Eggplant Casserole With Italian Sausage

Is Your Mouth Watering Yet?

Well It Should Be!

I love this easy crowd pleaser!

The only hard part is keeping

the critters from snatching the

fried eggplant before I can load

it up in the casserole!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of ground Italian sausage

1 eggplant

4 cups mozzarella cheese

8 cups gravy (spaghetti sauce)

1 cup flour

olive oil for frying

salt

1 cup milk

Peel the skin off the eggplant and slice in rounds about 1/4 inch thick.  Place slices on a kitchen towel in a single layer. Moderately salt each slice.  When the eggplant sweats (about 10 minutes) flip each slice over and repeat the process.  After the sweating is complete heat up about 1/2 cup of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Dip each slice in milk and then flour and fry until slightly brown.  Drain on a paper towel.  Continue to fry all the eggplant adding new oil to the skillet when needed.  In a separate skillet brown and drain the sausage.  Add the gravy to the sausage.  I make my gravy from scratch and it is different each time.  A really good store bought brand is fine.  Now you are ready to assemble your casserole.  Spray a good size casserole dish and spread about 2 Tbl of gravy on the bottom.  Place a layer of fried eggplant on the sauce.  Next spread part of the sausage mixture on top of the eggplant.  Sprinkle the cheese on top of  the sausage.  Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used ending with the cheese on top.

Bake covered at 350 for about 45 minutes or until it bubbles. I usually take the cover off the last 10 minutes of cooking as I like me cheese a little crunchy on top! Serve it up with some salad and bread and you are good to go my friends!

Easy No Fail Ciabatta Bread

Look at this NICE Bread!
This recipe is from

my new Blogging Friend

Papa Steve

from

The Clean Team

The Best Carpet Cleaning Service

in the city of Denver!

It truly is a no-brainer recipe!

Go HERE

to get it!

Summertime Meal....Simple and Healthy

AHHHHH

Summer is Here

FINALLY!

Fire Up The Grill!

A simple but yummy meal

from

the grill!

Grilled Chicken

Salad

Bread

Grandpa's Blue Pot

Exploring

 "The Barn"

was 

a

 favorite

pastime in the summers

at

Granny and Popeye's

House

we would spend hours

moving the hay from

position to position

to create the perfect room

sweeping the floor

until every crevice

of our body

was totally and completely

filled with dust

avoiding snakes and spiders

as we carefully

maneuvered through the

dark

and

very narrow hallway

to the "House"

keeping the cows

and

or

goats at bay

as we ran to the wooden door

climbing in the upper loft

better known as 
"The Attic"

to find more 
treasures

to fill our 
"House" 

trying to remember to

"Close The Gate"

so the animals

did not escape

finding old pots and pans

to make "Stew"

swinging open the wooden hatch

to let air in and out

and in

and out

trying hard 

not to smash fingers 

in the process

locking up our "House"

to eat "Supper"

and

catch fireflies

on 

the fresh cut grass

My Great Grandpa's

Blue Pot

Now sits

proudly

in

my garden

Mama Cora Gives Mama Holli an AWARD!

Mama Cora is sending me

some 

Lovin!

She awarded me this!

Mama Holli Trendy?

Well I guess So!

If Mama Cora says it

then it is TRUE!

Thank you my friend!

Go HERE

to see Mama Cora!

She has the sweetest blog

with the sweetest words

and the sweetest photos

and the sweetest recipes

and the sweetest stories

and

well I think you get the picture!

JUST GO!

Nifty Neapolitan Cookies

MAMA HOLLI

MADE

 THESE!

Pretty Neapolitan Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp almond extract

6 drops red food coloring

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 (1oz) square unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla and egg.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Divide the dough into thirds. Add the almond extract and red food coloring to one third of the dough; spread evenly into baking sheet.  Add walnuts to the second third of the dough and spread on top of first layer.  I used a rolling pin to assist me.  To the remaining dough add the melted chocolate and spread over the other two layers. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate overnight.  Dump dough out of pan and unwrap.  Cut loaf in half lengthwise.  Cut each portion into 1/8 inch slices.  Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes when edges are firm.  Cool on wire racks. 

Store

In

A

Pretty

Jar

to

 SHOW OFF!

VERY IMPORTANT!
linking this up
on
Tasty Kitchen

Starbucks And A New Cookbook!

WHAT MORE

COULD

A

MAMA

ASK FOR

My New Real Plastic

Reusable Cup

from

Daughter # 1

A New Cookbook

From

Mama Monica!

