Birthday Dinner

I gladly put myself in charge of executing my Dad's birthday dinner this past Saturday. I had a couple of dishes that I've began making regularly and knew this was something I could relieve my Mom of. I decided on a hodgepodge of things to keep the masses pleased but wanted to share with you my two favorite things from the day, eggplant parmesan lasagna and pineapple upside down cake.

For the lasagna, as a time saver I started off by making my own sauce the night before. It can be a lengthy process making this all in one evening.

You'll need:

Eggplant of your choice
olive oil/ salt/pepper
4 cloves of garlic, smashed (I always add a little extra)
2-28oz. can diced tomatoes (I like to use the basil, oregano flavor)
1 small can of tomato paste (maybe only use 1/2 of it to thicken your sauce)
basil ( I use as much fresh basil in the sauce as I can stand!)
sugar ( I use 1/2 packet of Splenda)
lasagna noodles (I use whole wheat)
16oz ricotta cheese
10oz fresh mozzarella, grated
1 cup fresh parmesan, grated
1 large egg
(P and I LOVE cheese so I increased the amount of cheese, you can never go wrong!)

Preheat your oven to 400

You will want to begin by using about 2 or more lbs. of eggplant. I have been using Japanese eggplants that my mother-in-law has been picking up from the Mathew's Co. farmer's market. They are smaller but noticeably sweeter.

Slice your eggplant and arrange them onto a baking sheet. Coat both sides generously with olive oil and bake about 40min until they are brown and tender.

Meanwhile, in a deep skillet heat olive oil and cook garlic for 1-2min, add tomatoes, paste, basil, and sugar and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook about 25min until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep in mind that if you want to let it simmer longer then that will only allow your flavors to meld together even more!

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the lasagna noodles, stirring often, for about 5min. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a food processor, combine ricotta, egg, & 1/2 cup parm. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread a cup of sauce in baking dish (I use a 9x13 dish). Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, eggplant, and mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times ending with noodles & sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 35min. Remove foil, add extra mozzarella and Parmesan and bake 10min until golden and bubbly.

Enjoy!