Summer is officially (or I guess unofficially) over now that Labor Day weekend has come and gone. Being that this holiday is supposed to represent a celebration of the working man, I decided to take the day off from my busy schedule and just hang out with the family. No feasts or farmers markets.

Well, that's not totally true...I did work Friday in Englewood and Saturday & Sunday in Fort Lee...but Monday I did totally take the day off. Ok, I did do some cooking, but for our own consumption, not for selling purposes.

We had a nice barbecue which featured corn-on-the-cob, potato salad and tropical chicken drumsticks with a simple glaze of Bone Suckin' BBQ Sauce (definitely one of the best on the market) mixed with chopped up chunks of fruit. Wow, was it good! But I think the star of the meal was an appetizer my wife prepared, which was made with local eggplant I got from the Fort Lee farmers markets. The creation was a stacked "eggplant tower" with the elements of a fresh caprese salad - also locally grown. Here's how you make them...

First, slice your eggplant into rounds (it's your option if you want to leave the skin on or not) and soak them in a bowl of ice water with a little bit of salt for about an hour or so. This will remove some of the leftover seeds and also take out any bitterness. Next, sear the slices on an outdoor grill or grill pan. Then, place fresh mozzarella, Jersey tomato and a basil leaf in between the slices. Finish in the oven for five minutes until the cheese melts.

You can use a knife and fork or eat them as little sandwiches. A nice way to top them is with a drizzling of Balsamic glaze. Make these treats the next time you have company over, and be sure to use the best produce you can find - my recommendation of course is to go to the farmers markets! Come by this Friday in Englewood, grab your meatball sandwich and do some produce shopping. Support all the hard-working farmers!


I hope you all had a great summer, mine was very busy but I did find plenty of time to have fun with my wife and kids. I really enjoy the fall and am looking forward to the leaves changing and lots of new and exciting things - personally and professionally - currently in the works. One final thought...this Sunday is September 11th, the tenth anniversary of that tragic day. Please be sure to take a moment of silence to remember all those innocent victims who lost their lives, on what was supposed to be just any regular workday. Be nice to your neighbor and don't sweat the small stuff because life is too short. God Bless.