WOW!

I 

AM

A

LUCKY

MAMA

SEE YA!

I AM REAL BUSY HERE!

Sneak Peek From Goodwill Hunting!

Just A Peek!

A Work In Progress!
Mama is rolling
up her sleeves!

Window Boxes Please!

MAY

COLORADO

SNOW

COLD

This year has been crazy weather wise!

I think my bones have been 

COLD

all year long!

NEEDING 

some

SUN

and 

SOON

Needing some COLOR!

Needing

a

WINDOW 

BOX

NOW

Barns and Houses

Okay...so Mama Holli is a little wierd!

Just a little!

Sometimes 

A LOT WIERD!

I can't help it!

I have always had 

A

THANG

(TEXAS TALK)

for

old 

BARNS AND HOUSES

They tell a story!

I like stories!

Especially good juicy stories!

Old buildings are full

of

juicy stories!

I also like

WOOD

Again with the weird thang!

I told you

I can't help it!

So show me an old

wooden barn or house

and I am intrigued to say the least!

I want to explore!

Do you want to come with?

These photos all taken on

our Mother's Day Adventure!

So this one is colorful and interesting!

Could have been a row of little motel cabins

or small houses grouped together.

Combine or Roadside Motel?

Both very interesting proposals!

The wheelchair in the far left corner 

is a little disturbing! 

 Not quite sure what that is all about!

Does it add to the story?

OH YES IT DOES!

Little House on The Prairie?

Could be!

Like it!

Not too old 

but still like it 

just the same!

Oh Yes A Red Barn!

Gotta throw a Red Barn into the mix!

A Little muddy.

Expecting to see a cow cut around the corner

at any moment!

MOOOOOOO!

Do you see a pattern here?

Interesting workmanship!

I like the white plaster stuff in between

the layers of wood!

Way Cool!

I'm sure there is a name

for that but heck if I know

what it is.

I think that little house needs

some perking up!

Mama Holli would add some

gingham curtains and a nice

window box full

of bright RED geraniums!

Now doesn't that sound nice!

So this one is all boarded up!~

Could be abandoned!

Could be where Big Foot vacations!

Could Be!

So this one is definitely abandoned!

Big Foot would not 

vacation here!

This I know!

Like this one for Two Reasons!
First off.....
The WOOD is GREAT!
I mean GREAT!
OLD
WORN
and
WEATHERED
Definitely tells a story!
Secondly......
Looks Like the story 
is
still
THERE!
BOO!
Look closely in the middle 
window my friends!
Do you see what I see?
Oh Yes You Do!
A
MAN
IN
THE
WINDOW!!!
Hello little ghost man!
What's your story?
HEE HEE HEE

Caprese Panini

My kiddos wanted a quick

and easy hot meal last Saturday.

What does Mama Holli do you ask?

She grabs the nifty

Panini Maker

stuffed in the bottom cabinet

under the mixer 

and next to the blender!

I plug it in

and

it works it's magic!

Caprese Panini

Bread

Olive Oil

Tomatoes

Basil

Spinach

Sea Salt

Crushed Black Pepper

Red Wine Vinegar

Mozzarella

Layer  

tomatoes

spinach

mozzarella

and

basil

On Top

of

 any slice

of

 yummy bread

Dribble 

olive oil

red wine vinegar

Sprinkle

salt

pepper

Top

with

second

slice

of

bread

Grill

until

cheese 

melts

EAT

and

Enjoy

Sharing A New Painting From My Baby Girl

I Could Stare At This

For Hours

WOW!

I love Aspen Trees!

She wanted to represent

the seasons changing!

I think her interpretation

is beautiful but

then again

what do you 

EXPECT

After All

I 

AM

HER

MAMA

and

OH

SO

PROUD

OF

IT

What Children Give Their Mama's For Mother's Day!

I Will Let

My Mama

Brush My Hair

One Time Only

I Will Give

My Mama

A Cat and A Dog

She Will Like It

I Will Not Fall

Off The Table

And

 Crack My Head Open

For

 My Mama

We Don't Know 

What To Give

Our Mama
We Are So
Confused

I Will Make

A Nice Present

For My Mama

And

Leave It In My Diaper

For Her

I Will Make 

Another Nice

Present For Her

She Will Like it

Happy Mother's Day

To All

The Mama's!

Enjoy All Of The Gifts

From Your Babies!