Another winner!

I have been hounding John Frank to get me a stove top grill pan because of the wonderful summer grilling recipes that I've run across while still on my search for the perfect Yother family meals.  Over the weekend, after shopping around to find the best price, my wish came true.  We purchased this grill pan from World Market and it has been great so far (used it twice), http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3595998 .  It is double sided, one side a grill and the other a griddle, and was such a great price!  I can't wait to make pancakes on it.

Many who know me know that since being married I get really bored with making the same things for dinner so I have only made the same meal twice about 4 times.  We love to cook so meals are usually homemade at the Yothers every day of the week and it can get pretty tough to come up with fresh ideas.  Since being pregnant I have felt safer eating at home so my longing to find those perfect family meals that everyone enjoys and that I can serve to guests, when we start having them, has gotten stronger.

That said, last night I made Open-Faced Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches for my dear husband and he said, "We have to have this again!".  I was thrilled and I love to share so I am posting the recipe from Food and Wine here, http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/open-face-grilled-eggplant-sandwiches.  You can also click on the title of this post to be redirected to this recipe.

I hope you enjoy!!

Open-Face Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

• TOTAL TIME: 25 MIN
• SERVINGS: 4
  

• FAST
• VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of peasant bread

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

One 1 1/4-pound eggplant, sliced crosswise 1 inch thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

1/2 pound buffalo mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick 

8 large basil leaves, torn 

Coarse sea salt 

Directions

1. Light a grill (I used the grill pan over medium/high heat). Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and grill over high heat until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a platter.
2. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat until charred on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and grill until tender, about 3 minutes longer.
3. Top the eggplant with the tomato, mozzarella and basil. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese melts, 2 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to the bread, sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Still here!

Im not sure if anyone reads my blog but I feel the need to inform the few that do that I am still here!  It has been very hard to keep up with daily posts, even monthly posts, but I assure you its not because my life has been boring and I've had nothing to write about during my time away.  Here are some updates...

John Frank and I have been married for almost a year now, which has been wonderful.  I read an article the other day exclaming that the first year of marriage is absolutely the hardest year and it was best to set boundaries and set aside time for yourself without your spouse, blah, blah, blah.  I was floored!  This year has been the best of my life and at the end of this first year I love my husband more than I ever have.  And get this, I want to be with him every second of the day!  And we almost are.  We live together, of course.  We work for the same company, so its a comfort to have him available if I ever need him, therefore we ride together to work occasionally.  Its great to spend so much time with him and he seems to feel the same way :)

Also, Im expecting!!  How exciting is that?  We are due November 12th and have decided not to find out the gender of the baby...for now.  I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to be a mother and I am so excited that there is a little Yother on its way.  And the pregnancy seems to be going well.  We haven't had morning sickness and all of the tests have come back normal so far.  Of course, as a first time mother and a full time worrier I pray every day for the health of the the baby and I covet your prayers as well.  Sometimes its so hard to hand over the reigns.  Especially when I feel that it is my job to protect this child.  I know that our lives are laid out and planned in advance and its our job to listen and follow.

We are working on the nursery now and I hope to post pictures as we get things going.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the room before.  It was JF's office and my sewing room so there was junk everywhere!  The walls were once blue, now Pottery Barn Jicama.  This is what we hope the nursery will resemble by the time we're done.  I promise to try to post as often as I can.