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Portobello Stacks are a healthy, tasty, stacked dish of portobello, tomato, eggplant and onion that is perfect for anyone!

This is my second makeover post I am doing. I published this one originally when I was off in my cast and stranded inside. My furry nursemaids of Angel, Doodle Bug, and Lily kept me company. So much has changed since I originally published this post.

One change is my photographic skills. I would use my iPhone to do all my photos. Then use various apps to add words and editing. I did not know anything about lighting, PicMonkey, food props, styling, photo editing. Well as you can see in the photo below, which was the original photo on this post, I have come a long way, baby!

It is a learning process, I am still learning it, I still have ways to go, wow, I admit I am impressed with how much I have grown in photography.

Another change is my babies, my fur kids. They came to live with my mom in PA after the manager of the apartment complex said no more pets. I came in to see my family in PA for a long weekend.

This a rough time of year, you see August 12, is my dad’s birthday and we have lost our furry family members on and around his birthday.

As you recall, Odie, my sister’s dog passed away on Aug 3, that I talked about in the

Pineapple Pretzel Delight recipe.

Well, I came in on Thursday the 14th, my mom sat me down and told me, My sweet Angel, passed away on Tuesday, my father’s birthday.

My mom didn’t want to tell me on the phone, she thought would be better in person. She knew I was coming in a few days later. Angel had a rare condition that developed the last year and a half.

What happens is her uterus, even though she was fixed, would fill with fluid. Usually, in pets that are fixed, the fluid drains ok. However, in Angel’s case, she had a closed cervix.

So it would cause her to blow up like a balloon. Then it would burst. It is usually 99% fatal. She survived, in fact, she had a total of 5 episodes and survived each time.

My vet did not know how or why she survived. We put on antibiotics, which trust me was not fun to give her this pill. The best way was to crush it mix with some water then squirt down her throat. Anyone give a cat a pill knows the fun in giving a cat a pill. She truly was a miracle. In between these occurrences, she was an active little cat.

She truly was a miracle. In between these occurrences, she was an active little cat. She never showed signs she was in pain. The vet and I did not put her down because she was active. Her occurrences would happen at night when I was asleep. I see in the morning she had a bout of this condition. It happens so quickly and without warning.

Well, my mom said she didn’t look good over the weekend, she was starting to blow up, but it wasn’t like the usual. She looked tired this time. My mom was with her on the bed, scratching her head, and told her, it was ok to go to sleep, to go and be with Odie. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Portobello Stacks

Name: Portobello Stacks
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: milk; salt; 4 slices eggplant; 4 portobello mushrooms (sliced optional); 4 slices of onion; 4 tablespoons of balsamic or red wine vinegar; 4 slices of tomato; leaves basil (fresh preferred (but dried is good as well)); oregano; fresh ground pepper; 4 slices of provolone cheese; olive oil (infused with truffle oil is better (but not necessary))

I decided to use this recipe for Angel’s dedication because, well she was with me when I first published it. Plus it a makeover post. Angel was my “pretty” kitty. She would get on my shoulder, as I put makeup on and want makeup put on her, So I always pretend to put blush on her. So a “makeover” post seems just right for my pretty kitty. R.I.P Angel Marie, you were loved, your name fits you, that was for sure.

This Portobello Stacks came from a variation on a Disney recipe. I had some eggplant, and I wanted to do something different with it. California Disney had a deconstructed eggplant parmesan recipe that I used as a loose basis for Portobello Stacks.

I decided to add the portobello to it to give some earthiness to this delicious recipe. Then, of course, you need a little tart with the vinegar. Finally, top off with a little provolone cheese and the Portobello Stacks come to life.

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Yield: 4 servings