Patio Baby Eggplant Parmesan Bites

Patio Baby eggplants are about the size of a real egg.

I purchased a Patio Baby Eggplant seedling without really knowing what it was. I wanted a smaller eggplant, and that’s what I got.

The Patio Baby Eggplant was developed for pots and small gardens. It grows into a slender bush about a foot and a half tall.

Mine didn’t start producing fruits until late summer. The plant information says it will continue until the first frost.

Cut, dip, dredge and fry.

The small fruits fit in your hand. In fact, several will. I decided to make individual Eggplant Parmesan Bites due to their diminutive size.

I cut each eggplant into three slices lengthwise.

I beat one egg with milk and prepared a coating out of equal parts flour and cornmeal seasoned to taste with sea salt.

Fry until lightly browned.

Each slice went into the egg mixture, dredged in the cornmeal and flour mixture, back to the egg and finally back to the flour mixture again.

Fry the coated eggplant in olive oil using medium-high heat until they become soft inside and the coating becomes lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel until they are all done.

Arrange the little bites on a baking sheet liberally coated with cooking spray.

Assemble the bites with sauce and cheese.

Top each eggplant bite with a dollop of prepared spaghetti sauce (commercial or homemade), a shake of Parmesan cheese, and a small slice of mozzarella cheese.

Bake the bites at 350°F until  the cheese on top is melted and bubbly.

I served my Eggplant Parmesan Bites as a dinner entree with salad.

The cheese is melted and they are ready to enjoy.

My Patio Baby plant produced enough little eggplants to make this recipe three time over the summer and fall. If you live in a warmer climate, you might even get more for a longer time.

Do you have any favourite eggplant recipes that you would like to share? -- Margy

Rebroadcast of Our Float Cabin on UNIS Television

Wayne and I were honoured to host a film team from Red Letter Films at our Hole in the Wall float cabin home in July 2014. Evelyne and her film crew including camera technician Catherine (Cat), and assistant camera tech Creighton (Crey), spent a whole day with us up the lake getting to know what off the grid float cabin living was like.

The results called Chalets de la Cote Ouest (West Coast Cottages) will be rebroadcasting on UNIS, a Canadian television channel focusing on French-speaking audiences from British Columbia to the Atlantic provinces.

Click below to go the the video link. This is a screen shot.

Our float cabin home is featured in the second segment that is rebroadcasting as follows:

In Powell River -- November 14, 15, 18 and 20 on Telus Channel 2088

Shaw Digital on Channel 912

or check your local listing.

It should be available (in French only) on the UNIS website after the first airing date. Click here to go to the video page and click on the arrow next to "Voir la video."

Sharing our lifestyle has been fun. This was our second televison production. The first was for Extreme Houseboats on the Travel Channel. Unfortunately, this video is blocked in Canada. -- Margy

Log Hauling in British Columbia

Skidding logs into the water at the Head of Powell Lake.

Powell River in Coastal British Columbia is a logging community. A large part of the economy is driven by this sustainable industry. All year long, logging goes on in accessible, and some relatively inaccessible, areas.

Once cut, the logs have to be limbed, sized, sorted, bundled and trucked for long-distance transport. Here on the coast, most logs make their way to mills and markets on the South Coast via a water route.

A tug tows a boom of logs through First Narrows on Powell Lake.

On Powell Lake, you see booms of logs heading south to Block Bay where they are extracted with an A-frame.

An A-frame at Block Bay lifts the log bundles from the water to waiting trucks.

The bundled logs are lifted onto trucks and transported a short distance to the ocean. We call it the salt chuck, or chuck for short.

Logging trucks transport logs in big bundles.

Once back in the water, logs are pulled in booms or motored on barges south to Vancouver on our busy BC ocean highway.

A log barge being towed to Vancouver. Most logs travel in large floating booms.

Each load is worth many thousands of dollars, and even more after its transformed into building materials and other value-added products. In bad weather, tug captains sometimes have to save their loads from high winds and crashing waves.

Look around your home. I bet you will find lots of wood in many forms. Just think what would happen if we didn’t have a healthy, sustainable logging industry.

Sawdust returning to the Catalyst paper mill in Powell River, BC.

Then, after milling is done, sawdust returns to Powell River towed in large barges, destined to become high quality paper products in the Catalyst mill. The light coloured sawdust is used in paper making. The dark is hog fuel that is burned to power the boilers. -- Margy

Cinnamon Apple Spiced Spritzer

Spiced canned apples.

Over on the Powell River Books Blog I shared a recipe for making spiced canned apples. I made too much syrup, so I used some to make applesauce. Even then, there was some apple flavoured cinnamon spice syrup left.

I hate to be wasteful, and the syrup was so tasty I saved it in the fridge. After an afternoon of hot canning, I wanted a cool drink. Now what could I have? How about a Cinnamon Apple Spiced Spritzer.

I put ice in a tall glass and filled it one-third with my flavoured syrup. Then I topped it off with cold 7-Up. It made a sweet refreshing drink. Yum-o!

