Here is the recipe I normally use: Eggplant Parmigiana 2 medium eggplants (select ones that are long and somewhat narrow) Kosher salt Flour, for coating 2 eggs 2 tbsp water 1-1/2 cups Panko or dry breadcrumbs 1/4 tsp cayenne Avocado or grape seed oil, for deep frying 1 pound Mozzarella 1/4 pound sharp Provolone 1/4 pound Parmesan cheese Sauce: 1-1/2 cups (12 oz.) Marinara (tomato) sauce 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (optional) Directions: Slice the eggplant into 1/2â thick rounds and place in a large bowl with a large amount of salt, enough to coat all cut sides. You can toss the slices in the bowl if it has a cover to get the salt more evenly distributed. Then place the slices in a colander or other large pan (such as a steaming basket) with the slices vertical, and allow it to drain for one hour. Remove the slices from the colander and wipe off the excess salt with a brush or towel, and dry the pieces with a clean towel if they are very damp. Note: Do not leave overnight! While the eggplant is draining, add the basil, olive oil, and garlic to the tomato sauce for extra flavor. It is not necessary to cook the sauce at this point. Prepare the mozzarella by cutting it into fairly thin slices, and grate the Provolone and Parmesan. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 375ð and have a platter ready with paper towels for draining. Place about a cup of flour in a bowl for dipping, and mix the breadcrumbs with the cayenne in another bowl. Blend the eggs with the 2 tbsp water in a third bowl, and place the bowls in a row for coating. Prepare each slice by first lightly coating it with flour (shake off excess flour), dipping in egg, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Deep-fry each slice in the oil until lightly golden on both sides (approx. 3 minutes per side) and then drain on paper towels. When all the slices have been fried, get an 8âÂÂx13â (or equivalent) glass or ceramic baking dish and brush olive oil on the bottom and sides to prevent sticking. Spread a very thin layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, and then place a layer of eggplant over that. Put a small amount of tomato sauce over each slice and then a slice of mozzarella over each piece, and sprinkle a bit of Provolone and Parmesan over that layer. Repeat this process until the baking dish is full, but do not overfill. The final layer will be tomato sauce with no cheese. I prefer to have all the cheese between the layers of eggplant, but you can put some on top as well. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil and bake at 375ð for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Pinot Noir or Chiati is good with this dish. I serve it with a side dish of pasta plus bread. I have another version that I make using okra instead of eggplant, but you can definitely use zucchini instead of eggplant, but eggplant is my...

Karen - Just yesterday I cracked my "Bread Machines for Dummies" in an effort to finally motivate to try my bread machine. Here's a paraphrased version of their recipe. Obviously not T&T but I'd expect it to be reliable. Dump in room temp ingredients in the following order: 1 cup water 2T olive oil 1t salt 4t sugar 3 cups flour 2.25t active dry yeast Select Dough or Manual setting. Once cycle is complete, shape into a ball on lightly floured surface. Place on greased cookie sheet and flatten to a 10" circle. Prick with a fork. Arrange toppings (suggestions are thinly sliced roasted pepper, sun-dried tomato, red onions, olives, green pepper, sesame seeds, sauteed onions with sugar and salt) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle Italian seasoning, S&P to taste. Cover and let rise about 15 min. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 25 to 30 min. Good luck!

