Lasagna

I love Pinterest, don't get me wrong.  There are a lot of really great, fun ideas for recipes, party planning, decorating, crafting... you name it.  But there are also a great many things that make me think "WHAT?!"  Case in point:

Easy Lasagna Rolls.  I give a big skeptical eyebrow raise to these.  o_O
How on earth are these things easy?

Source: landolakes.com via Jylane on Pinterest

Source: foodgawker.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: mommysavers.com via Dawn on Pinterest

You mean to tell me I have to:

1) Boil the lasagna noodles;
2) Lay each wet, slimy noodle on my counter;
3) Carefully and evenly spread a mixture of damp cheese and runny sauce along the center of each wet, slimy noodle; and
4) Roll each slippery, slimy wet composite into a neat little roll?  Without getting cheese and sauce all over my counter?

Thank you Pinterest, for taking a deliciously simple casserole and making it as difficult as possible to create.  I will not be making Lasagna Rolls anytime soon.  However, I will make my Grammy's Wonnerful Resagna (as my brother dubbed it as a toddler) several times throughout the year.  It truly is delicious AND simple.

Grammy's Wonnerful Resagna
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 lb ground beef OR 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 small onion, minced
1 minced garlic clove
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 jar tomato sauce
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 C fresh basil
1/2 tsp oregano

1T salt
4 quarts boiling water
1/2 lb lasagna

1/2 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced or shredded
3/4 lb ricotta cheese
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:
Heat olive oil in pan. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook until browned. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings. Let simmer, covered, 1/2 hour. 
(Short cut: brown your beef or sausage, drain, add jarred sauce)

Cook lasagna noodles as directed. Drain and lay noodles out on a dishtowel.
Even easier: use Barilla's No-Cook Lasagna Noodles.  BOOM.

Cover the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish with a layer of lasagna noodles. 
Ladle on a layer of sauce, then spoon on a layer of ricotta and a layer of mozzarella. 
Repeat: noodles, sauce, cheese.  <- absolutely="absolutely" br="br" is="is" layering="layering" of="of" the="the" tidiness="tidiness" unnecessary.="unnecessary." your="your">
End with a final layer of lasagna noodles.
Put a final coating of sauce over the top.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 -60 minutes.

This lasagna freezes really, really well and is absolutely 100% simple and delicious.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Spinach Stuffed Shells

You may have seen this recipe on Pinterest.  And if you did, you pinned it, because it looks and sounds amazing.  By now we've all had our fair share of "Pinterest Fails;" it's beginning to be a running joke.  So as beautiful as this recipe looked, I was wary!  Not too wary though, as I made three pans of it in one sitting - two pans to bring to friends with new babies!  I prepped all 36 shells Monday night, and cooked ours last night.  The other pans are in the fridge, ready for our friends to eat or freeze.

Source: prouditaliancook.blogspot.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

So the verdict?  These were GOOD.  Really tasty!  Laura, of course, was wary of the squash and spinach... so I just hid those bites in the "noodles" I stuck on her fork.  They were a little more prep time than your normal shells (I've always used the recipe on the box to great success), but full of flavor.  The roasted squash alone was delicious, and was in danger of being eaten by me before I could get it in the shells. 

In typical fashion, I did stray from the given recipe a bit.  The biggest change I made was adding sauce.  I wasn't sure how well the sage butter would freeze AND I forgot to buy sage AND I really couldn't picture shells without some sauce for the ricotta to soak up.  So I grabbed a jar of Classico's light alfredo (really good, by the way), and added some to the bottom of the pan, and then poured the rest over the prepped shells.

The original recipe is for one tray of 12 shells.  I made triple that number, but didn't really measure anything.  So here's original recipe with my notes in parenstheses on the side:

Ingredients:
Butternut squash (recipe didn't say how much - I used one package pre-chopped squash)
Olive oil
Jumbo shells, cooked and cooled
2 cups ricotta cheese (I used a 32 ounce tub)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (handfuls!)
1 clove minced garlic (oops - I forgot this, and would remember it next time)
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, squeezed and drained (I used a whole box)
1 egg
lemon zest (about 2 teaspoons)
salt and pepper to taste
(And of course: 1 jar alfredo sauce)
(Optional: pancetta or prosciutto, chopped)

Instructions:
Set out spinach to thaw (which I forgot to do till the last minute)

Peel and chop your butternut squash
Toss in olive oil with a little salt
Roast at 425F for 15-20 minutes.

Cook your jumbo pasta shells according to directions.

In a bowl mix ricotta, parmesan cheese, garlic clove, thawed and chopped spinach, 1 egg, salt, pepper, roasted squash (cooled), and grated lemon peel (and pancetta!). The lemon peel was key to this dish and added a nice bright flavor.

Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in a buttered baking dish (with a little sauce on the bottom).

Make a sage brown butter sauce by melting 1 stick of butter in a saute pan until golden brown and bubbly.  Add at least 10 sage leaves until slightly crisp. Turn off heat and squeeze in fresh lemon juice.

Pour additional alfredo sauce over shells.**

Place your shells in a 400F oven until heated through around 20-25 minutes. When finished spoon your warm sage sauce all over and sprinkle with grated parmesan.

**If you want to freeze, this is the time to do it.  Cover prepped, uncooked shells in plastic wrap and foil to make as airtight as possible; pop in freezer for later.  To cook frozen shells, let thaw overnight and allow a good hour for cooking.

Chicken Taos

This is a very family-friendly meal.  My toddler loves the chicken - we can't cut it up fast enough!

Ingredients:
12 pieces of chicken, cubed (boneless breasts or thighs work well)

¼ cup flour

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 jar chili sauce*

1 ½ cups chicken broth

½ cup dry sherry

 Roll chicken in combined flour, salt and pepper (or place in Ziploc and shake!)

Melt butter in large high-walled sauce pan, add chicken and brown.

Push browned chicken to one side.

Add onions and sauté until transparent.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice or egg noodles.

*Chili sauce can be found near the ketchup and cocktail sauces

I often make a double-batch of this, as the chicken and sauce freeze and reheat really well.  I usually serve it over the egg noodles, with a layer of fresh spinach in between – by the time you are ready to eat, the spinach is wilted and tastes fantastic!

Green Bean Fries

Oil for frying
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup all-purpose flour

1) Heat oil in a deep fryer or electric skillet to 375*
2) Combine green beans and water in saucepan.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Cook until the beans are bright green, about four minutes.  Drain and transfer to bowl of cold water.  Set aside.
3) In one bowl, whisk egg and milk together.  In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder.  Drain the green beans and toss with flour to coat, shaking off excess.  Dip the beans into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs, coating thoroughly.
4) Fry beans in batches so they are not touching.  Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.

**Can be baked at 375* for 20 minutes
**Can be frozen