Penne with Tomatoes, Eggplant and Mozzarella

Week 1, day 2. (Are we done yet? Almost.)

From here on out I am referring to this recipe as deconstructed eggplant parm. Not sure why I didn't pick up on this from the ingredients-- tomato, eggplant, mozzarella, pasta, olive oil, garlic-- but I didn't, and it was a total surprise when I took my first bite. Yum! Just a smidge lighter than classic eggplant parm; summertime eggplant parm, if you will? The mint leaves help add to the freshness.

Since I wasn't on board yet with the final form this would take, you could understand my confusion about what to do with the mozzarella cubes. Should they go in the hot pasta? Or should it cool a little so they could maintain their shape? The answer is the former, as the gooey mozzarella strings really connect this dish. One note, although my husband disagrees, if you've bought a block of mozzarella that is 0.6 pounds, instead of 0.5 pounds, don't just throw the extra in; it's too much cheese!

Sweet Potato and Brie Flat Bread

Week 4, day 4.

First I just have to say: I appreciate the sophistication of the word "flat bread," but I'm pretty sure California Pizza Kitchen would call this a pizza. And if you would have handed me a slice of this and told me that it came from there, I would have believed you.

Second I would add: this recipe is kind of embarrassingly easy, but it can be made even simpler with 2 important tools: a knife specially made for slicing soft cheese (with holes in the middle, so the cheese doesn't stick) and a mandolin for thinly slicing the sweet potato. Note to self: buy a mandolin.

Third thing? Some third-party endorsements: my veggie-skeptic husband asked for seconds, and when I reheated at work the next day, two randoms stopped me to say how good it smelled.

Fourth, since this was the fourth recipe of the fourth Real Simple week, I finally researched the question of whether "one shallot" was the whole thing, or just one section. Apparently, it's the whole thing-- about 3 tablespoons.