Sausage-Stuffed Eggplant

One thing I have missed about having time to read others blogs is trying all of the wonderful recipes posted!! I have wanted to try a few....namely Stacey's hot chocolate recipe but just don't have the time. I get emails from allrecipes.com and I am going to try this one tonight! I had to share even though I have not made it yet simply because with all of these ingredients, how could it be bad!!

Oh BTW... I have been off of work for 2 weeks now due to the kids illnesses and I go back tomorrow. I am very reluctant and can not get motivated. Please pray that I can get back into it and really be energetic and organized for the kids in my class. I owe them my best until the end of the year but I already have one foot out the door looking forward to coming home!!

Anyway... hope you enjoy...

Sausage-Stuffed Eggplant


Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Servings: 2

1 (1 1/2 pound) eggplant, halved
lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Brush cut sides of eggplant with olive oil and place, cut-side up onto a baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove and allow to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat; drain off the grease. Place into a mixing bowl, and season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, and the beaten egg; mix well.
4. Once the roasted eggplant has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the flesh to within 1/2-inch of the skin to create a shell. Roughly chop the eggplant meat, and fold into the sausage mixture. Divide evenly among the two eggplant shells, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven until the filling has set, and the cheese is bubbly and golden-brown, about 30 minutes. While the eggplant is baking, warm the remaining spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat to serve with the eggplant.

Happy Valentines Day To My Love

Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

How to Torture Children

This is our sweet snowman that our neighbors Beth Rose and Mrs. Melton made to help make the boys feel better! What great neighbors we have!!

We have had our first fever free day in 5 days. Now, that doesn't count every other day that one of the boys had fever last week either. But today, I can officially say that we are on the road to recovery. So far, so good as far as Steve and I go too. We both have been juicing up on the vitamins and hopefully our immunities will hold!!

But needless to say, we have cabin fever {{BAD}}! I have not gone anywhere since Monday morning but have not set foot outside since Monday afternoon! But of course, crazy Texas weather has struck again and its snowing outside. Who'd thunk it, right? Of course it would be the morning after the new concrete was poured for our new driveway. The crew was here until midnight waiting for the concrete to cure hard enough to buff it. Now concrete is a funny thing and I don't even presume to know how it works but all I know is that the dryness of the weather has nothing to do with whether or not it hardens. Its a chemical reaction that hardens it not the moisture content. I don't know really what I am saying, I am just repeating what I think I heard from Steve. But what does make a difference is the temperature. Cold is not good for it. So, first thing this morning Steve and I were out, in the snow, putting plastic on the driveway to try to keep in warm. So, the boys of course wanted to go out and play. I couldn't refuse. So, for about 10 minutes, they were out in it. And boy is it snowing! Real snowflakes that are actually sticking and accumulating!

So back to the torture part. Because we have been so sick, I think we have watched 9 movies this week. Not that they could have done much else, with this flu comes horrible aches and a barking cough. Isaac said that he had to touch his head to make sure its not moving because the room was spinning so badly :) So today, we turned off the TV and the torture part came when I told them that today was "Book Day". Oh then the waling commenced. Not reading....its torture. Really that only came from Isaac. Ethan is more of the passive aggressive stomping off and heavy sighing type! Since when is snuggling up by a warm fire when snow if silently falling outside torture? That's my dream day!! After much grumbling and groaning, Isaac picked up another Magic Tree House book and proceeded to read the whole thing in an hour. He even excitedly told me about the whole thing! Ethan was laughing historically at his book and even told me that he was glad I made him read. And so. I win again! Now I am off to read a book together with my wonderfully, bratty :) children!!

Enjoy the snow all you East Texans out there!!

The cement truck was a huge neighborhood hit!
It took 3 to cover the driveway

Part of our new driveway.
Look how shiny as the snow starts to fall!

The neighborhood kids having a snowball fight.
I let the boys join for just a few minutes

The plastic covering the new drive.
Pray...pray...pray that it does not start to peel!

And Another One Down..

This morning we delightfully awoke to the sound of gurgley, wheezing 7 year old who fitfully slept on the floor of our room. I checked his temp and thankfully is was around 100.3. At least within normal range. I stumbled into the kitchen to make my coffee when I heard a faint "Mom" from the boys bedroom. I could tell by the crackly voice that Ethan was not well. Promptly took his temperature and it was 103.4. And another one down and another one down, another one bites the dust was the line that went through my head. I knew there was only a slim chance of Ethan not getting the flu. Well...I doctored him up, snuggled him on the couch and again went in to make my coffee. About 20 minutes later Isaac comes stumbling into the kitchen and faintly says "I think I am going to puke". He runs to the bathroom with no time spare and proceeds to throw up about 4 times. Wow, I am thinking to myself as I help Isaac back to bed, I guess they are really sick. I mean I knew they were but this one is bad! So, I am off for the rest of the week and so are the boys! I am desperately trying for my loyalties to not be divided between work and home. I keep thinking about my boys getting well and then immediately think about the kids at school. Are they learning, are they keeping up with lessons , are they behaving? Its hard to be torn but I know in the end, my family is more important. I can't think about what is waiting for me when I get back. Thankfully, my wonderful sub, Meagan, is so helpful. I have to get her a gift!

On a lighter note, demolition on our driveway has begun. The old oil top driveway is now gone and the workers have started the concrete mold! Very exciting! Here are some pics...

