Lasagna Rolls

                                                                        

Every time I make this, I forget how great it is! This is very similar to traditional lasagna, but I think it's less dry, and easier to serve.  I got this recipe from Giada De Laurentis. No, I don't know her personally, although I wish I did! I think I got it from the Food Network site. This is a dish you can prepare the night before, or even a few days before.  In fact, this is what I did for Easter this year.  I did all my cooking the day before, and all I had to do, was to stick things in the oven after we got home from church.  I will caution, if you prepare it the night before, let the pan come to room temperature before you bake it, or it will take much longer to bake.

This recipe calls for making a béchamel sauce for the bottom of the pan, which I do, because I think it adds a bit of creaminess to the whole thing, but you can certainly skip that step and just put marinara sauce on the bottom of your pan.  Another change I made this time, was to use fresh spinach instead of frozen chopped.  I chopped the fresh raw spinach and added it to the cheese mixture. 

If you are vegetarian, you can certainly leave out the prosciutto, but I really feel that it adds something to the dish.  Or, maybe it's just because I really LOVE prosciutto.  For those of you who aren't familiar, prosciutto is a kind of Italian dry cured ham.  It is always sliced very thinly, and it's a real treat. You could probably substitute regular thin sliced ham, but it's a very different flavor.  So here is the recipe, pretty much the same as the one I originally got from the internet.

Béchamel Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 box dried lasagna noodles ( don't use the no boil ones, they won't work)
1 15 ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
3 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto
1 large egg, beaten
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (or 1 to 2 cups raw fresh spinach, chopped)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more for salting the water
2 cups marinara sauce - I use homemade, but you can certainly use a good jarred sauce
1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons olive oil

Begin by putting a large pot of water on to boil for the lasagna noodles.  When the water boils, add the olive oil and a tablespoon of salt to the water.  Cook according to package directions to al dente.

While the pasta water is heating, make the béchamel sauce, melt butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat, and add flour. Whisk to form a roux for about 2 to 3 minutes. Increase the temperature to medium high and add the milk, continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken.  This should take about three minutes.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk until they are incorporated.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9" by 13" ovenproof pan and pour the béchamel sauce over the bottom of the pan. If you are not using béchamel sauce, increase the amount of marinara to 3 1/2 cups and pour 1 1/2 cups over the bottom of the pan.

When the lasagna noodles are done, remove and lay out on a cookie sheet or large cutting board.  Put layers of parchment, waxed paper, or plastic wrap between layers of the noodles.  Now prepare the filling. 

Preheat oven to 450F.  If you are using frozen spinach, defrost and squeeze out all the liquid.  If using fresh spinach (about 1 - 2 cups) chop the raw spinach.  Layer the prosciutto and chop it finely.  In a large bowl add ricotta, beaten egg, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, prosciutto and spinach, and mix well.  Take the noodles one at a time and spread a layer of the ricotta mixture over them.  Begin rolling them up from one short end and place in pan seam side down.  Continue until you have used all your filling. Depending on how many noodles where in your box, you can make between 12 - 18 rolls.  Once they are in the pan, pour over one cup of the marinara sauce.  Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of parmesan and the one cup of mozzarella.  Cover tightly with foil, but try not to let the foil touch the cheese.  At this point, you can refrigerate the lasagna for use the next day, or bake in a 450F oven for about 20 minutes, remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the top becomes golden.  Heat the remaining marinara sauce and serve with the lasagna. Serve with a salad and crunchy Italian bread (to mop up all the yummy sauce).  Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a.
Nonnie

Empanada Update - Big Improvement!

Several months ago, I wrote a VERY long post about my trials and tribulations with empanadas.  I have made them several times since and have made a huge improvement.  I went to the grocery store and purchased the Goya discos in the frozen food section of the store in the area where they have international foods.  Oh my goodness!  How easy this was!  I just rolled them to make them a little bigger, filled them, sealed with water and a fork and baked them.  The package does tell you to fry them, but I'm looking to make things easier, not harder.  I also brushed each one with a little beaten egg.  So here is the recipe again, this time using discos.

 Fillling: Makes enough for about 12 empanadas

1 lb. ground beef--you can probably substitute chicken or turkey
1 small onion finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, or run through the garlic press
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons vinegar - I used red wine, but you can substitute, white wine, apple cider or even rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Depending on the likes of your family you can also add red and/or green peppers or green olives--about a cup of peppers or olives.

