There are many versions of eggplant parmesan. I probably like them all. The earthy sweetness of the eggplant and tomato sauce, the gooey mozzarella, and the sharpness of the parmesan all come together to make something delectable. Eggplant parmesan was the most satisfying vegetarian dinner I ate when I was growing up.

In some recipes the eggplant is breaded and fried. While this adds a whole extra layer of texture, I don't think it's necessary. The version I grew up with was one my mom made and perhaps it's just the familiarity of it, but I really do think it's the best. Because it isn't fried it's not greasy which is often what happens with eggplant. A hearty filling entree I wouldn't dream of serving it without spaghetti on the side.

I have to say, I love something a little sweet after my meal. Especially lunch. I feel it's time to revive the "after lunch dessert" movement. Wait, is that actually a movement?

Anyway, this was our after lunch dessert and let me just say, its lemony-goodness hit the spot.

If I didn't have to finish making lunch for my family, getting everyone a different drink, cleaning up spilled milk and washing the dishes...I could have taken a picture right away and you would have seen that this dessert comes out of the oven all puffed up and beautiful. If you serve them right away, they will look that way.  My food blog fantasy is to have a team of people ready to take pics as soon as things emerge from the oven....prolly' not gonna happen.

This sweet little dessert (that by the way is low-cal), has a delicate sauce on the bottom....a nice little surprise. It's perfection. Make it soon, you will love it too.

What is better than good old-fashioned sausage gravy over buttermilk biscuits. This recipe for sausage gravy goes perfectly with the buttermilk biscuits posted yesterday.

This gravy recipe also has bacon in the mix, giving it an amazing flavor and texture with a twist. We loved it. The bacon drippings also add to the overall flavor....a big plus!!!

What a breakfast we had with this gravy over the warm, flaky biscuits. Heaven.

I was methodically chopping chives into 1/4 inch batons to balance on top of the mini crabcakes I would soon serve. I was lost in thought about my 4 ½ year relationship that I had ended earlier that day. 4 ½ years. Sigh. I was thinking about the love and all the amazing moments we shared over that time. images (1)I have no regrets, only appreciation for the incredible man that Shannon is and an understanding that love sometimes changes into something else. I glanced down at the cutting board and realized I had cut enough chive batons to feed a sizeable army – which this crowd was not. I slid the greens into a bowl as one of the servers walked into the kitchen.

“Do you have sugar for the coffee and tea service?” the waiter asked the house manager of the apartment on the 33rd floor of the Ritz Carlton Residences where we were catering. The manager opened the ample pantry and started off-loading sweeteners to the side table. “We’ve got Splenda. We’ve got Equal. We’ve got Truvia. We’ve got Sweet and Low.”

A small herd of boxes – yellow, blue, green, and pink - collected on the table.

“We’ve got agave. We’ve got honey. We’ve got stevia. And we’ve got gluten free sugar.” We all stopped and looked at each other. “Gluten free sugar? Huh?” the waiter said. “I thought sugar WAS gluten free.” And he turned to me because, well, because I was the one in the chef jacket.