5 observations and lamb stuffed eggplant

5 things I noticed this week:

1. Dawn is a particularly nice time to run.  The pre-dawn darkness might be a little creepy and too-quiet, but there's nothing like a sunrise to make you feel happy to be alive.  And the air... it's like it's new air.
2. People who park on the sidewalk should not be surprised when pedestrians continuously set off their car alarm.
3. Eleven year olds are kind of prim.  My eleven year old told me about seeing an older man walking with his grandson after school, the street gets a little congested in front of the school at home-time, and someone started honking.  This grandfather went over to the car and cussed the driver out (apparently it was some pretty impressive swearing--I'm sorry I missed it).  "In front of his little grandson," she told me with wide outraged eyes.  Later, when talking about a kid who swore in class, she said, "yeah he probably learned it from his grandfather."
4. If you are an obnoxious entitled arse, your kids will usually (but not always) be obnoxious, entitled, arses.  This particular observation makes me fear for this country.
5. This song makes me as happy as it did twenty (?!) years ago:

Just for you, a recipe I'm rather proud of:

Eggplant Stuffed with Lamb

Ingredients:
4 small to medium eggplants
1 onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil and more for drizzling
3 roma tomatoes
2 lemons
a small handful of parsley
2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper to your taste.

Preheat oven to 350°
Slice the eggplant in half length-wise and scoop out the flesh.  Set the little eggplant canoes aside.  Chop the eggplant flesh and set aside.

In a frying pan heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and spices and soften.  Add the ground lamb and brown.  When the lamb is brown add the chopped eggplant.  Cook until the eggplant is tender.  salt and pepper to taste.

While the lamb is browning blacken the tomatoes directly over the gas flame, or in a very hot (no oil) cast iron pan.  Remove the blackened skin under running water and roughly chop the tomato.  I didn't seed and core the tomato, but you could certainly do that.

In a bowl mix the lamb with the chopped tomato.  Add the juice of one lemon.  stir and check the salt.

Put the lamb filling into the eggplants.  Rub some olive oil on the bottom of a baking tray and arrange the eggplant on the tray.  Cover the tray with foil.

Bake the eggplant for 30 minutes covered, and 15 minutes uncovered.  The eggplant should be tender.

While the eggplant is baking chop the pine nuts and parsley together.

To  serve, arrange the eggplant on a platter.  Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and pine nuts.  Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the parsley.

Enjoy! (really, make this--it's good)