Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches: A #HartPartyof1 Series

Good morning, readers and happy Friday, Jr.! Tomorrow is the real deal almost weekend! Congratulations for making it this far! I hope your week has been swift and painless. Enough pleasantries, let's get into the post, shall we?


Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches

1 small eggplant, sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds
1 egg, beat with 1 Tbsp water
1 C Italian breadcrumbs
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 C marinara sauce
1/2 C garlic mayo (recipe to follow)
1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
2 C fresh spinach, chopped
6 hoagie rolls


Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil.


To prepare eggplant, dip slices in egg and water mixture and coat each side evenly in breadcrumbs. After all eggplant slices are coated, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Arrange eggplant in a single layer at the bottom of the skillet and fry for 5 minutes. Flip the eggplant and repeat with the remaining slices and add more oil to the pan as necessary. Place cooked slices on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.


Slice the hoagie rolls in half, toast in oven for 3 minutes and slather one side with garlic mayo and the other side with 1-2 Tbsp of marinara sauce. Put about 1/2 C of chopped spinach on the mayo'd side and top with eggplant slices. I was able to get about 3-4 slices per sandwich. Top eggplant with another 1-2 Tbsp of marinara sauce and sprinkle with about 1 Tbsp of cheese per sandwich. Repeat for all remaining ingredients.


After your sandwiches are assembled, bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melty and gooey.


I got 5 sandwiches out of this recipe because one of my rolls split into fourths...which is not very good for sandwich making, however had my roll been intact I would've been able to get 6. And in the event you cannot and do not wish to eat 6 full-sized sandwiches by yourself (as a party of 1), sharing food with co-workers is a great way to make friends! Or conning people into associating you with good things - you do you, boo.


I must also confess that I didn't eat these sandwiches right out of the oven, as I should've but instead only made them on Sunday evening to save my withering eggplant from a fate of slowly rotting in my trash can (I am a generous god). I instead held off on munching them until yesterday for lunch and I must say, they were spectacular even after being refrigerated and reheated in a microwave! However I would've preferred to use a toaster oven or convection oven to avoid the bread becoming chewy or soggy, which it was...slightly. However despite this, the sandwich was full of flavor! The eggplant was meaty, the mayo was garlicy and the spinach took on a wilted-sautéed texture. It was a home run for sure! Luckily for me, I have another one today!


Garlic Mayonnaise


1/2 C plain mayonnaise
3 fresh garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste


Mix everything together in a bowl and spread on your favorite sammies!


Thank you, as always for taking the time out of your busy lives to read my humble blog and keep on eatin'!

Dinosaur Weekend 2018

Welcome back, readers! I know you just checked out my Death & Taxes  blog and just can't get enough of me so you're back for more. I can't say I blame you - I am witty, talented, smart and oh, so humble. I have to give the people what they want!


I am passionate about a few things - sharks, cooking, hugs and dinosaurs. You're probably now wondering why I have the interests of a 12-year-old. I'm just a kid at heart! Anyway, unless you're living under a rock, you probably know that last weekend the newest installment of the blockbuster Jurassic Park series was released - of course I had a whole themed weekend planned to celebrate and the first activity was Dinosaur Dinner while watching the original film that started it all.


Dinosaur Dinner





This dinner had everything - carbs, cheese, meatless hot dog chili, and theme!


Dino-Spikes with Gallimimus Guacamole (Quesadillas with Guacamole)


4 large flour tortillas
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C pickled jalapenos (optional)


Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet (or 2) with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray to avoid sticking.


Place 2 tortillas on the prepared baking sheet and load up with 1/4 C onion, 1/4 C bell pepper, 1/2 C cheese and 1/8 C jalapenos each. Top with remaining tortillas and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip over to crisp up other side and bake another 10. Slice into triangles (the "spikes").


Gallimimus Guacamole


3 ripe avocadoes, diced
1/2 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 Tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tsp red chile powder (optional, but strongly encouraged!)


In a large bowl, mash avocado and add all ingredients. Do a taste check - or 3.


Tricera-Tots (Ultimate Tots)


1 bag frozen tater puffs
1 can meatless hot dog chili (fun fact, most of the hot dog chili is meatless! Just read the label!)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
Ranch dressing, for serving


Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray the foil with cooking spray to avoid sticking.


Spread the taters in a single layer and bake for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes flip and top with chili, onions and cheese. Bake another 10-12 minutes or until crisp and golden.


Top with pickled jalapenos, if you wish. Also drizzle on some good quality ranch dressing because ranch is scientifically proven to make anything already tremendous, even more delectable.


I also bought some spinach and kale dinosaur-shaped vegetable nuggets at Aldi to go with our meal! They were just a fun addition, if your family is of the carnivorous persuasion, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets would also be a great option!


On Friday I wore the dinosaur-DNA dress I bought especially for this weekend (seriously, I did. Never underestimate my passion), went to Dairy Queen for a Jurassic Chomp Blizzard - they're delicious by the way, and then settled in to watch Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom on the big screen.

It was a great movie and an even better Dinosaur Weekend with my main man and fellow dinosaur enthusiast!


Many thanks for reading, as always! I couldn't do it without you guys!

Death & Taxes

Good morning readers! I apologize for the posting hiatus, it's been busy over here in Hart-land. Lots of working, visiting cool places and working on my summer bod. But prepare yourselves for a litany of posts all at once! Lucky you! So buckle up, buttercup and let's get started!


Nate and my wedding anniversary is June 7 and on June 8th we went to a restaurant I've wanted to visit since before we moved to Raleigh, NC - Death & Taxes. This beautiful space is located at 150 W. Hargett St, Raleigh, NC 27601


Death and Taxes is an experience from the second you walk through the door until you leave for the evening. Everything was delightful and I still can't really fully explain how much I love this restaurant and I want to go back ASAP. Also they have an incredible wine list and cocktail menu.