Brown the beef, drain any fat and set aside in a bowl.  Add olive oil, onions and garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add spices, vinegar and tomato paste.  And cook until combined. Add any other vegetables and cook till they are soft.  Return beef to the skillet and heat through.  At this point you can remove from the heat, cool and freeze so you have a meal ready to go for another night.  Or double this recipe and freeze half.

Roll out the discos crust on a well floured surface, so each is a little larger and thinner than when you began.  Fill half the circle with filling, leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 inch around the edge.  Wet the edge with a little warm water, fold over and crimp the edges with a fork. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Brush all the empanadas with a beaten egg to which you have added two tablespoons of water.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 -12 minutes.

 Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Steak with Chimichuri Sauce

                                                                               

It's been a long, cold, snowy winter, but I think spring is finally here, and to celebrate, I fired up my grill tonight.  I grilled a London broil, made some green beans in a foil packet on the grill, splurged and made French fries and made some bright, fresh chimichurri sauce for the steak. This was a great meal!

Chimichurri sauce is originally from Argentina, but has become very popular here.  It's traditionally served on steak, but you can also eat it on pork or chicken. It can be used as a marinade or as a sauce over your steak.

The first time I had chimichurri sauce I was visiting my daughter in Colorado. A friend brought over this meal and I loved it.  For a long time, I couldn't stop thinking about it, finally I began researching recipes and found several.  After trial and error, I came up with this one.  It's easy to do, you can even chop the parsley in the food processor. The original recipe calls for cilantro as well as parsley, when I make this for my family, I leave out the cilantro, while I love cilantro, some of my family members have that gene that makes cilantro taste like soap.  No, I'm not kidding, it's an actual gene.  Look it up!  So if you don't like cilantro, leave it out! In my research, I also found many recipes that called for fresh jalapeno finely chopped, but that's too much heat for me, but if you like it, add it in.

Chimichurri Sauce

1/2  to 3/4 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped - if you use the food processor, just pulse it, you don't want it pureed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
3 to 4 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped or run through a garlic press
1 shallot finely minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk in the olive oil with a fork.  Mix well and chill.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a.
Nonnie

This Pasta Salad is Almost Too Pretty to Eat!



This salad is a favorite of one of my granddaughters and she suggested that I post it on the blog.  This is a colorful pasta salad that has lots of possibilities.  Start with tri color pasta and then add your favorite veggies, cheeses, meats, or whatever is in the fridge.  I'm going to give you the ingredients for mine, but you can change it up however you like.  Use cheddar or Monterey Jack instead of mozzarella. Use ham cubes or salami instead of pepperoni or  leave out the meat and cheese and it can be vegan.  Add radishes, broccoli florets, scallions, red onions, or what ever your family likes. You can use bottled Italian dressing, but I made my own and included the recipe below. When I make this for a whole crowd, I use a pound of pasta, but for a weeknight dinner, I just use half a pound because there are so many things added to it that there is more than enough. Here we go!

1 to 1/2 lb. tri color pasta cooked and cooled
1/2 each green, yellow, red, and orange peppers chopped
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 - 3 carrots thinly sliced
1/2 cups sliced black olives
2 cups fresh mozzarella balls (If the fresh mozzarella balls are large, cut them in half
1 cup pepperoni cut into small cubes
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

After you cook the pasta, rinse in cool water and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil.  Chill.  Add all the ingredients and stir to combine.  Add dressing.  Serve!

dressing:
 1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar - red or white
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a.
Nonnie

Homemade Fajita Seasoning-no package mix for me!

 

Tonight I am making a huge double batch of fajitas for dinner.  I plan to freeze half, so one night when I am too busy to cook, I just have to defrost and heat the filling and warm some tortillas and I have dinner!

For the past few years, I have been making a conscious effort to remove as many chemicals and artificial flavorings and ingredients as possible from my diet.  I have gotten to the point that when I eat some packaged foods, I can taste that artificial, chemical taste.  Little by little, I have been coming up with recipes for my own seasoning mixes.  This is one I found on the internet and really liked.  It seemed kind of a pain to take out all those jars every time I wanted to make fajitas, so I multiplied the recipe by 8 and had enough to fill a pint sized mason jar.  I measure out a quarter of a cup each time I make fajitas; it's just like opening one of those packages of fajita seasoning from the grocery store only much healthier!

I used to do lots of canning when I had a huge garden, so I have lots of Mason jars.  I use them for everything. They make great little storage containers.  I taped the recipe to the jar so I don't have to look it up when it runs out! One last word of caution, make sure you buy onion and garlic POWDER not salt.  Check the ingredients to make sure it's natural. So here is a recipe for two cups (8 uses)  of fajita seasoning.



