Dedicated to a very cute femme - !

And this is something I almost NEVER do - a full three course meal!

So lets get started shall we :B

Stewed Italian Green Beans

Loosely adapted from my Nunna's recipe...as in, from my dearly departed grandmother Germana. (A true Sicilian, and she could sure swear a mean streak XD)

Ingredients:

1 bagful fresh green beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic
shake of oregano
sprig of fresh thyme
2-3 leaves fresh sage
2 heaping tablespoons of olive oil
1 can tomato sauce (I had the small 8 oz jar)
1 teaspoon tomato paste (I have the kind in the tube, and I would recommend that as its much easier to keep than from the can!)
1/2 cup red wine
squeeze of fresh lemon
1/2 teaspoon sugar

You need a LARGE saute' pan for this folks, and then just put the 2 tablespoons of garlic on...get that pan on medium high and cook until the garlic gets soft (but NOT burnt)

Then pat dry the string beans and throw those in along with the salt and pepper for about 5 minutes or so...saute'...

Then add in the wine, tomato sauce, herbs, and then COVER the pan and set to a low simmer - this will take at least a good thirty minutes, and if it gets a bit dry add the lemon and maybe 1/4 cup of water.

And while thats cooking...

Prosecco Risotto

4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups risotto (arborio rice)
1/2 cup Prosecco dry white wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream (this I did not have, so I put in 2 tablespoons lowfat milk instead)
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan

This comes from my "Risotto" cookbook, though this is adapted from their Champagne Risotto recipe :3

You really need two sauce pans for this - one to boil the stock, then let simmer - and the other (preferably a larger one) to put in the oil and butter, then saute' the onions until translucent, and then you put in the risotto.

And THEN - a cup at a time - you put in the stock. You want to wait until its gets good and absorbed into the rice until it starts to thicken. Then you add another cup, stir...let thicken...another cup...stir...etc :B

Once you are out of stock COVER your risotto and let simmer at the lowest heat possible, (and then serve with a bit of fresh parsley and the grated Parmesan) because now its time for...

Baked Stuffed Eggplant

...After a bit of cleanup, I made room with a large stockpot, filled with water and set to high...

2 baby eggplants, cut lengthwise
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 package of Italian sausage, out of its casing
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (skipped)
1 can tomato sauce (used the small again)
1 green pepper, chopped (had two Italian peppers from the garden)
salt and pepper to taste (you wont need much in the way of salt, the sausage has plenty of it!)
Grated parmesan
* The only thing I recommend - and I really didnt do this, and I should have - is squeeze at least a half a lemon on the eggplant. I say this because when opened, eggplants get ugly and brown VERY fast!

But I boiled those eggplants for a good 20 - 25 minutes until soft - scooped out the insides...got a large pan and oiled it on the bottom with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil to keep the eggplants from sticking to said pan...set aside...

Got my oven going, preheated at 350 F...

Get a large saucepan and saute on medium high the onions, peppers and add salt and pepper until onions are translucent - then add the sausage in small clumps until they're all cooked and slightly browned - then add the can of sauce and breadcrumbs and stir until its all incorporated, then turn off that heat and spoon the sausage mixture into the eggplants...

And then top with grated parmesan and cook for 40-45 minutes!

...In July's 90 degree weather, I might add *dies*

BUT

In the end this all came out delicious, so please enjoy!