I am not a fan of WW. I tried it a few years ago when the points plus program was new. At the end of 4 months tracking my points,exercising and going to the ridiculous(in my opinion, I know they help some people) meetings, I had gained 6 pounds and was hungry and cranky all the time. I am glad my employer paid for the program fully,or I would have been much crankier. While a lot of people in my work group lost weight (mostly the men go figure) I went back to the weight loss clinic,started the lipo shots and low carb life again, and the weight is coming off and I feel much better. ( I will admit that I believe the fact that I pay for the shots and weigh everytime I go get one helps me stay on the program, but at least with low carb, I know I can maintain it forever because I am not starving all day and going to bed with headaches and a empty,growling tummy like I was on ww) WW is kidding themselves. There are too many free apps and websites that will calculate how many calories you should have to lose weight and help people track them. When I did it, I found a free app that calculated how many points I could have and helped me track them for free. It was dead on with the numbers WW gave me. There are a few paid apps with more features, but they are still much cheaper than ww.To me, the only thing about WW that may help better than doing it on your own is the weigh ins and meetings that offer support and accountability, although one can find those for free at any number of venues. And even those are going away since they started the online program, so im not sure of the advantage anymore.And as for Oprahs joyous celebration of carby delights, i cant relate and wont be lured in. I can't have bread,and frankly don't miss it or rice or pasta,but I can eat all the cheese I want...I EAT CHEESE EVERYDAY OPRAH! SUCK ON THAT! And for me, low carb eating means I eat less calories as well, as all the fat and protein is very satisfying and sticks for a long time, so I don't want to eat all day like I did on ww. I can't fathom having to watch and measure and weigh everything and count points for all eternity,even after reaching your target weight. Also, it seems there is no wiggle room in ww. One day a week I allow myself to eat whatever I want,which is not really a nod to indulgence as it is to convenience. Since the big Atkins craze is long over, it's much harder to find tasty low carb food to grab and eat, so I find myself cooking most of my meals. And I usually have to cook 2 separate meals or at least 2 variations on a meal since SO is 6 foot 5 and weighs 175 pounds and has no intention of cutting carbs or anything else. So that one day allows me to just go to a restaurant or cook whatever without worrying about customizing or rearranging or remaking anything. I don't think even Oprah can save ww now.

I've checked other cookbooks I have for pita recipes (I really don't have that many cookbooks), and most of them did not have a recipe for it at all, and I checked my Greek Cooking in an American Kitchen 1982 (flatbread recipe only, similar to Armenian bread), Lebanese Cooking 1992 by Susan Ward, The Mediterranean Kitchen 1989 by Joyce Goldstein, The Complete Bread Book - 1983 (not so complete after all, and it is Kevin's), The New York Times Cookbook 1990 (this was a gift), and none of these had a recipe for making pita bread. Then I checked Sunset's Easy Basics for International Cooking 1984 and finally found one. I'm getting the idea that these cookbook authors expect you to buy pita bread rather than make it, but as you can see, they are all fairly old. I'm not big on collecting cookbooks, and the newest ones I have are all Japanese. Anyway, the Sunset book says to use a baking sheet, but it also says to use the lowest rack in the oven and bake at 475° for five minutes or until pockets form and the bottoms are brown. Then you are supposed to change the heat to broil, flip the bread, and broil it 4" below the heat for about 1 minute. I can only broil in my toaster oven, and so this might be a problem. I have pizza stones, and I put the baking sheets on the stones when baking, but I may have to try another method. At this point, I might try this recipe next. This recipe says to use a cast iron skillet, and so I might try it instead. I have several iron skillets plus an iron comal, a cast iron grill, and a 15" diameter iron pizza pan, and so iron might be the best way for me to go. Pati cooks her tortillas on cast iron and gets them too puff up, and so this may be a better method. I think most cookbooks (especially old ones) expect you to buy pita bread, but it cannot be that difficult to make, and I always have the ingredients on hand, plus the time to do it. I buy pita bread at a Syrian market, but I know that whatever I buy at a market is probably a few days old, although the Syrian market should have the freshest pita. For me, it is more of an ordeal to go to the market to buy it than to make it, once I get the procedure down. This Youtube video looks helpful, and at least it is in English: This one looked good at the beginning, but I did not like the finish or the large diameter: I like the Italian video because he uses semolina flour as I do, and I have no trouble understanding Italian. However, he baked his in the oven, and I want to use cast iron on the cooktop. Evidently you can only do one video per post, and so I had to delete two of them.