Fajita Seasoning

1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons onion powder
4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup ground cumin

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and use a whisk to thoroughly combine.  Store in a Mason jar with a tight fitting lid.  Use 1/4 cup of seasoning mix and 1 cup liquid (water or broth) each time you make fajitas.  The recipe for fajitas can be found in "Older Posts" on September 24th, 2014.  Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a.
Nonnie

Super Easy Sweet and spicy Aisan Chicken

This is a recipe I found in the Spring 2014 issue of Cook Fresh magazine.  I discovered this magazine about a year ago.  They only publish four issues a year, but each one is filled with wonderful recipes make with fresh, seasonal ingredients.  This recipe is a family favorite and since I discovered it,  I have made it often. This works well as an appetizer at a party, or for dinner served over rice with broccoli or Chinese pea pods as a side dish.

The original recipe calls for cooking the chicken under the broiler, but I have made it several ways. Sometimes I use chicken tenders and thread them on a skewer, sometimes I use skinless boneless thighs cut into chunks.  Sometimes I cook them on the grill, and sometimes in the oven.  I have even cooked the chicken in a skillet on the stove.  One thing I discovered, is that the marinade is great as a sauce, so I doubled the recipe and hold half of it back to use as a sauce. This is a recipe that is super easy to prepare, doesn't involve a lot of chopping and prep work. and can even be made on a week night when you get home from work. For those of you who like to prep ahead, cut up your chicken the night before and prepare the marinade ahead.  Do not marinate the chicken until just before cooking, or it will become too powerful.

This recipe uses hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, five spice powder as well as the traditional soy sauce.  These sauces can all be found in the international food section of your supermarket.  All the other ingredients, you should have in your pantry.  One other hint:  if you are using wooden skewers instead of metal, be sure to soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before cooking. Ready?  Here we go!

Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Kebabs

1 1/4 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into one inch pieces.  You can also use thin cut chicken tenders, do not cut the tenders, just thread the whole thing on the skewer.

3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
4 cloves garlic finely minced or run through a garlic press
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how much of a kick you like)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
2  to 3 scallions thinly sliced.

If you plan to make these in the broiler, preheat your broiler and set your oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Soak skewers in water if using wooden skewers. If using thighs, cut into one inch pieces. Combine hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, five spice powder and red pepper flakes in a bowl.  Stir to combine.  Take out about half a cup of the marinade and set it aside to use as a sauce.  Add the chicken to the bowl and let sit about 15 minutes.  Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray or vegetable oil.

Thread the chicken onto the skewers, leaving space between each piece so they can cook properly.  Arrange on the baking sheet and broil about six minutes. Remove, turn the pieces over and broil another 3 to 4 minutes.  If the chicken seems to be getting charred, lower the oven rack. If you would like to thicken the extra sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water. Add this to the sauce and heat until it bubbles and begins to thicken.

Remove and serve over rice.  Pour a little of the sauce over, sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.   If serving as an appetizer, sprinkle sesame seeds and scallions on top and serve the sauce as a dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a.
Nonnie

Savory Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole (Published in Taste of Home Magazine!)

Note:  This is the recipe I submitted to Taste of Home Magazine several years ago.  They just published it in their Breakfast and Brunch edition which just came out in October, 2015!  Quite exciting for me!

Yesterday, I posted a recipe for a yummy, gooey Orange Pecan French Toast casserole.  Truth be told, I am not one of those people who likes sweet things in the morning, I will always pick a bagel over a donut, or eggs over pancakes anytime.  So here is a recipe for a make ahead casserole that is savory, filled with eggs, cheese and sausage. This one is a family favorite; I hope you like it!

Savory Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. log of breakfast sausage (Jimmie Dean type)  If the log is only 12 ounces, that's fine
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 to 2 cups grated cheddar ( you can also use a cheddar Monterey jack mix)
1 loaf French bread cut into one inch pieces

Butter or spray a 9 X 13 baking pan and set bread slices evenly on the bottom.  Cook the sausage and drain off any fat.  Cover the bread slices with the crumbled sausage.  At this point, you could also add 1/2 cup each finely diced onion and green pepper, however, my family prefers it plain.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add milk, chives, parmesan and pepper.  Pour over sausage.  Press down gently on each slice to make sure bread is soaked with egg mixture.  Top with grated cheddar.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, remove casserole from refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Cook about 30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a.
Nonnie