This is picture of the WONDERFUL dinner my neighbor and friend Kim brought over last night to help me out! Even though her family is under the weather too! Kim...YOU ROCK and so did your chicken!

Ethan not well but well enough to watch Dr. Who this morning

This is what Isaac did yesterday. Sit by the window watching the demolition of our sidewalk and read Magic Treehouse. He is trying to earn those Six Flags tickets!

Good by ugly, broken driveway

Sadly enough, you can see the huge craters that hold water in our driveway. Its like off roading every time you drove on it!!

Another Kind of Bug

So, I guess you are wondering why I am blogging on a Monday morning instead of at school! Well...last week I told you about a bug that was going around my room {here}. Thankfully no one at our home showed any signs of these creepy crawlies. However, Isaac and Ethan have brought home another bug to share with us. A week ago Friday, Ethan was not well, fever, headache and sore throat. Took him to the doctor and he tested positive for strep. We got antibiotics, Tylenol, etc...etc.. and he started feeling better Saturday night. Woke up last Sunday to a very coughy, snotty Isaac. No fever, no sore throat. As the day progressed, fever came but still not strep throat symptoms. We stayed home Monday so we could fully re coop. School Tuesday, Isaac's teacher comes to my room to tell me that Isaac has fallen asleep on the floor and feels like he may have a temp. Sure enough, he does. Since we already had Wed., Thurs., and Fri., off for our "vacation", I thought he would have plenty of time to get well. Wednesday, no fever. Thursday a.m. no fever, Steve's home and we are deciding what to do with our time off. Thursday p.m. we are at the book store, Isaac says he feels sick, touch his forehead and sure enough, ~HOT~. Get home and he has a temp of 102. What??? He sleeps all afternoon. Friday, we wake up, no fever but by this time we have decided to stay home just in case. Sometimes home vacations are the best anyway. Friday night we head over to Belcher so the kids can hear Phil Keaggy for the first time (Steve has been going to see his concerts since he was 7). Half way through, Phil has just started to play, Ethan has to go to the bathroom. A little miffed Steve because we had just asked him if he needed to go at intermission, takes him and Ethan proceeds to throw up about 8 times. Now we are both like "What the what?" We promptly leave the concert and come home. Saturday, everyone seems well; no more fever or vomiting! Whew... As a side note, we have decided to finally do the much needed work on our little adorable home, so we had workers here all day Saturday replacing rotten wood and remodeling our porch. The kids seemed fine all day and played outside with all of the neighborhood kids. My mom called and wanted the boys to spend the night, we said sure since we didn't know how long the workers would be at our house. Had a nice quiet evening at home with Hubby and Zydeco gumbo. Sunday morning, get a call from my mom saying Isaac had spiked a fever of 105 and was very listless. Hurry to pick him and take him to the Emergency Clinic at Steve's doctors office. The nurse tested him for flu and sure enough Type A; H1N1, swine flu!! Needless to say, the boy is very sick. He ran fever all day yesterday and woke up this morning with 105.6. Thank God for Motrin!! The doctor said if that he can not go back to school, ergo me back to work, until he is fever free for 48 hours!! So that puts us back to school maybe Wednesday but most likely Thursday. Now to be perfectly honest, I had kinda joked that my kids had been so well all year, would a little fever be so bad so that we could stay home a couple of days! I guess we need to be careful what we speak out loud!!

So...here I am with some time on my hands and a very ill little boy! I feel a little like we are biding our time until someone else gets this!! Hopefully not a neighborhood friend!

Like I said, we are doing some major home improvements over the next week and I will share pictures soon! I am so excited about this!

I am going to leave with some update pictures... I have been so behind so these will go all the way back to Halloween...

Gotta love Luigi and Mario....Farm Farm at Church

Ethan opening presents at Christmas...he has gotten so big

Isaac opening his Mario and Luigi hoodie

Isaac playing in snow at Oma's house in Colorado

They couldn't get enough of the snow!!

My sweet niece Marin and her new Christmas puppy, Scoop

My nephew Bowen and Oma

Marin love Ethan and Ethan loved his new electronic thingy from Uncle Jeff.
I have no idea what it is but Ethan did!!

Steve and Bowen

Career Day at school. Ethan was a LeTourneau student {snicker} and
Isaac was an ornithologist (dare you to guess what that is)

My class on Career Day.. Lots of American Idol hopefuls. Whatever happened to just wanting to be a fireman?

Until the next time...

First Snag

We found out that the workshop that is mandatory for adopting through Buckner is on next Friday not on a Saturday like we had originally thought! Steve can't take off work then because we had already planned this Thursday and Friday off for a little family vacation. The next workshop isn't until May. If you don't already know ( or you do and are picking yourself off of floor in shock from the previous sentence) Steve never has any days off. So getting two days off this week and another next week will never happen!! I am really bummed out. We can't really even begin the process until we attend this workshop. I know this will happen in God's timing but honestly, who plans a mandatory workshop on a workday, in Dallas? But as a wonderful friend told me yesterday who has been through this whole crazy roller coaster, it is the hardest thing to get through, everyday is a challenge but the blessing far out ways any hardship we might face! Comforting words of wisdom. Thanks! God's timing make me think about Abraham, we definitely want an Isaac and not an Ishmael. Patience is not my strong suit!

Bright side...we pick up plans to take to the builder tomorrow and most likely will have a budget priced on Tuesday. And even brighter side... we get two days with my wonderful hubby home; no school or work to think about until Monday (hopefully)!!