The Bardstown - Dinner & Show

The Stage Setup for "Bug"

Tonight we went on our monthly date night and decided to try something new.  We headed down to "The Bardstown" on Bardstown Road in the Highlands to have dinner and watch a play.  The Bard's restaurant has a  Shakespearean-themed menu that includes their signature Bard Burger or Steakspeare, vegetarian "To Bean, or Not to Bean" Black Bean burger, First Folio Fish, and much more.  You can eat and see a show or go just for dinner or simply meet with friends for drinks.

Jason and I had the signature Bard Burger with the seasoned fries - wow, it was delicious! In fact, everything on the menu looked good. After we ate we had about a half an hour to kill so ordered a couple of drinks and chatted at the table while waiting for the theater doors to open ( it is separate from the dining room, but you can still order drinks during the show ).

The play we saw was called "Bug".  As per the site description:
"Bug focuses on Agnes, a divorced waitress who loves cocaine and is on the run from her abusive ex-husband Jerry. She meets Peter, a former Army soldier who is now a drifter, and they begin what is at first a platonic relationship. What follows will be a chaotic turn of events that includes bugs, paranoia, the return of Jerry, twisted conspiracy theories, and more."

It was a very fun experience and a perfect date night.  We will most certainly be going back again!

Eggplant Parmesan - Baked

This Baked Eeggplant Parmesan is a wonderful vegetarian dish and is almost like a meatless, noodle-less lasagna. Very yummy!  We like to serve with a side of baked zucchini coated in olive oil and garlic and garlic bread.

Prep time: About 20 minutes
Bake time: 1.5 hours
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Medium to Large Eggplants


• Olive Oil


• 2 Large Eggs


• 3/4 Cup of Italian Bread Crumbs


• 3 tablespoons Italian Seasoning


• Salt & Pepper


• 48 oz  Tomato Sauce  (I like 1/2 smooth and 1/2 chunky)


• 1 1/2 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese


• 1/4 Cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil. ( Put foil over baking sheets for easy cleanup ).  Set aside.  Peel eggplant and slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds.


2. In wide, shallow bowl, whisk 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of water. In another wide, shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. ( If you have finely shredded parmesan cheese you can also add it ).


3. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture and dredge in breadcrumb mixture to coat both sides. Place on baking sheets.


4. Bake eggplant until golden brown on bottom for 20 - 25 minutes.  Flip slices, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake again for 20 - 25 additional minutes.


5. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, spread 2 cups of sauce along bottom of dish. ( Add a dash of Italian seasoning to the sauce ). Arrange half the eggplant over sauce. Cover with 2 more cups of sauce and then 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of sauce, eggplant and mozzarella cheese. Finish the top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.


6. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving

Sometimes They Get Along

These two are a funny pair. Lois Lane (the black one) is the only female dog we have and is aloof and thinks of herself as a Queen and a person moreso than a dog.  L.B. (the red chiweenie) is a total dog who loves his toys and wants to play with all dogs, no matter their size, breed or color. L.B. is quite wary of Lois Lane though as she isn't much the playing type and doesn't really seem to care for L.B. too much. Once in a while we'll catch her playing with him, but mostly he steers clear of her and her gnashing teeth.

So imagine my surprise to snap this shot of them bird watching out of the bedroom window. They like to do this while I work out (our workout room is the other half of our bedroom), but generally will only lay there one at a time. They laid like this throughout my entire workout watching their birds together today. Maybe they are growing to love one another!

Three Cheese Vegetarian Lasagna

Photo: Brian Woodcock

Recipe modified from Cooking Light

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (about 1 1/2 cups) 
• 1 ounce fresh Parmesan cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup) 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten 
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 (24-ounce) jar lower-sodium pasta sauce 
• 9 cooked lasagna noodles
• Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.


2. Combine ricotta, 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, thyme, salt, black pepper, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, and egg in a small bowl. Combine basil, red pepper, garlic, and pasta sauce in a medium bowl.


3. Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce mixture in bottom of a small glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over pasta sauce mixture; top with about 2/3 cup ricotta mixture and 3/4 cup pasta sauce mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with 1/2 cup pasta sauce mixture. Top evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until bubbling and cheese begins to brown.

NUTRITION INFO:

• Calories: 339


• Fat: 11.8g


• Saturated fat: 6g


• Monounsaturated fat: 3g


• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5g


• Protein: 20.2g


• Carbohydrate: 39.2g


• Fiber: 2.6g


• Cholesterol: 66mg


• Iron: 2mg


• Sodium: 564mg


• Calcium: 424mg

Succulent Arrangements

This year we decided to plant mostly succulents in our outdoor landscaping pots. They are very easy to care for, require very little maintenance and come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and colors. In addition we have Wandering Jews in our hanging baskets on the covered porch. And on the fence row and in a couple of other pots we have our begonias, which also are low maintenance, very pretty and explode over the summer months.

Wandering Jew

Vacation Rocks!

This is the view from our campsite at our first stop of our camping vacation at Nashville Shores in Hermitage, Tennessee.  This campground overlooks Percy Priest Lake and the view and weather is perfect, especially for May!  More to come later on our trip - it's been an interesting one already!

Giant Dawg Validates my Magnet

I <3 Big Mutts magnet + Giant Dawg in the back seat = entertainment watching the people in the cars behind me, especially at red lights.  :)