A quick update for those of you waiting for news – our daddy got back yesterday so for the last 24 hours we have again been in full “labor inducing” mode. I am probably making this sound a lot worse than it actually is, there is no real reason to have this baby out RIGHT NOW but I am getting a little edgy as my due date is only 5 days away and I feel as though we might miss. (Also the fact that I am 40 (!!!!!!!!!!!!) weeks pregnant and that’s 10 months for those of you who didn’t figure this out- might be adding to my misery and anxiety). If you missed my whiney post read it here.

A few days ago I messaged my yoga teacher, Karen (www.pregnantinoman.com) , who has a lot of expertise in the field of child birth and general health care (also she gives great advice!) and asked her what I can do to help move things along. She insisted that I make it to one more yoga class, give acupuncture a shot, have some “private” time with my husband and try a delicious Italian recipe that swears to bring about labor. I took her advice (on almost all of the above 🙂 ), yoga turned out to be extremely beneficial and actually helped relieve my muscles and calm me down emotionally.

Karen had also sent me a recipe of Eggplan Parmesan that is known to help women go into labor. For more than twenty years, women have gone to Scalini’s Italian restaurant in Cobb County, Georgia, with one thing on their minds: To go into labor. They always order the Eggplant Parmesan, which, so far, has helped encourage more than 300 babies to come into the world within 48 hours of their mom eating the meal.

I decided to give it a shot because it wouldn’t hurt to kill two birds with one stone; make a decent lunch and perhaps even help this baby get moving. So the recipe is below, most of the ingredients are easy to come by and the preparation of the dish could not be more elementary. I have even attached a few images for your entertainment 🙂

Eggplant Parmesan alla Scalini’s Ingredients:
3 medium size eggplants
1 cup of flour
6 eggs, beaten
4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned
Olive oil for sautéing
8 cups of marinara sauce*
1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lbs of mozzarella cheese shredded
2 cups of ricotta cheese
Instructions:
After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4 inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it, however you may want to leave the skin on since the skin contains a lot of vitamins. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy. This will drain the excess moisture. Let them set for about an hour.

Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, then dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with bread crumbs. Saute’ in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.
In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish about an 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 25 minutes in 375 degree oven. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.
Scalini’s Marinara Sauce
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 cup onions chopped
1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basil
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of rosemary

I actually couldn’t find ricotta cheese and the supermarket and forgot to buy breadcrumbs- so that may be the reason of this not exactly “working” in my favor.

The eggplants being fried in olive oil

The Marinara Sauce. Chopped up onion, garlic, greens, tomatoes and herbs.

The post-oven dish looks something like this. Umm cheese

It's absolutely delicious! With so much cheese how can it not be?

So if you find youself in a situation similar to mine…or heck…if you just want to cook up some yummy Italian grub- give this a shot! It’s finger-licking-good! It promises results within 24 hrs and I am half way through that pie right now…let’s see if it can live up to it’s reputation!

Fingers crossed people.