Butternut Squash Lasagna

Photo courtesy of www.bhg.com

This recipe is one of my most favorite things to make in the fall!  I got it out of a Better Homes & Gardens Italian Cooking magazines a few years ago.  It's been a hit in our house ever since!  :)  One of the best things about it is that you don't have to roast the squash ahead of time.  Just peel, cube, and throw it in your lasagna layers!  :)  Sometimes I add ham if John is feeling the need for "meat."  :)  Oh & the no-boil noodles to make this SUPER easy!  :)

• 3
  pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3
  tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2
  teaspoon salt
• 1/4
  cup butter
• 6
  cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4
  cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2
  teaspoon salt
• 4
  cups milk
• 1
  tablespoon snipped fresh rosemary
• 9
  no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 1/3
  cups finely shredded Parmesan cheese (5-1/2 oz.)
• 1
  cup whipping cream  (I usually just use milk)
  
  
  Directions:
  1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Place squash in the prepared baking pan. Add oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss gently to coat. Spread in an even layer. Roast, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring once. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

  2.For sauce: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in squash and rosemary.

  3.Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole. To assemble, spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the the prepared baking dish. Layer three of the noodles in dish. Spread with one-third of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the Pamesan cheese. Repeat layering noodles, sauce, and Parmesan cheese two more times. Pour whipping cream evenly over layers in dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.

  4.Cover dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more or until edges are bubbly and top is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
  
  
  
  

Spaghetti Squash with Veggies and Cheese

Do you love spaghetti squash but run out of inventive ways to cook it for dinner? I ran across this simple recipe today on allrecipes.com and was shocked at how amazing it turned out. I made a few tweaks of my own. The original recipe did not include the sausage, zucchini or green pepper but I think either way it would be delicious.

1 spaghetti squash halved lengthwise and seeded
2 Tb. EVOO
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 zucchini sliced in half moons
1 can diced tomatoes (italian style) drained
1 small can sliced black olives
1 Lb. spicy italian sausage
1 clove minced garlic
2 Tb. fresh chopped basil
4oz cheese of your choice ie: italian mix, parmesan, feta etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 and place squash cut side down on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 30-40 min. or until skin pierces easily with a fork.
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a large skillet and sautee onions, green peppers, and sausage until sausage is nearly cooked through.
3. Add zucchini, and garlic and stir gently until sausage is cooked through and zucchini is soft and opaque.
4. Add tomatos, olives and basil and heat until warmed through.
5. Remove squash from oven and place aside until cool enough to handle.
6. Remove strands of squash and toss with skillet mixture and cheese (and butter if you're in the mood).

Pork Tostadas (as seen on America's Test Kitchen)

(photo courtesy of America's Test Kitchen)

These slightly spicy pork tostadas were AMAZING! They are not hard to make, they just take some time. We also made our tostadas the way they describe in the recipe (fried in oil) but I suppose if you're looking for a healthier alternative you could brush the tortillas with EVOO and bake them until crispy. (But for the record they won't be the same... so go ahead... just this once and indulge in a crispy fried tortilla!! :-)

I was just reading on America's Test Kitchen's website that the video of how to make these should be available in a few weeks. Click on this link, it will take you to the web page, check there to see if the video has been posted. After watching it you'll see how easy these are to make!!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork butt, (I used a pork shoulder and it turned out just fine) trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium onions , 1 quartered and 1 chopped fine
• 5 medium garlic cloves , 3 peeled and smashed and 2 minced or pressed through garlic press
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• S&P
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1(14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (use only a 1/2 a tsp. if you don't want the pork to be too spicy)
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Cut up your pork in 1-inch pieces and trim it of most the excess fat. Don't trim all the fat off as it will keep the pork tender as it cooks. 
2. Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook until pork is tender, 75 to 90 minutes. 
3. Drain pork mixture, through a colander, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid or the stock. Discard the onion, garlic, and thyme. 
4. Return pork to saucepan and, using potato masher, mash until shredded into rough ½-inch pieces, set aside.
5. Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, and oregano; cook, stirring often, until pork is well browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. 
6. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
7. Stir in tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, reserved pork cooking liquid, and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the tostadas:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 inch corn tortillas
• Salt

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in small skillet over medium heat (if you have a thermometer heat it to 350 degrees).
2. Using fork, poke center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times (to prevent puffing and allow for even cooking). Fry 1 at a time, holding metal potato masher in upright position on top of tortilla to keep it submerged (see photo below), until crisp and lightly browned, 45 to 60 seconds (no flipping is necessary). 
3. Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Serve your tostadas with the pork and your favorite garnishes. Here are a few suggestions, avocado, cilantro, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco or your favorite cheese.

