Lunch for Tom's 69th Birthday

  Yesterday Eric offered to stop by and show me how he makes Eggplant Parmesan. When he arrived we went out to the garden and picked a couple of eggplant. They can't get fresher than this.

 Eric says he prefers eggplant pealed, that the peel is bitter (most restaurants do not do this step). 

 We dipped each slice of eggplant in an egg wash, slightly diluted with a little water. And then Eric quickly fried them in a small amount of vegetable oil. I think I would like them just this way, too ... without baking the result in a 350° oven, smothered with layers of shredded Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce.

 The final dish was quite spectacular, crispy-edged eggplant  beneath tomatoes and cheese.

 We also had homemade bread that I made yesterday.

 And Tom's favorite Coca Cola cake made the day before ...

 I also bought a head of iceberg lettuce and we had no salads with Italian dressing, too.

 All told it was a nice birthday lunch and I picked up another kitchen skill to boot.