We start with ripe eggplants, and slice them, a bit over 1/4 inch.

Next, dip them in egg (we use fat free eggs, such as egg beaters) and breadcrumbs.

Brown in a non-stick pan sprayed with Pam (a non-stick vegetable oil spray), about 10 minutes each side. You can see that they brown nicely.

A few tablespoons of sauce, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place in a preheated 350F oven for about 20-25 minutes until cheese melts and starts to brown.

If you enjoy eggplant dishes in a restaurant but for whatever reason, just haven’t tried it at home, now’s your chance. Let us know if you enjoyed this healthier version.

Happy Thanksgiving.

* I know – Eggplant is technically a fruit not a vegetable. There’s an old expression; Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

• Slow Cooked Ribs
• Bernanke's Grandma Friedman's Blintzes
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• Peppers and Onions
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After about an hour, pull out the white meat, take it off the bones and throw the bones back in. Save the white meat to put back in the soup before serving. Now, put in eight peeled carrots, eight stalks of celery, both cut into big pieces, and one large onion, peeled and cut up. A bit of black pepper as well, 1/4 tsp or so. Simmer for another two hours and strain to get the stock you see above. You can spend a bit of time and pull of the meat for chicken salad or to serve over rice or noodles. On a good sale whole chickens are under a dollar per pound, and this stock is well worth the ten dollars or so spent on the chickens. You’ll notice I don’t add salt. I’d rather adjust the final seasoning when the stock is used for the dish I’m serving. This freezes very well, and with the winter coming up great to make on snowy days when you’d rather stay in doors.

• Slow Cooked Ribs
• Homemade Peach Gelato
• Hummus
• Squash!
• Turkey Meatloaf

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1 pkg won-ton wrappers
1 pound raw shrimp
2 tbs pork fat (rendered from bacon)
1 tablespoon scallion (white only)
2 tablespoons water chestnuts
1 egg white
1 teaspoon tapioca starch
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

Shell and clean shrimp, chop finely. Add finely chopped water chestnuts, chopped scallion and bacon fat. Mix in remaining ingredients and chill for about an 1 hour. (Note: most cities have an Asian grocer where you can find these items. The tapioca starch is the tough to find one. You can substitute corn starch if you can’t find the tapioca.)

Put a bit more than 1/2 teaspoon of the filling in each wrapper, dip your finger in water, and moisten the edges of the wrappers.

Bring both corners together and press a bit.

Next, bring in the other two corners, so now all four edges meet. It’s a bit tedious, but after a few, you’ll get the knack. So long as all the edges are sealed, they’ll taste great.

Steam for 15 minutes (note: the shrimp are not cooked first, the steaming will cook it thoroughly). Makes about 25. This is a bamboo Chinese steamer, but you can use a metal one that goes into a pot or make your own by putting a plate on a ring of twisted foil in a large pot. It’s easy to steam.

A real crowd pleaser, these dumplings aren’t tough to make at all, just a bit of preparation you can do earlier in the day or the day before. The mix can sit in the fridge until you are ready to fill the wrappers.

If you are a dumpling fan, and have a recipe you’ve been making, We’d love to hear from you and maybe share your recipe with our readers. Thanks for visiting.

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First, let’s talk about barbecue sauces.

There are dozens to choose from, and that’s just counting what’s in our pantry. The great thing is there’s a sauce for everyone’s taste preference, hot, sweet, tangy, whatever you prefer. The ribs we use are babyback, and we usually get a package weighing about 10lbs at Costco. For a gettogether, cook them all, but for a family meal just make what you’ll eat in a few days. If the racks of ribs are long cut in half so you can wrap them and fit in the oven. Cut between the bones, jut enough for the sauce to cover each rib, but not all the way through. Now, get a large piece of heavy duty tin foil, put the ribs down and cover in barbecue sauce. wrap it up tight and put in a pan so if they leak, you won’t set off the smoke detector. Start the oven at 250F, and cook for 1/2 hr. Then drop the temperature to 180F (yes, one hundred eighty degrees F) and cook for a total of 24 hour, more or less. Not a typo, I said twenty four hours. We’ve done this many times and never been disappointed.

The ribs come out with the meat so tender, the bone can jut slip out. When we make these, we wrap up a couple racks in each of two or three different sauces and see which one we like best. That Kraft honey barbecue sauce seems to be taking the lead in this comparison. One fiendly warning; some ovens won’t stay on for 24 hours, ours shuts after 12, so we turn it off and on just before going to bed, and then again when we wake up. Above is have they serve it when I (dad) have eaten BBQ in Austin, TX. Try this and let us know what you think.

• Peppers and Onions
• Squash!
• Hummus
• Minuloti
• San Antonio Spicy Chili

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2-1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

First, mix the ingrediants in a large mixing bowl, then form into balls. We use an ice cream scooper to get these consistant.Use a bit of cooking spray then cook on a low flame with the lid on. About 10 minutes on low, then flip over.

Another 10 minutes or so and they are ready.

These meatballs freeze well, and go great in our homemade pasta sauce. Enjoy.

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