Lasagna

I can't believe lasagna isn't on my blog yet.  This is my moms recipe because as we all know, nobody's lasagna is as good as moms.  Ever.  So I understand if this is the recipe on my blog that you never try because it just isn't your moms lasagna.  But if your mom didn't ever make lasagna and you therefore don't have a "moms lasagna" that is your favorite, step into my mom's kitchen, into my childhood, and sample some of her lasagna. 

 

1 lb ground turkey (or lean ground beef)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp basil

1 tsp salt

1 1-lb can tomatoes

2 6-oz cans tomato paste

10 oz lasagna noodles (buy the pre-boiled noodles to save yourself time)

1 egg, beaten

3 C dry cottage cheese or Ricotta

1/2 C grated Parmesan or Romano

2 Tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated

Brown meat.  Spoon off any extra grease.  Add garlic.  Cook for 30 seconds.  Add basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Simmer with lid ajar for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cook noodles (unless you bought the pre-boiled noodles).

Combine egg, cottage cheese/ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, pepper, and mozzarella.

Layer half the noodles in a grased 9x13 dish.  Spread half the cheese filling followed by half the meat sauce.  Repeat (noodles, cheese, sauce).  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  

Note:  If you assemble it early and refrigerate before baking, increase the cook time to 45 minutes.

A funny story (or maybe I should say a yucky, awful story):  While I was cutting up the basil and stirring it into the tomatoes, Geoff asks, "Did you wash that basil really well?"  Yeah, why?  "Well," he says, "I might have sprayed it with insecticide yesterday when I was spraying the nearby rose bushes."

WHAT!?  Might have sprayed it?  What do you mean might have sprayed it?  Did you spray it or not, now is the time to remember.  He couldn't remember.  So I didn't add the other leaves of basil I was planning on, though it was too late for what I had already added to the tomatoes.  Hope I washed them well enough.  I appreciate his help in the garden and, after throwing away the remaining basil I had cut, informed him that we have some organic sprays that are for the herbs so we don't have to worry about poisoning ourselves.

Little Boy is, as always, enjoying his food.  He recently had his first Mangoes.  He often gets these with plain yogurt and it looks so good, I'm tempted to eat some, too.

For Mangoes, peel the fruit and cut the flesh away from the center stone.  Puree fruit (no cooking necessary).  Add water if necessary to reach desired consistency. Freeze in ice cube trays or muffin tins.

This is Isaac's "feed me" face.  "Can't you see that my mouth is open?  Why is there not food in my mouth yet?  Faster Mom, faster."

Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Another tasty pasta recipe.  As my husband would say: "Good stuff Maynard."

1 C vegetable broth
12 sundried tomatoes
8 oz penne pasta, cooked
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
a few handfuls of spinach
Parmesan cheese  to garnish

Bring broth to boil.  Remove from heat.  Place tomatoes in broth for 15 minutes or until softened.  Remove tomatoes and dice them.

Place pine nuts in a skillet.  Cook over medium heat until lightly toasted.  Add oil and red pepper.  Saute garlic 1 minute.  Mix in spinach and cook until almost wilted.  Pour in broth  and add tomatoes.  Cook until heated through.  Toss with pasta.  Garnish with Parmesan.

And little boy is still eating away.  His next new food was carrots and he loved them from the very first bite.  More please?  (Yes, I know, the above picture isn't orange and therefore isn't carrots, but isn't he cute?)

Boil or steam 2 C washed, peeled carrot chunks with 3/4 C water until carrots are mushy.  Puree with cooking water.  Add water if needed for thinner consistency.  Freeze in ice cube trays.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

Mmmm. . . Summer veggies.  How we miss them all winter long.


4 oz ziti, cooked
2 C yellow squash, chopped (about 2-3 squash)
1 C zucchini, chopped (about 1-2)
1/2 C onion, chooped
2 C tomato, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese (you could get away with a little less)
2 Tbsp fresh basil
2 tsp fresh oregano (I used 1/2 tsp dried, because I didn't have any fresh)
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 C ricotta cheese
1 egg

Saute squash, zucchini, and onion for ~5 min.  Add the tomatoes and garlic; saute another 3 minutes.  Stir into pasta.  Add 1/2 C mozzarella (or a little less), herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper.

Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg.  Stir into the pasta mixture.  Pour pasta into a greased 8-in square baking dish.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Original recipe from July 2011 Cooking Light.