Panang Curry Recipe

Serves 1 (I usually make double)
1 Tbl Panang Curry Paste (I use the Mae Ploy Panang Curry Paste)
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl fish sauce (even though this smells terrible you CAN'T leave it out!)
peanuts (optional)
Meat of choice (I have had it with salmon, pork and chicken)
Veggies of choice (according to the man at Uwajimaya you HAVE to have potatoes, but I have put in zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower, red peppers, onions and carrots)

Heat dry wok over medium heat, add curry paste and stir into pan until fragrant

Add meat and veggies and 1/4 cup coconut milk and stir until meat is cooked

Once meat is cooked add remaining coconut milk

In a separate dish mix sugar, fish sauce and peanuts and add to the mixture.

Stir until thick and serve over rice.

This recipe is compliments of a friend from school. It is very easy and delicious! It can be a bit spicy, but if you can handle the heat... it's a keeper!

Bree's meatballs

**  You can ask your butcher or usually find a "meatloaf" or "meatball" mix at your local grocery store **

1/2 lb. ground veal
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg - lightly beaten
1 small-medium sized sweet onion, finely diced
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I try and get a blend of asiago, pecorino romano, and parmesan)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 and 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 and 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 and 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot-hot-hot!)  :)
Favorite jar of marinara or my favorite Trader Joe's Organic Vodka Sauce!  :)

1. Turn crockpot on medium heat (depending on how much time you want meatballs to simmer - low heat if you want them to simmer all day!)  :)
2. Pour favorite sauce in crockpot - set aside
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees & spray a jelly roll cookie sheet with an Olive Oil spray (my fav is from Trader Joe's) - set aside
4. Beat your egg (I do this by hand with a fork) with all your herbs, finely diced onion, S&P, and cheese until well combined
5. Using your hands, thoroughly combine the meat with the egg mixture being careful to NOT over mix (this will result in a tough meatball) - set aside
6. Using a cookie dough or small ice cream scoop (I use the 2Tbsp. Pamper Chef scoop) scoop out meatballs & roll them with your hands to make them round & place them on your prepared cookie sheet (You should make between 48 and 56 meatballs depending on how much meat your started with)
7. Bake meatballs in your preheated oven for 20 minutes
8. Place your meatballs in your sauce that is in your crockpot.  Let simmer at least 2 hours before serving!
9. Serve with pasta or make meatball sandwiches with provolone cheese & hoagie rolls!  YUMMO! :)

Opah's Grilled Chicken

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

juice of 2 limes

1/4 c. EVO

handful of minced fresh basil

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3 in. strips (or use chicken tenders)

1. Combine all ingredients in ziplock bag, add chicken, seal and refrigerate for 4 hrs. or up to overnight

2. Heat grill to medium high, place chicken on grill and cook 6-10 min.

Serve on a bed of arugula drizzled with a little EVO (optional)

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

1 lb. spaghetti

1/3 c. olive oil

8 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 c. freshly minced parsley (I used dried parsley flakes)

1 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Kosher salt

Directions:

Bring water to boil, add 2 Tbs. salt and cook pasta according to directions on pkg. Reserve 1 1/2 c. water before draining pasta

Heat olive oil in large pot and cook garlic for 2 min. or until it turns golden on edges, stirring frequently; Add red pepper flakes, then reserve pasta water; Bring to a boil and then lower heat, add 1 tsp. salt and simmer for 5 min. until liquid is reduced by about a third

Add pasta to garlic sauce and toss; Off heat, add cheese and parsley and mix well; Allow pasta to rest 5 min. before serving ENJOY!!!!!

Lasagna Cupcakes…

These tasty lasagna cupcakes are a snap to make! Recipe makes 12:

Ingredients

1 cup marinara sauce or any spaghetti sauce you like

3/4 pound ground beef or turkey; browned

24 wonton wrappers (approx, 3 in. squares)

8 ounces shredded mozzarella

3 ounces Parmesan cheese

4 ounces Ricotta cheese

(optional) fresh basil for garnish; or add dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder or italian herbs when browning meat to jazz up flavor

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Brown beef and season with salt and pepper or your preferance(s). Drain.

Cut wonton wrappers into circle shapes using a biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass. You can cut several at a time.

Reserve 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 6 tablespoon mozzarella for the top of you cupcakes. Start layering your lasagna cupcakes. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Top with a little meat sauce and marinara sauce. Use around 1-2 teaspoons of all the ingredients depending on your personal preference.

Repeat layers ending with marinara sauce. Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each lasagna out.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Asparagus Salad

Salty, sweet, and de-lish!  This salad is great for warm summer days because it is light but substantial enough to be dinner, & is served cool!


Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 ripe cantaloupe cut into bite-sized pieces 
• 4oz pancetta, baked until crisp and then cumbled
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place pancetta on cookie sheet & bake in oven until crisp.
3. While pancetta is cooking, trim asparagus & cut into bite-sized pieces.  Set aside
4. Cut cantaloupe into bite-sized pieces & set aside.
5. When pancetta is crisp remove from cookie sheet & drain on paper towels - DO NOT discard pancetta drippings
6. Place cut asparagus onto cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Season asparagus with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Toss seasoned asparagus in the pancetta drippings and olive oil.
9. Roast asparagus in oven until crisp tender.
10. Remove asparagus from oven & squeeze 1/2 a fresh lemon over freshly roasted asparagus.
11. When asparagus is cool, pour asparagus (including pancetta drippings, olive oil, and lemon juice) into a bowl.  Toss & combine with cantaloupe, crumbled pancetta, and mozzarella

Serve as a side or as an entree with crusty bread!

Cherrywood Planked Copper River Salmon with Whiskey-Maple-Butter Sauce

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs Copper River Salmon
2 Cherrywood Planks

Instructions:

1. Soak your planks (totally covered in water) at least 3 hours (if new.)  If not new & re-using soak for at least an hour
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper to taste
3. Place planks on heated grill
4. Place seasoned salmon on planks
5. Cover grill with lid & roast/smoke/grill/ salmon until desired doneness

Sauce:
1/2 cup Whiskey
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (the real stuff - NOT Mrs. Buttersworth!)  :)
1/2 lb. butter cut into pieces

 Instructions:

1. Pour Whiskey and Maple Syrup into large saucepan
2. Simmer on medium-low heat until reduced to about 1/4 cup
3. Add butter and keep warm until salmon is ready
4. Pour sauce over salmon and reserve extra for individuals to add as desired

This sauce is also excellent on corn on the cob OR maybe even pancakes or waffles!  :)

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

Gourmet Magazine gets all the credit for this one. We tried this for the first time when we were visiting the McDougall's in Ft. Bragg and I've made it again since I got home. Its a simple way to prepare salmon and its really good especially alongside a spinach and strawberry salad for dinner. Try it out.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce (see recipe below)

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

If you aren't able to grill outdoors, salmon can be cooked in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.

Lime Butter Sauce

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Lime butter sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir before using.

Homemade Vegetable Broccoli Soup!

Sorry no picture, but if you can imagine green creamy soup, that's what this looks like :)
I actually found this recipe online from a website called homemademothering. It is easy, yummy and great for those picky eaters when it comes to vegetables.

2 TBSP butter
1 Onion - diced
4-5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 C carrotts - diced
4 Medium Potatoes (I like 5 or 6 to make it a little thicker)
8 C liquid (water or broth)
3 medium heads of broccoli - chopped
(The recipe doesn't call for Cauliflower but I think it would be a great addition or use it in place of some of the potatoes for less carbs)

In a large pot melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions and saute until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add potatoes and carrotts, cook 5 minutes.
Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
Pour in liquid and bring to a boil.
Cook until potatoes begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in chopped broccoli flourets and stems and cool until just begining to soften.
Puree using a handheld immersion blender or in batches using a regular counter top blender.

(note: I don't have an immersion blender so I used my counter top blender, let the soup cool down a little first!! I might be stating the obviouse but when I did it I was in such a hurry to get to work that I didn't have time to let it cool and the lid blew off from the pressure making a big green mess in the kitchen. Just fyi)

Red Pepper, Corn, Tomato Soup

April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day!

I decided to make a red pepper, corn, tomato soup to go with our grilled cheese on National Grilled Cheese Day! This recipe calls for fresh whole cherry tomatoes, whenever you get a bite with a cherry tomato in it there is a burst of sweetness! (That was my husbands favorite part.) The soup turned out really great, a little spicy but that's how I like my tomato soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 package of cherry tomatoes, keep whole
• 1 package of frozen corn, slightly thawed
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 small jar of salsa, I use Trader Joe's classic salsa
• a few dashes of hot sauce to add some spice
• S&P
• 2 tbl. EVOO
• Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Pour EVOO in a medium-large size pot, turn heat on medium high. Put onions in the pot and saute for about 3-4 minutes stirring around. Add bell peppers and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add corn and tomatoes to the pot, saute until corn is warmed about another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add broth, salsa and as much hot sauce as desired. Salt and pepper the soup.
4. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to low. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Blend about 1/3 of the soup in a blender, when returning the liquid to the pot pour through a colander with small holes to keep some of the tomato and bell pepper skins out. I wasn't super particular about this and my soup ended up a bit chunky but I was okay with that. Don't forget to let the soup cool a bit before you try to blend it.
6. Serve the soup with a bit of crumbled feta on top and a grilled cheese!