Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Pasta

For the past few years I have had a very specific morning routine. I wrote about it once (read HERE) and it’s pretty much stayed the same, well, forever. I set my alarm for 5:00am. I hit snooze 3 times (not at all annoying to my husband), crawl out of bed at 5:27, do my devotional and have some peace and quiet with a side of coffee before I start the chaos of my day. It’s quite glorious and it makes me a better person. For realz.

So it’s somewhat ironic and a sorry state of affairs in my life that has, for the past week, found me crawling out of bed at 6:15 after hitting snooze what feels like 800 times. There is no devotional. There is no quiet. There are just feet hitting the floorboards and GO.GO.GO.

This, my friends, is my life in May.

As a disclaimer, if you tend to dislike posts where a bunch of first world problems are hashed out in a generally humorous, yet undeniably complaining fashion, then walk away now. Because this ship is going down like that.

May is my least favorite. It just is. It has all of the crazy chaos and coma-inducing scheduling nightmares of December, without any of the presents. Every year when it sneaks up on me I question my sanity, wonder if I’m depressed and grow concerned that I am, in fact, suffering from early onset dementia. Because in May I’m on a hair trigger, I feel like I’m slogging through quicksand just to make it through each day and I always (and I mean always) forget at least one or two big and important things, just totally miss them.

Momlife in May is a marathon. We don’t really want to run it and we have zero training. And even if this is our 25th consecutive Momlife May, each one is unique enough to cause a cause of almost deja vu, like we’re running the same race on a different course. May is where the wheels fall off.

It’s in May that I get irrational in the car pool line. Like, completely insane irrational. I’m going to try to tread lightly here so as not to offend any of my readers who also happen to be carpool offenders, but can we please, and I mean PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP, stop parking right in front of the door, leaving 15 feet of wide open carpool lane space in front of us, so we can get out of the car and accompany little Susie to the door? Pretty please. We have 15 days of school left. That’s it. If she can’t master carpool procedure by now without assistance (and don’t even get me started on the man who takes his daughter’s picture every day) then move up and park. It’s that simple. I am not at all faulting your kid for not being able to jump out of a slowly moving car like my own can, I’m faulting you for not thinking of the 5 waiting parents behind you. 

It makes me crazy.

And I’ve talked about this one before, but packing lunches in May. No. Just NO. First of all, by this point all lunchboxes require a hazmat suit to handle. They are stained. They stink. There’s a fine dust of goldfish crumbs (because I like to keep it healthy, y’all) coating the bottom and at least one unidentifiable sticky mess in a corner. I know I should clean them weekly but by May it’s clear they will need to get tossed in the trash and possibly lit on fire so I just can’t even with them.

And that’s not even talking about what I actually put IN said lunchboxes in May. Long gone are my attempts at keeping it (at least partially) balanced. My nice and loving notes are a thing of the past. The only thing happening is sheer desperation and exhaustion. To be fair, my children will pack their own lunches if asked. And sometimes I do. But for the most part it’s not even worth the argument and even in my depleted state of mom life I know that two tic tacs and an Uncrustable do not a lunch make. So instead I pack. And I pack. And I pack. And it’s a sorry state of affairs in those lunches these days and honestly, I don’t even really care. 

And finally, finally, all of the May things, WHY? Just why with the papers and the meetings and the extremely important emails? The sheer amount of papers coming home each day give rise to serious concern for the environment. Spelling tests from January intermingle with must sign permission slips which are stuck to the bottom of old art projects. I just can’t. Couple that with the coach emails and the fever pitch of tournament season and championships and informational meetings about all of these sports things for next year. I can’t keep up. So I don’t. I go catatonic. I don’t fill out the important forms, I don’t read the emails and my recycling bin looks like the place where every redwood went to die. It’s all I can manage and I don’t even feel bad about it.

At this point in the year I don’t want phone calls about my kids behavior. I have nothing more to offer you, no more insight. No more thoughts. If he can’t get it together, then give him detention. Yell at him. Do what you need to do. I’m barely surviving myself. 

Teacher appreciation week back to backing itself right up to end of year gifts give me hives. I LOVE our teachers. I mean LOVE. I know how blessed we are to have teachers who really and truly care for our children. But my May appreciation gift doesn’t even begin to showcase this because I’m too tired. Catch me in February and I will appreciate the heck out of you with showers of presents and cards. Right now, it’s going to be a sad show of affection and I’m so very sorry because you truly deserve more. 

Really it’s not you, May, it’s me. . The anticipation of summer and even just the tiniest bit of freedom from the school year hamster wheel is looming right ahead like a desert oasis. I’m excited for it, but I’m also nearing hysteria as I stare at the packed days standing between us. Think Jesse Spano after caffeine pills. I’m so excited. But I’m just so scared. 

(If you’re not a child of the 90’s and you have no idea what I’m talking about, stop what you’re doing right now and go google it. I’ll wait.)

And this, my friends, is me in May. I know this is quite possibly the longest whine ever recorded in modern day history. I recognize this won’t win me any awards for Mother of the Year, but in the interest of keeping it real, I had to share. Mostly because I see it in your eyes too, friends. And I totally get it. We’re almost there. FIFTEEN days and counting. We’ve got this. Keep going.

And so today seems totally appropriate to share a #toolboxrecipe, does it not? Because May dinners need to be mindless and fast. They need to feed an army at different times, and they need to be healthy (because bathing suit season, hello?). And this is where this roasted eggplant and red pepper pasta comes in. It’s no secret that I love me a meatless meal, in fact, I prefer them. One, I know it’s better for the earth and two, it’s better for me. But my family, not so much. This meal, though, it fooled them all. My kids even managed a few bites of eggplant (thinking it was chicken). It was a hit with the whole family.

With this one I highly suggest tasting as you go. The beauty is in the interplay between salty and sweet and savory, so taste and taste again. Artichokes and olives would be a great addition giving it a true Greek flair, though I haven’t tried that myself to know. Either way, this can be served hot or cold, as a main or a side. IT pleases the whole family and is on the table in 30 flat. I highly recommend, even for my most die hard meat eaters.

Peace, love and MAY,

Meg 

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Pasta

September 4, 2019

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, diced into cubes
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 pound bow tie pasta (or any short cut pasta will do)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bunch basil, cut into thin strips (bundle up and cut with kitchen sheers)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions

• Step 1 Put eggplant on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Cover with paper towels. Let sit for 10 minutes and blot away excess moisture. (you can skip this step but it helps take the bitterness away from the eggplant)
• Step 2 In a small bowl, combine eggplant and red pepper. Drizzle liberally with oil and salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
• Step 3 Place on a sheet pan in an even layer. Broil on high for 5 minutes. Toss. Broil 5 more minutes.
• Step 4 Remove and set aside.
• Step 5 Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted water.
• Step 6 Drain, reserving a bit of the pasta water and return to pan.
• Step 7 In a small sauce pan heat the oil on medium high. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add broth, oregano, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling.
• Step 8 Cook, 2-3 minutes or until combined and reduced slightly.
• Step 9 Pour over pasta and toss to combine.
• Step 10 Add eggplant and peppers, feta and basil and toss to evenly distribute.
• Step 11 Taste, season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
• Step 12 Serve.

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