Remember the post on how to make the perfect tea? Well tonight I made a great dinner and what would be a summer southern night without a glass of tea? Not very good.

I already told you how to make the perfect gallon and I am now going to show you how to make the perfect glass. I could have drank about 10 glasses but I did not. I just had one.

First you need

Then you get out the gift Aunt Janice got us ( A BIG HUG AND THANKS)

Raise the lid on the right pour in the cubes about 3 or 4 at a time, keep your fingers out of the hole, even if it clogs up, YOU UNPLUG FIRST or sewing will be over for you! Turn it on and

Be sure to hold your hand over the top of the lid. The ice jumps out of the top while it is crunching and you will need to mop probably with all the ice shavings in the floor and you stepping on them.

Then you get this

Yep just like Hawaiian Shaved Ice and you can eat until your little hearts desire and your dentist wont care. It is so soft..MMMM GOOD.

I find my favorite Bakelite slotted spoon

I always keep these chopped up in the refrigerator

We always have lemons and limes on hand.

Now it is time for

Yep you are seeing it right, Black Cherry, DaVinci Gourmet. It takes 2 or 2 1/2 pumps in the glass

Now you need the

I use both lemon and lime.. I am just a fun girl! Squeeze them until they scream!

Get the tea out of the refrigerator that I told you how to make . Pour it over the ice, DaVinci and lemons or limes. I have even used orange slices squeezed in the tea.

Now “I declare, all Southern ladies have teaspoons.” Not only do we have the measuring kind we have the kind you gently stir your tea and not clank the side of the glass, ’cause if you do, Granny would pinch you and say “Ladies dont clank.” And Sadie Mae pinched hard!

The finished product and it really is good!

Eat, Drink and be Merry, then notify your family……

I wondered if I should call it Cooking From Sadie’s Corner or Chris’s Disaster Area. I never claimed to be a good cook. NEVER. But lately I have been doing pretty good on some things. 

My brother Tommy is the cook in the family. I remember when he was 13 years old  he came to stay with me for a couple of weeks in the summer and there was this old grocery store with this butcher in the back. Tommy would walk about 2 blocks to the store and come back with us some steaks, potato’s  and do his magic and make the best meal. He still does. I can call him and ask him any cooking question and that guy knows how to do it and even better than the books say.

We grew one plant of eggplant this summer. I swear before anybody it produced more than I have ever seen any one of my plants do. I just planted it because I love the pretty purple blossoms. It was called in Ichiban eggplant.

Well we could not eat it as fast as it produced. Some beautiful egg’s went over the fence. Yesterday Gary picked a basket full and brought them in the house. I thought it is a shame to waste them so I got out my Southern Living cookbook and hunted for eggplant recipes. I found Eggplant Parmesian. I thought what the heck I will give it a try.  The recipe called for frying the eggplant. I did not want to do that but was prepared to. Low and behold Tommy called in my time of need. We were talking about what he was cooking for dinner and I mentioned the dish I was making. He said “Dont do it the way in the cookbook let me tell you how.”  I listen with all my might and here is Tommy’s Way.

First you need

You need to slice it in coin size slices kinda thin  and put in bowl with a little salt and water and about 1 to 2 capfuls of vinegar according to Tommy to get out the starches. I did.  Then I left it for about 3 hours with a saucer over it to hold it in the water. Rinsed it and patted it almost dry on papertowels. Gosh the water was a pretty purple, I got an idea about using some of the water to dye some fabric pieces for the postcards! Gonna give it a try.

Then you need one or two of these

Bust them open and put them in a bowl and stir them with a fork. Dont use the shells. Crush them up and throw them outside for the birds to peck at them and get their calcium.

You then need some of this

Tommy said he crushes up Ritz Crackers with a rolling pin, aka husband taimer! But I did not have any Ritz Crackers so I had to use bread crumbs.

Then you need some of this

Ok now you take some bread crumbs and put on paperplate or a regular plate. I just figured I could throw the paper plate away.. Then pour as much of the Italian Seasoning as you wish.. I guess I used maybe 2 tablespoons, then took my fingers and mixed it up.  Take the slices and dip in the beaten egg and then press down in the bread crumb seasoned mixed. I had already put some olive oil in a pan, and then you put the slices in the pan.

It should look like this

I do have a regular oven but I prefer to use my Convection Microwave oven instead.

Look I never claimed to be Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray or Paula Dean, even though I would love to have Paula’s hair and be on Martha’s Show and ignore “EVOO”, and I never preheat. YEP I said it..I DONT PREHEAT.  I never knew you had to .. So if it calls for 350 degrees for 30 minutes I slap that baby in the convection oven cold hit 350 for 40 minutes and it works for me!  I put the slices in the oven for 350  for 35 minutes. Half way through I turned them over and sprayed the heck out of them with Olive Oil Spray I got at Wal-Mart.. Before I quit them! I love my convection oven. I have only had two problems with it. Cooking biscuits TWICE. Hit the microwave button instead of convection and smoked up the whole durn house and the bread was a hard as a brick. I like to have NEVER got the smell out of the house.  I am very careful now.

Ok you do not want them dry as a bone but you want them done and a little crispy. Oh goodness it smelled so good in the house. Like a giant pizza factory.

Buzzer went off and I took them out.

Now I need the

Gary stopped by Winn Dixie and got the Mozzarella, I already had the Parmesian and the spaghetti sauce. Low sodium. L.E. Roselli’s is the best. It is the close to homemade as I can buy.. Or how I would make it anyway. Not to spicy and low salt.

Then you need to spray whatever you want to cook it in. I used this pan and it was to big so next time I will be using a regular Corningware dish I had . Sometimes I will have to tell you the story of our Aunt Pat and the set of CorningWare that was designed for her. The man that owned the company was friends of her and her husband.

This is what I used and it really was a little to big but it worked.  I sprayed with with the butter flavored that you get at Wally World.

Lightly pour and spread some of this

Then layer some eggplant, Parmesian Cheese, and a little bit of Mozzarella cheese. Pour rest of spaghetti sauce over it and more of both of the cheeses and the remainder of the eggplant. I then put it in the convection oven on 250 for about 20 or so degrees. Just to heat it up and melt the cheese. The eggplant was already cooked.

 It should look like this.

AND IT WAS SO GOOD!

Tommy thank you. This will be a keeper in the recipe box and I give it 10 stars!   

This is Tommy with my husband Gary.  I have two very handsome men in my life.

And yes I do have a kitchen stove!  It is clean inside as you can imagine. Only been used about 4 times. I just love the convection oven.

 This is what they do while they are waiting for dinner

I hope he is looking for my birthday/Christmas present.