Elijah is a farmer. Everyday he amazes me with his interest in plants, nature and gardening. He notices all of the teeny details. He gives us his theories about why this plant will or won't grow. He walks his "fields" several times a day. Yesterday, he announced that he wants to grow a maple tree in his room. Hmm, we'll have to figure out something doable.
Besides tending his crops, Elijah enjoys cooking. He is intensely interested in seeing how meals are made and making them himself. The other day he got the chance to harvest and cook. We made eggplant parmesan. We covered the eggplant slices in egg and dipped them in breadcrumbs that we seasoned with parmesan, thyme, oregano, and basil. After baking them until they were crispy, we layered tomato sauce and cheese over them. We managed to get two complete layers of eggplant, sauce and cheese with the two eggplants Elijah harvested.
Elijah is surveying his crops while Eden helps by placing dirt on the leaves.
The finished product . . . .
They wiped out the eggplant parmesan completely and quickly. Doran must have had about six helpings. Helena, who can barely be bothered to sit down to a meal, had at least two helpings. Eden loved it too. Elijah chose to grow the Dancer Eggplant this year. I like it much better than the bigger varieties that seem to get a bit tough. As you can see it worked wonderfully for us.
Look at that proud face enjoying what he grew and cooked.
Well, we lucked out on this variety of eggplant and the recipe. It's something we will make again. Do you and your family have vegetables you like to grow and eat? Is there a special something you dream of growing one day? Happy Monday everyone!