Mexican Mac & Cheese

Like Mac & Cheese?  Like Mexican dishes?  This is a delicious combination that has absolutely no nutritional worthwhile-ness to it.  I told my husband "what an unhealthy main dish" and he said "good".  Typical.  And, to add to it, we forgot to garnish with tomatoes.  At least then the pasta would have had a vegetable.  Oh well, it was super tasty.

12 oz pasta, cooked (I used penne, since that's what I had on hand)
1 lb pork sausage (I cooked the full 1 lb but saved out a little more than 1/3 of it for a dish we'll have later this week.  We had plenty of meat and this helps keep the grocery bill down a little (as well as the calories!))
1 onion, chopped
16 oz jar green salsa, medium
Serious amount of grated Monterrey jack or Mexican cheese blend (I used about 3 C, but the recipe called for 4 C)
Tomatoes, sliced jalapeno peppers, and/or cilantro for garnish

While pasta is cooking, brown sausage and onions.  Drain.  Stir in green salsa.

Spray a 3-quart baking dish (we used 2 9x9's.  Baked one tonight and froze one unbaked for a quick dinner in a few weeks).  Layer half the pasta, half the sausage mixture, and half the cheese.  Repeat layers.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Garnish with tomatoes, jalapenos, and/or cilantro.

Original Recipe from March 2011 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

12 oz Pasta, cooked and rinsed with cold water
10 oz can Chicken (if canned chicken creeps you out, leave out the meat or cook some chicken)
8 oz can Pineapple tidbits, drained
11 oz Mandarin oranges, drained
2 avocados, diced
Poppy Seed Dressing
Rice Wine Vinegar
Salt

Add fruit, chicken, and avocados to the pasta (don't toss together yet - you don't want to over toss the salad or the fruit and chicken start breaking into tiny pieces).  Pour poppy seed dressing and vinegar over salad to taste.  I don't know how much of either dressing I use, but if I had to guess, I'd say at least 1/4 C vinegar and almost the same amount poppy seed dressing.  Maybe more of both.  I don't know, I just dump.  Salt to taste.

And:  Thanks Rob and Anna for a fantastic weekend!

Pasta with Tomatos, Zucchini, and Feta

Geoff adores pasta and I like to sneak veggies into things he adores!  Success every time.

Cook the pasta.  Then pan fry some zucchini in a little olive oil.  When they are starting to look delicious, add chopped tomatoes and minced garlic for just a minute, sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper.  Toss with pasta, fresh basil, feta, and freshly ground salt. 

Summer is just around the corner, so time to pull out those veggie dishes!  (Or if you live in Texas and you already have green peppers ripening on the vine and blossoms starting on your zucchini plant, summers already been here for a few weeks.)

Pan Fried Ravioli with Tomatoes

Beat together: 2 Tbsp water with 1 egg

Mix together: 3/4 C panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1/4 C parmigiana cheese

Dip fresh ravioli (9-oz package) into eggs then crumbs.

Heat a large skillet with some olive oil.  Add half the ravioli to the pan, saute 1 or 2 minutes per side (or until golden brown).  Remove cooked ravioli and repeat with second half of ravioli.  Remove from pan.

Throw 4 C chopped tomatoes (again, I wish I had done more - I never seem to have enough tomatoes in pasta dishes) in the pan.  Grind some salt and pepper over tomatoes.  Cook 3 minutes.  Add 3 cloves minced garlic.  Throw ravioli in with the tomatoes and serve.


This was super tasty - sometimes I feel like I say that about all food.  But it's true.  Every time. . . . Maybe I just really like eating.

Original Recipe from Cooking Light Sep 2010 Magazine by Julianna Grimes and Vanessa T. Pruett

Yummy Pasta with Sausage, Tomatos, and Spinach

Cook 1/2 package of Italian sausage with some minced garlic.  Toss in some tomatoes and freshly ground salt and pepper and let the tomatoes get a little mushy.

When you drain the pasta reserve some of the cooking liquid in a bowl or cup.  Toss pasta with tomatoes/sausage.  Add in enough reserved cooking liquid so the pasta dish doesn't look dry but looks mildly saucy.  Add several handfuls of spinach.  Top with freshly grated cheese (I think I used a 5 blend Italian something or the other).

In retrospect, I needed way more tomatoes then I used - so use more than you think you need!

Yummy.  Enjoy!