Décor: this remodeled bank building features interesting chandeliers, vintage mirrors and a beautiful bar with a front-row seat to the action going on in the open kitchen. The dining room is narrow with different sized tables lining either wall. Due to limited space, they also do not accept parties over 6 people.


Food appearance: Ashley Christensen isn't an award winning chef for nothing, that's for damn sure. Every plate was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. I'm just going to post some pictures and let you see for yourself.

Food taste: we began with an appetizer of Roasted Oysters and Charcuterie. The oysters (of which I ate 5 out of 6), were succulent and topped with chili butter and preserved lemon. They were deliciously ocean-y and anything with butter is automatically going to be phenomenal.

Roasted Oyster Appetizer

Charcuterie Appetizer

The Charcuterie was a mixture of hard meats, pate, house pickled onions and pickles and grilled toasts. I only tried 2 of those things but they were magnificent! I normally don't care for pickles but these were slightly sweet, slightly acidic and still had a great crunch. My only complaint was there was no cheese...where is the cheese? Of course, Nate can dish on how the meats were.


Up next - main course. I ordered the Grilled NC Fish (truthfully I cannot remember what our lovely server said it was) with cannellini beans, crab, spinach and cherry tomato. The fish itself was a massive fillet; buttery and luscious (excuse me while I drool), capped with raw cherry tomatoes and set atop a bed of wilted spinach, and cannellini beans. The "salad" as I shall now refer to it, was slightly acidic and was a perfect pairing to the rich fish. My only complaint with this dish (besides that there wasn't more of it) was the skin wasn't crisp and resulted in a rubbery mass I ended up removing from the dish and setting aside.

Grilled NC Fish

Nate ordered the Heritage NY Strip Steak that was accompanied by crispy fingerlings, roasted red pepper and cilantro. He ordered it on the rare side and the fillet was beautifully pink and he kept making "mmm" noises while munching - that means it was good, right? The potatoes were crisp and wonderfully seasoned.

Heritage NY Strip Steak

Since everything is served ala carte style, we ordered 2 sides to split - the Creamed Greens and the Twice-Cooked Mushrooms.


The greens were large leafy monsters (I'm not great at identifying my greens) and in a delicious creamy sauce. They were even better when fried up and whipped into eggs the next morning. But the real star of this course - The Twice-Cooked Mushrooms. I know this sounds weird with all the wonderful dishes I just described but these little fungi were acidic bites of heaven and I have no idea what wizardry they did to accomplish this but I will gladly return just for these alone!

Creamed Greens Side

Twice-Cooked Mushrooms AKA manna from the gods!

After a brief siesta, we were given a dessert list to peruse, because a meal this magical is just begging to be finished off with something even more decadent. After much deliberation (literally everything sounded heavenly) we settled on the Videri Dark Chocolate Cheesecake. This elegantly bittersweet cheesecake is made with locally produced Videri dark chocolate and surrounded by a pool of dulce de leche and burnt cinnamon.

Videri Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Service: your customer service experience begins the second you walk into their beautiful marbled lobby. We were greeted by 2 smiling hosts and led to our table. Since I had specified in our reservation that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, we were greeted by our server by name and with 2 complimentary glasses of the most crisp and possibly most delicious sparkling wine I've had the pleasure to sip.


Our server was extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer any and all questions about dishes and ingredients. The other staff was just as helpful - no dirty plates left on tables, no even half-way empty water glasses, all utensils replaced after each course. And we were called by name as we exited the restaurant too!


Cleanliness: as this is a high-volume and award winning establishment; absolutely nothing was out of place or looked dirty.


I eagerly await another trip to this magnificent eatery that is nothing short of extraordinary. My best advice is to 1) come hungry, you will leave looking like a stuffed turkey; 2) plan to stay here awhile - the courses are timed so you are allowed time to digest and enjoy before moving onto the next; and 3) bring your wallet and save up money! This restaurant is definitely not one I'd be able to afford to go to regularly. Cheapest entrée is $24 so be prepared to splurge!

Black Bean Salad: A #HartPartyof1 Series

Happy Hump Day, readers! I hope your day is going better than mine currently is. I know I normally don't complain on these blogs and you think I'm this happy-go-lucky person and like 99.9% of the time I am but I have to get something off my chest - I miss my husband. There. I said it. He's been gone for 22 days at this point and it's been relatively easy up until now. The last 2 days have been torture and today it all came to a head. So it's really put a damper on my mood for today. Plus tomorrow is our 4-year wedding anniversary. Luckily he'll be home this weekend to celebrate.


But now that my complain-fest is over, on to this wonderful recipe I made for dinner last night that's perfect for a quick meal or could even be used as a side or a dip! Who doesn't love that versatility?!


Black Bean Salad

Dressing:
2 limes, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 Tsp cayenne
1/2 Tsp cumin
2 Tbsp maple syrup/honey


Salad:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can yellow corn kernels, rinsed and drained
2 C fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
2 ripe avocados, diced


In a big mixing bowl, combine dressing ingredients and stir. Add black beans, corn, cilantro and red onion to the bowl and mix. Just before serving add in your avocado and stir gently to not mash up the avocadoes too much.


Serve immediately or cover and keep in the fridge.


This recipe took less than 5 minutes to come together and was absolutely scrumptious! I ate a heaping bowlful with some tortilla chips and put the remaining 6 or so cups' worth in the fridge to enjoy tonight for dinner and tomorrow for lunch! I could easily see this salad being served alongside some tacos, grilled meats, or even as a dip for your next party (just get sturdy chips or crackers to hold up to all the deliciousness).


Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more delicious recipes and even a restaurant review or two!