Blissdom 10 - Part 2: Surprise Inspirations!

Friday morning at Blissdom found me mesmerized by the keynote speaker Kevin Carroll, author of Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. If you have never heard of him, you are going to want to check out his site, read his books and watch a few of his YouTube videos.

"Kevin’s “job” is to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals - from CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to schoolchildren - to embrace their spirit of play and creativity to maximize their human potential and sustain more meaningful business and personal growth."

This first class inspirational, motivational and high-energy speaker made me want to kick some red rubber balls.

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.”

James A. Michener

Gotta LOVE that quote....

Blissdom knew what they were doing introducing George Duran near lunch time. George Duran is the host of TLC's Ultimate Cake Off. He entertained us and prepared a quick recipe on stage. Hunt's was a Blissdom sponsor and served us a delicious Italian lunch (Eggplant Parmesan Rolls recipe below) at Ristorante Volare which was beautifully prepared, decorated and displayed, down to the empty Hunt's tomato cans used for the bistro tables centerpiece.

Eggplant Parmesan Rolls:

• PAM® Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 1⁄2 cups chopped zucchini
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) Hunt’s® Stewed Tomatoes, undrained
• 1⁄2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggplants (2 large = about 2 1⁄2 lb)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 container (15 oz each) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add zucchini; cook 10 minutes or
until onion and zucchini are lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add undrained tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper; simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat grill pan over medium-high heat. Cut ends off each eggplant; cut each eggplant lengthwise into 1⁄4-inch slices. Spray both sides of each
slice with cooking spray. Grill slices 2 minutes per side or until lightly browned and pliable; set aside.

4. Combine eggs, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and basil in medium bowl. Mix until well blended; set aside.

5. Place 2 cups of the tomato sauce in bottom of prepared dish. Assemble rolls by spreading about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture on each eggplant slice.
Roll up from a short end and place seam-side down in dish. Repeat. Top rolls with remaining sauce and sliced mozzarella.

6. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is lightly browned. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

And those are just the highlights of the morning through lunch. Two back-to-back afternoon sessions would continue to inspire us and lead us into the evening where we would be swooned by Harry Connick, Jr.

More to come.....

Thanks for reading, Rosie.