Eggplant Parmesan

My love for eggplant Parmesan started when my father would order it at the dairy restaurant when I was little. I would always eat some of it and really liked it. 

While this eggplant Parmesan doesn’t have as many layers as the restaurant would serve us {we’re only 2 of us in our house and didn’t need a huge dish} you can definitely increase the amount used and make a bigger portion!

What you will need 

2 medium eggplants, cut into ½” round slices 

Salt 

5 cups panko breadcrumbs 

1 tbsp dried basil 

1 tbsp dried thyme 

Ground black pepper 

Vegetable oil for frying 

AP flour for dredging 

6 large eggs, beaten 

2 tbsp whole milk 

Olive oil, as needed 

1 jar marinara sauce 

 ⅔ cup grated Parmesan 

1 pound grated mozzarella 

Directions: 

Arrange the eggplant slices on a board or baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour. 

Rinse the eggplant in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. 

In a bowl, whisk together 1 ½ teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, and season with pepper. 

Place the flour in a plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour first, then in the egg, and lastly dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices. 

In a large skillet, pour the oil to about ½” deep. Heat the oil over medium heat. 

Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush a baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with ⅓ of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another ⅓ of the sauce. Spread half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. 

Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Salmon Croquettes

Salmon croquettes are pan fried and packed with so many great flavors. These make a quick and easy weeknight meal and are delicious with sour cream, salsa, marinara, or even tartar sauce! 

What you will need: 

½ cup Panko 

¼ cup flour

15 ounce canned salmon 

½ tsp garlic powder 

½ tsp basil 

½ tsp salt 

¼ tsp pepper 

1 egg, lightly beaten 

¼ cup mayonnaise 

Optional filling: string cheese

Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa 

Directions: 

Add Panko and flour to a bowl and mix. Add canned salmon, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, mayonnaise, basil. Mix until incorporated. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. 

Shape into 6-8 patties and add about ¼ of a string cheese to the center of the patty and flatten slightly. Roll the patty in additional Panko. 

Add patties to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Pina Colada Challah

With the weather just getting colder here in Connecticut this winter, I wanted a challah that reminds me of warm summers! This challah has dried pineapple throughout, very similar to adding raisins to challah, but with a bit of a tang. The coconut in the dough itself has a mild flavor, and the coconut on top is nice and crunchy!  

What you will need:

2 tbsp yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup pineapple juice

Splash of rum

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup dried pineapple, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup dried cherries 

4-4 1/2 cups flour

Directions: 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, sugar, water, rum, and pineapple juice; stir to combine. Add the 2 eggs and mix the eggs with a beater attachment. Then add the oil and mix together again. 

With the mixer on the lowest speed, add flour cup by cup until the dough starts forming a ball and pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl. 

At this point, swap out the beater attachment for a dough hook and add the salt, coconut flakes, dried cherries, and dried pineapple. Keep adding flour cup by cup until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. In total this should be roughly 4 cups of flour. 

Knead the dough together by hand to make sure everything is incorporated together. 

Place the dough back in the bowl and cover the top of the dough with a thin layer of oil and cover with a wet towel. 

Let the dough rise until it doubles in size, this should be about an hour, or in the fridge up to 24 hours. 

Punch the dough down and let it rise for another hour. 

At this point, you are ready to form the challahs. I like to do simple 4 strand braids. 

Once all of your challahs are formed, let them rise for an additional half hour, or up to an hour in colder weather. 

Top each challah with egg wash (one egg with a little bit of water) and some flaked coconut. 

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Fries with Mayo Sauce

We love fries in our house! And, these fries are so crunchy on the outside with a soft interior, you almost cannot believe they are baked and not deep fried! The secret is soaking them in a salted ice bath first to release excess starch, while also seasoning the inside before baking. The dill mayo sauce is cool and refreshing and a great contrast to the hot crunchy fries!

What you will need: 

FRIES:

3 tbsp kosher salt 

2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into wedges 

3 tbsp canola oil 

1 tbsp paprika 

½ tsp garlic powder 

½ tsp onion powder 

Ground black pepper 

MAYO: 

½ cup mayonnaise

4 tsp Dijon or whole grain mustard 

3 tbsp dried dill 

Salt and ground black pepper 

Directions: 

FRIES: 

Stir salt into a large bowl of cold water until dissolved, then add 1 cup ice cubes. Submerge the potato wedges and soak for 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Drain the potatoes and pat them dry. 

Toss the potatoes in oil in a bowl; then sprinkle with the salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder and toss again. 

Bake, tossing halfway through, until browned, about 1 hour. 

MAYO: 

Combine the mayonnaise, mustard and dill in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the fries. 

