Eggplant Casserole

We recently spent a weekend at my parents' house. I surprised my mom with flowers!

Austin and I cooked my parents a special dinner which consisted of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and brown gravy.  I also made eggplant casserole.

For those of you that asked for the recipe, here it is!  This is my version, which is only slightly modified from my grandma's recipe.

Eggplant Casserole

2 large eggplants, peeled & diced
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 egg yolks, beaten
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt

1 cup dry breadcrumbs

Cook vegetables in boiling water, covered, for 20 minutes. Drain. Add remaining ingredients and pour into greased casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until browned.  Bake uncovered.

I got a little teary-eyed when I saw my parents' dachshund.  He had to have surgery because he had a bone spur in his back.  He is healing quite well, though, and can walk around now!

Saturday night was movie night.  We watched a 1996 movie starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan, Courage Under Fire.  I love all of Denzel's movies, including this one!  It's definitely worth watching.

On Sunday we went to lunch at the Salt Lick BBQ.  Check out the pit!

The Salt Lick is delicious!  Everyone enjoyed their food.

My mom & dad split a plate of beef ribs.  Austin ordered brisket - it was moist and flavorful.  I ordered green bean casserole and nibbled on bits of everyone else's BBQ!

It was a fun weekend with my family - I'm looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow!  It will be especially fun since we'll be celebrating my birthday :)

Share one of your favorite family recipes, if you have one!

It's so special to me to have a recipe from my grandma, since I never really got to know her.

The Lucky Winner

We celebrated the 4th of July weekend at a friend's lakehouse on Toledo Bend Lake.

I think the lakehouse is Dozer's favorite place in the world.  He spent the entire time swimming in the lake and rolling in the mud.

We had a blast hanging out at the lakehouse.  I relaxed in the hammock, read a book, went on a boat ride, and kayaked.

Of course, the main event was the cookout!

In addition to Beer Can Chicken, Jerk Chicken, and Beef Tri-Tips - we also had a Grilled Pig.

The guys used a nifty roasting box called La Caja China - to cook the pig.

I didn't eat any of the pig; it hit a little too close to home considering I had a pet pot-belly pig for 15 years of my life.  Austin and I neither one eat pork, actually.

It was a fun weekend, but it was too short!  Unfortunately, I had to work on Monday - so we left the lakehouse on Sunday afternoon.  We still watched some fireworks from our balcony, though!  Dozer was not a fan of the loud noise - poor baby!

Were your pets afraid of the fireworks?
Our friends' dogs at the lakehouse barked everytime the neighbors set off a firework!  Dozer didn't bark, but he got really scared and wanted to stay near us.  He's also afraid of thunder and other loud noises.

Giveaway Winner
And...the lucky winner of my Birthday Giveaway is #29 - Heidi at Basil Vodka!  Please e-mail me at redheadreports at gmail dot com with your shippping address to receive your Gym in a Bag.

The Ring

I've been holding out on a surprise for a few weeks now.

I finally have pictures to post of my engagement ring, so I can make this announcement: Austin & I are getting married!

Austin proposed to me on June 21st, a Monday night.  I had just gotten home from the gym and started making dinner when he called to see where I was.  He was at the gym trying to find me, so I told him I was at home.  A few minutes later, he walked in the door while I was eating dinner.  He asked me to come here for a second, so I got up and gave him a hug.  He asked me how my day went.  Standing there in the dining room, his eyes got a mysterious glint in them and I had no idea what was about to happen.  Suddenly, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!  :)

Here's my ring, a family heirloom that my grandmother proudly wore.

Wedding planning has begun, and let me tell you - it's not easy!