It's that time of year again, when the mornings are crisp and "pumpkin spice" seems to permeate every coffeehouse in town. Yes, fall is coming.

I'm OK with it, I guess. While I love fall as a concept, I hate to give up on summer. It's hard to let go of the grill every night, family dinners on the deck, fewer pots and pans in my kitchen.

Apparently, my garden feels the same way, as it's still cranking out tons of tomatoes, fresh herbs and eggplants, which I planted on a lark this year.

My boys are all on board with the bulk of my harvest, but I must admit, the eggplants have been a hard sell. While my husband and I love them grilled, roasted and puréed into baba ghanoush, my kids have turned up their noses.

After an entire summer of trying to coax my sons into liking a vegetable that seems so likable to me, I did what any smart mom would do in this situation. I breaded them. Yes, it's a cheap trick, but it worked.

I had a feeling it would, because it's one my mom used on my siblings and me. She would cut the eggplant into thick sticks, dip them in egg and Italian breadcrumbs and fry them until they were golden brown. Then she'd serve them with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Anything fried was a treat, so all of us kids would stand by her in the kitchen just waiting for the next piece of crispy goodness to emerge from the hot oil so we could grab them and eat them, even if it meant burning our mouths. No self-respecting child in a family as large as mine would let a little heat rob them of their fair share.

I can remember just how it tasted — salty and crunchy on the outside and perfectly creamy on the inside. Heaven. Still, I hate to fry anything and not only because it's not good for you, but also because it's messy. So I turned to another tried and true method to achieve the same result: baking.

Although I often bake breaded chicken and fish, the results, though delicious, are still easy to distinguish from their fried counterparts. This recipe for baked crispy eggplant, though, with its crust of panko crumbs and Parmesan drizzled lightly with olive oil, is as close to fried as anything you'll ever pull out of your oven.

You could certainly serve these on their own, but I like to make a meal out of them by layering the slices with a little marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella. This "stacked" version of eggplant Parmesan is sophisticated enough to serve to company and easy enough to make for the family on a busy weeknight.

While my boys still aren't in love with eggplant as much as I am, this dish has at least broadened their minds and palates. What more can a mother ask?

Meredith Deeds of Edina is the author of "Everyday to Entertaining" and "The Big Book of Appetizers." Reach her at meredith@meredithdeeds.com. Follow her on Twitter @meredithdeeds.