 Enjoy!

Matcha Challah

I love playing with new challah creations. All it takes is a few tweaks to my staple challah recipe. 

For this weeks challah, and the first shabbas of the new year 2021, I wanted something festive with sprinkles and maybe a little healthy and green. That’s where matcha comes in. Matcha green tea lattes are so delicious! The matcha gives the challah a green hue and you can taste the earthy green tea. Plus, matcha has many health benefits, like antioxidants, but that’s not why I chose it for this week. 

What you will need:

2 tbsp yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup warm water

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp matcha powder

4-4 1/2 cups flour

Rainbow sprinkles

Directions: 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, sugar, and water, stir to combine. Add the 2 eggs and mix the eggs with a beater attachment. Then add the oil and mix together again. 

With the mixer on the lowest speed, add flour cup by cup until the dough starts forming a ball and pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl. At this point, swap out the beater attachment for a dough hook and add the salt and matcha powder. Keep adding flour cup by cup until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. In total this should be roughly 4 cups of flour. 

Knead the dough together by hand to make sure everything is incorporated together. 

Place the dough back in the bowl and cover the top of the dough with a thin layer of oil and cover with a wet towel. 

Let the dough rise until it doubles in size, this should be about an hour, or in the fridge up to 24 hours. 

Punch the dough down and let it rise for another hour. 

At this point, you are ready to form the challahs. I like to do simple 4 strand braids. 

Once all of your challahs are formed, let them rise for an additional half hour, or up to an hour in colder weather. 

Top each challah with egg wash (one egg with a little bit of water) and some rainbow sprinkles. 

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Challah

I love everything pumpkin! I also love playing with new challah creations. All it takes is a few tweaks to my staple challah recipe.

I have been on a challah kick and a pumpkin kick lately. Who said pumpkin is reserved just for Fall? Not me! I love pumpkin all year, whether it’s a savory dish like pumpkin soup or pie or sweet like pumpkin ice cream, cake, cookies...I could go on and on.

You can definitely used can pumpkin purée, just make sure it’s one where it’s just pumpkin on the ingredients, not a pie filling that has other ingredients added in. I use pie pumpkins that I roast and purée my own, check out my how to here. 

What you will need:

2 tbsp yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup warm water

1 cup pumpkin purée {make your own here}

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4-4 1/2 cups flour

Directions: 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, sugar, water, and pumpkin purée, stir to combine. Add the 2 eggs and mix the eggs with a beater attachment. Then add the oil and mix together again. 

With the mixer on the lowest speed, add flour cup by cup until the dough starts forming a ball and pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl. At this point, swap out the beater attachment for a dough hook and add the salt and pumpkin pie spice. Keep adding flour cup by cup until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. In total this should be roughly 4 cups of flour. 

Knead the dough together by hand to make sure everything is incorporated together. 

Place the dough back in the bowl and cover the top of the dough with a thin layer of oil and cover with a wet towel. 

 Let the dough rise until it doubles in size, this should be about an hour, or in the fridge up to 24 hours. 

Punch the dough down and let it rise for another hour. 

At this point, you are ready to form the challahs. I like to do simple 4 strand braids. 

Once all of your challahs are formed, let them rise for an additional half hour, or up to an hour in colder weather. 

Top each challah with egg wash (one egg with a little bit of water) and some pumpkin seeds and cinnamon sugar if you want it sweet. 

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Loaf

Every year around this time I like baking something pepperminty, or warm and satisfying with spices in it. And this gingerbread loaf is just that! While I enjoy my pumpkin, fall spices, and peppermint all year round, everyone is baking a lot more this time of year!

This loaf is easy to prepare and comes together pretty quickly, which means you will be smelling the warm and delicious spices sooner.

What you will need: 

GINGERBREAD LOAF 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

½ cup granulated sugar 

1 tsp baking soda 

½ tsp salt 

1 tbsp ground ginger 

2 tsp cinnamon 

½ tsp ground nutmeg 

½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted or oil

½ cup molasses 

2 large eggs 

1 cup buttermilk (sub with milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

VANILLA GLAZE 

1 cup confectioners' sugar 

1 tbsp milk (more, as needed) 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

Directions: 

GINGERBREAD LOAF 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter and molasses until incorporated. Beat in eggs until combined, then buttermilk and vanilla extract. Beat until thoroughly combined. (Mixture may look curdled.) 

Stir wet mixture into the dry ingredients until combined, do not over mix. 

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack to finish cooling. 

VANILLA GLAZE 

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add more milk or confectioners' sugar as needed for desired consistency. Drizzle cooled cake with glaze.

Enjoy!