This time of year I have tons of those oblong shaped purple fruits. It is one of the things that performs well in the hot Southern garden. I smile when I think of my first season at the community garden. I had just gotten my first really good harvest of eggplant and I have to say that my family was less than pleased. My kids proclaimed loudly that it was like Styrofoam and thought it would be more useful as a throwing toy; a purple football if you will. So I asked some of my fellow gardeners, “What do you do with this? How do you cook it?” I will never forget what one well seasoned gardener said. He replied with a wink, “Well, everything is better with bacon and cheese on it.”

Every summer my kids wait for eggplant pizza to come on to the menu. Featuring the main ingredient, you guessed it, bacon and cheese.

Ingredients:

• sliced eggplant
• salt
• diced tomatoes
• basil
• cooked chopped bacon
• Parmesan, mozzarella, or monterrey jack cheese
• pepper

Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Lay on cookie sheet and salt. After about 15 minutes press with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Broil in the oven until brown. Flip over and broil on other side.

Chop tomato and basil and mix together. Place tomato and basil mixture on eggplant slices, sprinkle with bacon pieces, crack pepper over all and sprinkle/place cheese on top. Put back under broiler for a few minutes to melt cheese. There you have it Eggplant Pizzas!