. I may try these!
By the way, Yuliya, you may not like recipes but your food photography? That is something special. You should consider really taking up cooking because it looks to me like you are on to something. Those photos are amazing. Seriously – big time food blogger quality or better.
can’t hear you..head in clouds from my now over inflated ego, I’m big time food blogger quality good, la la la la la! Gigi said so!
Aww Gigi you really know how to brighten up my day! Thank you for your kind words!
I don’t even know what you wrote; your photos were out of this world! You should photograph for a food magazine!
Thank you Liz, you are very sweet! I want to take a photography class…in my “spare time” ha ha!
OH MY GOSH, you have made me soooo hungry! I found you on SITS, and now I have to run for a snack!
Hurry back!
Ok, I’m with Gigi. I was more captivated by the photography than by the food.
And, frankly, I love food.
So, let’s see…
+8 points for tasty home cooked goodness.
+6 points for stunning food photography.
-15 Point “Making Lori look bad” penalty.
So you’re at -1 point.
Ok ok…I’ll waive the penalty. This was your first foray into points.
But be careful next time.
Cannot believe I’m in negative points…how shall I redeem myself?
I’m going to try to pass that fried eggplant off as a chicken nugget to my toddler. It just might work. It looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe- you should definitely keep it up.
Just had to say this made me bust up laughing as I tried to imagine passing off breaded eggplant as a chicken nugget to my own 26 month old. Good luck with that…I can already see the disaster it would be with mine, though
There is no way that is going to work..sounds like excellent blog fodder though!
Oh Lawdy, I love me some eggplant! That looks beyond delicious! But here’s my problem. I’m quite lazy and I hate to cook. I wouldn’t mind making this, except for the, (and here’s my Eeyore voice), slicing up the eggplant. That would be too much work and it might make me cry. It does look scrumptious, though.
Poor Joann! There’s always take out…I hear those Caucasian fries at Five Guys are pretty good…
Nom Nom Nom–nuff said.
Lori is so stingy with those Martha points, isn’t she??!
Your photos are fantastic! Now I’m hungry!!!
your photos are beautiful. food often makes such a gorgeous muse. the color of that eggplant is delicious. and i don’t even like eggplant!
though i have little time for cooking lately, love to read smitten kitchen and also joy the baker. love, love, love joy the baker.
i hardly follow recipes either. luckily, it usually turns out okay be duplicating it proves impossible.
The photos are GORGEOUS. Ditto everyone’s comments. But more importantly, I might have gotten an idea for dinner. And I love that you go the futz route. It means you’re comfortable in the kitchen and with food and with cooking. Bravo! Wish I could say the same.
Comfortable with cooking? Eh, perhaps comfortable eating disastrous results is more like it…glad to be of inspiration!
Yum! Gorgeous photos! Yeah, I would eat that for sure.
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The presentation looks great….
Thank you!
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