The Beginning

Hello! It is a new year and time for a new start! Okay, it is February and I am always behind everyone else. No worries. I am Asian and will start my new start with the lunar new year (which is the Chinese New year for those of you who don't know).

Look! It's like I'm on a cooking show!

Anyway, I am here with a new blog that I will update to record my progress into being a housekeeping and hostessing genius. By learning the ways of Martha Stewart, I too will become a hostess with the mostest. My sweet boyfriend gave me a subscription to Martha Stewart Living for Christmas, and I knew what I had to do. I had to beat her because I am competitive (and because it is the only way to motivate myself to learn how to do housekeeping crap).

Me and my super cute sous chef!

Of course, everyone who knows me knows that I am a very mediocre cook, so I must work on that. You may think that Martha has a lot more to offer... like insider trading tips. However, I have one thing that Martha does not: Korean sparkle! Have you ever seen "The Martha Stewart Show?" Oh my goodness, it is boring. Making stuff on TV takes too long. That is why you should read my blog instead of watching her.

Okay, here is the first recipe I tried:

Eggplant Parmigiana:

Marinara Sauce:
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or as Rachel Ray says, "EVOO")
1 Medium Onion chopped
4 Garlic Cloves thinly sliced
2 Cans Peeled Whole Tomatoes (28 oz) pureed
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
1/4 cup Fresh Basil leaves torn
1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano chopped
Freshly Ground Pepper

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 8min. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon half and some pepper. Simmer, covered, until thick 25 min. Stir in herbs.

Problems: Martha's recipe does not give enough sauce. Also, if you do not like a lot of heat, then do not put as much red pepper flakes as the recipe says because it was hot!


Eggplant Parmigiana:
2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup (1 oz) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
1 cup flour
4 large eggs beaten
2 large eggplants sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1/4 cups vegetable oil plus more if needed
Marinara sauce
3 cups (12 oz) coarsely grated Mozzarella Cheese
3/4 cup (1.5 oz) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese




1. Bread and fry the eggplant: Combine breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some pepper. Put flour, eggs, and breadcrumb mixture in 3 separate dishes. (Molly's note: Make sure dishes are wide enough to move your eggplant around. It makes it easier.) Dredge eggplant in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Dredge in breadcrumbs to coat. Let stand 30 min. (No way was I gonna sit around for 30 min. I let it stand for maybe 15 min. while I did other things. I put it in the fridge hoping that would help.)

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, fry eggplant until golden. (The recipe says 2 min. each side. I put my oil on a tad hotter than the recipe says and they were golden in no time. Also, I needed more oil than 1/4 cup after frying over half of the eggplant.) Transfer to paper-towel-lined baking sheet.

3. Assemble the dish: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 cups marinara sauce in bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant on top, overlapping slightly. Top with 1 cup sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano. Repeat twice to form layers. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling, about 30 min. Uncover, and bake until cheese melts, about 5 min. more.


Now that I have typed out the directions, I can see that I forgot to use foil which would've made my parmigiana cook better. Don't forget that like me! I also accidentally only bought 2 cups of mozzarella instead of 3. I added lots of Pecorino Romano instead and Jono worried that the eggplant would be overwhelmed, but I think our venture was successful. At least, his parents said so, although I am sure that they are too nice to ever tell me if something I made was not a success. Oh, and Mr. Dave took all of these great pictures for me. This recipe was delicious but very time consuming. (Jono and I spent well over 2 hours cooking!) Fortunately, the eggplant parmigiana tastes even better the next day when it has soaked in the flavors of the sauces and is reheated on the stove.

Next post I will write about Martha's homemade Caesar Salad Dressing and crafting Valentines.

Until then, remember: it's the effort that counts. At least, that's what I tell myself when I burn stuff.