Cheesy Mexican Eggplant

I had several eggplants from our CSA that I needed to use, so I made this recipe tonight. It was super easy AND David and I both liked it!
INGREDIENTS
2 eggplants (2 1/2 lb), cut in 1/2-in. thick rounds
Nonstick spray
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups marinara sauce
1 bottle (8 oz) taco sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 pkg (8 oz) shredded Mexican-blend cheese (2 cups)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups white rice
INSTRUCTIONS
1. You’ll need a broiler pan with rack and a shallow 3-qt baking dish. Heat broiler.
2. Place half the eggplant on broiler rack, evenly coat with nonstick spray, then sprinkle with half the pepper. Broil 4 in. from heat 4 to 8 minutes per side until lightly browned and tender. Repeat with remaining eggplant and pepper.
3. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, stir marinara and taco sauce with cumin.
4. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in baking dish. Line with half the eggplant. Spoon on 1 1/4 cups sauce; top with 1 cup cheese and 1/4 cup cilantro. Repeat layering with remaining eggplant, sauce and cheese; cover with foil.
5. Bake 40 minutes or until bubbly. Meanwhile, make rice as package directs. Let eggplant rest 10 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining cilantro. Serve with rice.

Recipe and picture from Woman's Day.

Why wait for the reception?

I'm a little disappointed in my friends that we didn't come up with something like this for any of our weddings!

Traditions

Picture from Nashville Metromix.
If you are ever trying to find us on a Friday night, this is where we will be. David and I started eating at Baja Burrito every Friday night (or Saturday if we had other Friday night plans or another week night if we were out of town) since we started dating and this has continued in to our six years of marriage. So, my question to you is, do you have any weekly traditions?

A Fun Backyard

With two boys, I would love to have a backyard like this picture above. See more creative playground ideas like this one here.

Dresser Makeover

I have had this white dresser for several years that was passed down from someone who was like my grandmother. I used it, then David used it, and now it is in Asher's room. It has been needing a makeover for quite some time. My mom helped me a couple of weeks ago to complete the project.

Above is Asher wanting to help with the painting. We gave him a paint brush with some water that I added food coloring. He then "painted" a used piece of wood in our yard. Below is the completed dresser.

Now on to some of my many other home projects.

Cousins' Visit

David's sister, Julie, and her two children, Luke and Katie, came for a visit last week. It was so fun to see them all. We don't get together very often, usually just over the holidays, so it was nice to spend some quality time with them without the holiday madness. One day during their visit they came up to our house and we went to the Farmer's Market for lunch and then on to the fountains. Here are the kids who have just been fed and waiting to be escorted to the fountains. Thankfully, we had a lifeguard with us.

Off to the fountains....every man for himself!

You can tell below that they are still at the age where they know each other is present but not too much interaction is going on between them. Although, to keep the kids from running in opposite directions (which they did for most of our time there), we had Julie at one end of the river walk and I blocked off an area for them to go between us and the kids would ran back and forth giving us high-fives.
We had such a fun time and can't wait to see them again!

Celebrating Marriage

This past Thursday night David and I went to our friend Josh's wedding. David was actually a groomsmen in the wedding. It was such a beautiful ceremony and reception--all in one place (The Cannery Ballroom). We were thankful to have the oppurtunity to celebrate with our friends as they begin their marriage and to visit with friends that we don't normally see.

Less than a week ago, David and I celebrated our 6th anniversary (June 28th). I am so blessed to be married to David. I cannot imagine my life without him.
Thanks Nana and Papa Bruce for babysitting so that we could enjoy a quiet evening out!