to let you know my wedding day shoes are up for discussion over at Jodifur's Shoe Friday.

We've been getting eggplant in our CSA for the last 3-4 weeks and are getting even more today. I checked previous years and it looks like we'll be getting eggplant pretty much all summer. That's a lot of eggplant, especially for someone (me) who is kind of picky in how she likes it prepared.

So far, we've made baba ghanouj (delicious!), baked eggplant parm (twice), and an eggplant tomato sauce that we've used over fried polenta rounds and tortellini. We don't usually eat much Italian food and we're getting a little tired of the same preparations, over and over. Unfortunately, I have a real texture thing with eggplant (and yellow squash, while we're at it), and seem to only like it when it's sliced reeeeally thin or completely mashed up. Grilled hunks or sauteed cubes of eggplant are just too mushy for me.

Anyone have any great vegetarian (or vegetarian-adaptable) eggplant recipes to recommend? I know there are a lot of eggplant curries out there, but most of them seem to use cubed eggplant... anyone know of any non-mushy variations? (And yes, I salt the eggplant before using it; still not a fan of the texture.) Thanks!

Do you ever go through periods where you hate almost everything in your closet? I guess hate may be too strong a word... ambivalent is probably better. I go into my closet almost every morning and there is just nothing in there that I want to wear. I pick something out, put it on, and look fine... but I'm not happy about it. (Except today... I'm loving my new black dress from J Crew with pearls and black heels... I feel a little bit like a Hot Lawyer Lady today, in a good way.) I'm in a fashion rut. Unfortunately, that's one of those ruts that you cannot just get out of inexpensively. (For example, even after a coupon code and a gift card, I still paid over $100 for the dress I'm wearing today.)

I basically wear a self-created "uniform" to work every day. Work pants (in either black, grey or brown) with either a solid color shell/shirt + cardigan combo or a sweater. In the summer, work pants are supplanted by one of two black skirts, a grey skirt, and either a grey or black dress.

BORING.

We don't have any official dress code in our office (suits expected for court and jackets for meeting clients, but that's about it), but I want to look put together, but with style. I still feel like my wardrobe is something more appropriate for someone fresh out of college, not someone several years into her career at a law firm. When I wear my nicer work dresses (like these, only I never pay full price) with heels and a jacket or cardigan, I feel put together and professional. But obviously, I can't drop $100 a piece on several dresses. Plus, then I'd just be creating a new "uniform." We are not required to wear suits every day and I don't want to. I need to find some sort of middle ground... something between my too casual summer skirts and "fancy" tee shirts and my black and grey suits. I think I have the basic pieces; now I need to spice things up a bit.

I'm not afraid of color. Many of my shirts are brightly colored, but they are honestly not the greatest quality and they are still kind of blah. I'm usually wearing a solid colored sweater or a "fancy" tee shirt with a black, grey or white cardigan over it. (FYI, I don't do button down. I just don't.) I currently love my skirts and dresses for the summer, but I'd like something with a little more style to wear with them, or to add a few colorful skirt or dress options to my closet. I'm not afraid of pattern, either, except that I feel like pattern is much more recognizable and I wouldn't be able to get away with wearing the same patterned shirt every week.

So! This is where I am asking you all for help... anyone want to volunteer as a virtual fashion consultant? I do lots of internet window shopping, but I have no idea where to start and, honestly, I just don't trust my instincts to lead me to anything other than more of the same.

(As you may have noticed from the title of this post, it's not just my work wardrobe I'm having issues with, but it's a good place to start.)

Edited to Add: One of my coworkers just stopped by my office to tell me that I looked really nice today and asked if I had court. Proof that it is not just in my head that my every day work wardrobe is lacking. *sigh*