Tuesday

Polenta and vegetable bake (recipe in the comments from February 17, 2009)
Salad greens with herbs in a creamy garlic dressing

Hot tea
Grapefruit sorbet and orange wafer cookies
______________________________________________________________
We first made this back in February and I just noticed that I said it was the perfect dish for winter when I posted then. How funny, since I now think it's perfect for early fall when the eggplant and zucchini is pouring out of a Farmer's Market near you! We made this for one of the graduate student's M works with who came to dinner tonight. It is the first time she's visited and we wanted something that most people would like. I didn't remember to be nervous about whether she liked eggplant until she was here, but, thankfully, she does, so no worries! This casserole is truly yummy, enough gooey cheese to feel indulgent, but enough veggies to balance. I just love it. And, apparently, it's a crowd pleaser as well :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Eggplant, zucchini, basil, polenta, shredding mozzarella (unless you buy it shredded like I did :)
Time: 25 minutes to prep + 15-20 to bake
Make ahead: I think this would save fine.

Reaction:
"One of the better casseroles possible."

The kid report:
T was VERY lukewarm on this, but he had eaten a fair amount of cheese, crackers and tomatoes before dinner and we had a charming and entertaining guest to show off for instead of eating. It's worth another try on him.