Leftover spiced apple syrup makes a tasty non-alcoholic drink.

I’ve made similar drinks with left over syrup from canned blackberries and blueberries. Of the three, I like the apple best. And I bet it would make a great Appletini. Now if I only had some vodka. -- Margy

Fresh Tomato-Tortilla Soup

Costa del Sol resturant, Powell River BC

Wayne and I love the Costa del Sol restaurant in Powell River. It has upscale Latin cuisine, and we love everything they serve. One of our favourites is Tortilla Soup.

The recipe at Costa del Sol has a unique thick tomato base with traditional avocado and a crispy tortilla topping.

I’ve been making tomato sauce to freeze. When it’s done, it has the same consistency as the restaurant soup, so I decided to try making into soup. I found a recipe online to use as a guide.

Tomato-Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

2 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
¼ cup fresh line juice
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Making homemade tomato sauce.

Of course, I had to modify it a bit to use my own tomato sauce, forgo the immersion blender, and reduce the size for dinner for two.

First I skinned my tomatoes, cooked them down, and pressed them to remove the seeds and pulp. Then I simmered the juice until it became a thick sauce. (If you use canned diced tomatoes you will need some way to blend them smooth.)

Fresh ingredients make it good.

In a frying pan, I sautéed finely chopped onion with one teaspoon oil until it was translucent. I added finely diced garlic and jalapeno pepper. I diced everything fine since I didn’t have an immersion blender to use to puree the soup at the end.

Next the cumin and oregano went into the pan to cook for one minute. Cooking the spices in warm oil releases more flavour than adding them later to the soup.

Baking the tortilla strips.

I didn’t have canned broth, so I used chicken bullion in boiling water. Bullion cubes are easy to store at the cabin, and they are always on hand. I mixed together the chicken broth, the sautéed ingredients, and my prepared tomato sauce base.

Then I added salt and pepper to taste. I even added about a tablespoon of chili powder to give it a little more kick. Next time I'll use more jalapeno pepper.

The soup after simmering.

While I let the soup simmer to marry the flavours, I prepared the tortilla strips. I brushed each side of the tortillas with oil then cut them into short strips.

I placed them on a baking pan, sprinkled the tops with salt, and baked them in the oven at 350° until crispy and golden brown.

I always make extra. They're good for munching, and Wayne can't resist.

Tortilla soup supper on a cool rainy evening.

To assemble, I chopped avocado into the bowl, ladled in the soup, squeezed fresh lime over the top, sprinkled chopped green onions (I didn’t have any cilantro), and finished it off with a dollop of sour cream.

With a salad and crusty bread, it made a nice meal on a cool rainy evening up the lake.

What are some of your favourite fall and winter soups to make?

I was featured this week on the Homestead Blog Hop for my Fresh Tomato-Tortilla soup recipe. Thanks to my readers for all of your support. -- Margy

Crockpot Braciole for Crocktober

Crockpot Braciole with spaghetti and salad for dinner.

I was just reading the Nancy On The Home Front blog. It had a post calling October the month of Crocktober.

How fitting, what better way to make a meal on a cold blustery day than in a crockpot. Now that's comfort food for sure.

Here's a crockpot recipe I've used. It's a little more involved than stew, but the results can be used for an evening meal for two or party fare, the choice is yours.

I get things going early in the morning and then have the rest of my day off without worry.

Funny, I use my crockpot more now than I ever did when I got it as a wedding present in 1971. Who would have guessed.

I chose a new recipe for Braciole from Rival Crock-Pot Cooking. This edition is out of print, but you can find it in used bookstores or online for a reasonable price.

Crockpot Braciole

2 1/2 lb. round steak, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
8 slices Provolone cheese

Filling:
1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon leaf oregano
1 teaspoon Italian spice
1 teaspoon salt

Chop and saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Put in mixing bowl. Crumble and lightly brown sausage. Add oregano and Italian spice. Put in mixing bowl and let cool slightly. Add bread crumbs, grated cheese and salt. Beat an egg and add to the mixture to act as a binding agent. Mix well.


Sauce:
1 10 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
1 tablespoon leaf oregano
1 tablespoon Italian spice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt

Chop and saute garlic and onions. Add oregano and Italian spice. Add stewed tomatoes and tomato paste. Use water to rinse cans into the sauce. Add garlic powder and salt to taste. Let sauce simmer while assembling Braciole.

Assembly:
Trim fat from steak and cut into 8 evenly sized pieces. Pound steak pieces until thin and easy to roll. Place a slice of Provolone cheese on each piece of steak. Cover with about two tablespoons of filling and roll jelly-roll style. Secure with toothpicks. Don't worry if you have any extra filling. Just add it to the sauce.

Spray crockpot with Pam to reduce sticking. Cover the bottom with sauce. Layer in the steak roll-ups. Cover with the remaining sauce. Cook on low for 7 to 10 hours.

To complete the meal, cook some spaghetti to serve with the Braciole and sauce. A vegetable and garlic toast makes a great meal. -- Margy