It's no secret to those of you that know me, that my very favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings is sleep in...then grab a cup of coffee and curl up in a comfy chair to watch the cooking channel. Barefoot Contessa and Giada De Laurentiis are two of my favorites...Giada prepared some amazing small bite party food this morning. It really got me thinking about how we eat right now...I think I'm going to start trying some new recipes for tasty pick up type food that I might or might not want to add a salad to for more healthy and flavorful dinners. Getting tired of huge heavy meals.

Like these amazing mini eggplant parmesans that Giada prepared...

Ingredients
Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup jarred tomato-basil sauce, such as Giada De Laurentiis for Target
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Eggplant:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 large egg whites
2 Japanese eggplants, sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Small fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Directions
For the sauce: Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium. Add the garlic, shallots and salt. Stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, basil, oregano and crushed red pepper. Simmer the sauce until the flavors blend and the sauce thickens, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Mix in the vinegar.

For the eggplant: Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Place the panko breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl. Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour mixture, then into the beaten egg whites, and then into the panko breadcrumbs to coat completely.

Heat the oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot (the surface will appear to be shimmering), 2 to 3 minutes. Add half of the eggplant slices. Cook until deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the eggplant to a paper-towel-lined plate. Fry the remaining eggplant. (Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat a broiler. Toss the mozzarella and Parmesan in a small bowl until well blended. Spread 1 generous teaspoon of the sauce over each eggplant slice. Top with a rounded teaspoon of the cheese mixture; spread out to cover and press lightly to adhere. Transfer the eggplant slices to a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until the cheese has melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the mini eggplant parmesans to a platter and garnish each with small basil leaf. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Yum!

And these could be my new favorite thing...

Grilled Mini Pork Skewers With Spicy Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
3/4 cup cream sherry, such as Bristol Cream
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
One 1-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 34 to 30 (3/4-inch) cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 Belgian endive spear, separated into 8 to 10 leaves
Special equipment: eight to ten 4-inch wooden skewers

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sherry, lemon juice, oregano, paprika, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the garlic.

Place the pork in a medium glass bowl. Pour half of the marinade over the pork. Add the oil and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan. Add the cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes.

Spray a grill pan or grilling rack with nonstick spray. Place the grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

Remove the pork from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Thread 3 pieces of pork onto each skewer. Grill the skewers until the pork is golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Place a skewer in each endive leaf. Drizzle the skewers with sauce and serve.

Don could just skip all of this and head straight for the dessert...Ina's green apple tart recipe is so easy and to die for...

Ingredients

(2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
4 small (6 ounce) Granny Smith apples
¾ cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, small-diced
¾ cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
3 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares. Divide the pastry between the prepared sheet pans and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in ¼-inch-thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally across the pastry and place one slice of apple on each side of the arranged slices. Sprinkle the apples evenly with the sugar and dot them with the butter.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Don’t worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tarts will be fine! When the tarts are done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados until bubbly and brush the apples and pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tarts with a metal spatula so they don’t stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Of course we add vanilla ice cream...