Moussaka it to Me

I love, love moussaka. Not only does it taste good, but it's also fun to say: moussaka... mooooouuusaakkkkaaa. It's been said that moussaka can be any layered dish with vegetables and meat, and certainly there are many different Greek and Italian variations with similar sounding names. Traditionally moussaka is prepared with eggplant and bechamel (a white sauce) and seasoned with cloves and cinnamon, but it's not uncommon to see it made with zucchini and potatoes. I wouldn't call my moussaka traditional (I'm not Greek), but I think it still deserves some notice.

ingredients:

1-2 medium eggplants peeled and cubed

2-3 summer squash or zucchini sliced thinly

2 medium onions diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

4 cups seasoned mashed potatoes (I'm talking the real thing here people not the crap you buy in a box)

2 cups grated colby jack cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

2.5 pounds of ground lamb or beef

.5 cup of chicken stock (or beef stock if you are using ground beef)

1 large tomato sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

a good amount of olive oil

seasoning salt

fresh pepper



preheat oven to 350

Wash the eggplant and zucchini, then place in a large bowl or tray. Next sprinkle liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 to 45 minutes, this will remove any bitterness and it will help absorb some of the natural juices. Place the eggplant and zucchini in a large, deep baking pan and then douse lightly with olive oil. Put the pan under a broiler until the eggplant and zucchini turn light brown and become soft. remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. As soon as the pan becomes hot add 2-3 tbs of olive oil and brown the meat, add the onions and mushrooms and continue to cook until onions have caramelized and the mushrooms are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Next add the stock and let simmer, then add the bread crumbs and let simmer until most of the liquid has absorbed. remove from heat.

Now then... about the mashed potatoes. You can make them fresh or you can use left overs. It is important that they be warm and soft. If you have left over mashed potatoes put them in a pot with a little milk and butter and stir over low heat until they become warm and pliable. Speaking of leftovers, you could also use left over ground beef from a taco night and/or meat sauce from spaghetti night. Just add it to the onions and mushrooms as they are sauteing. Nobody will ever know...

Next comes the fun part (it's all fun, but this part is especially fun), the layering. Go back to that huge baking pan of yours. Take the meat mixture and spread it evenly over the eggplant and zucchini. Next take the mashed potatoes and spread over the top of the meat and zucchini. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30 min. sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for an additional 10-15 min. Remove from heat and let cool for 20 min (if you can wait that long). Garnish with fresh tomato and enjoy.

Stick that in your Dishwasher

I think we can all agree that after a great meal the last thing that any of us want to do is, WASH DISHES. I for one would much rather finish the evening with a good cup of coffee, and some stimulating conversation. Enter the dishwasher. The dishwasher is a great time saving, soggy raisin finger saving, what in God's name is stuck to this plate saving miracle machine. Yes I am a fan. But, as with any machine, there are rules for operation. Some times we as human beings tend to go a bit overboard when trying to save time. It's not that we are lazy, it's just that we would rather do something else. There are some impulses that we must learn to tame. That being said, I have compiled a list of things that should never, never go in the dishwasher.


1. My baseball cards, no really these should never ever go in the dishwasher, that's number 1.

2. Silver flatware, The detergent will tarnish the silver, flatware also has a tendency to move around in the dishwasher, silver is a soft metal, the flatware could "scar."

3. Anything made of crystal i.e. vase's, lamp shades, glass ware. For some of the same reasons as the silver.

4. Your roommates ferret, sure he's a smelly little bugger, and it may seem like a good idea, but trust me you'll be sorry.

5. Expensive knives (regardless of what the handle is made out of, they shouldn't go in the sink either for that matter) The blade has a tendency to dull faster and it can become damaged.

6. Soft plastics i.e. some of the containers you get food in, like sour cream and such, if you want to reuse them hand washing is the way to go because they have a tendency to melt in the dish washer.

7. A bag of flour, I don't know why anyone would want to put a bag of flour in the dishwasher, I'm just putting it out there that it's a bad idea.

8. Anything made from cast iron i.e skillets, dutch ovens, and stew pots. The iron has a tendency to rust when it gets wet. Washing should be done by hand, and it should be done quickly. Also, the dish washer will ruin the pans seasoning. ( if you don't know what I mean by seasoning just leave me a comment and I'll be glad to explain it to you).

9. Your record collection. I know it seems like a quick and easy way to wash the dust and grime off old lp's, but it will compromise the integrity of the vinyl.

10. Anything made of wood i.e. cutting boards, wooden spoons, knives with wooden handles. A lot of these things are held together with glue, hot water from the dishwasher can melt the glue and also lead to splintering of the wood.

True, dishwashers are great, and I am a fan of anything that can make my life easier. But some times there is just no substitute for doing things by hand, we wouldn't want machines for everything. It's important to remember that the dishwasher is a tool and that it has limitations.