Lasagna Rolls

There are several things that I love love love about this meal...

1. Its easy to pare down for a small group. You can easily make this for 1-2 people. Great for when you want lasagna but don't want to make a huge pan. Think of these like individual lasagnas.

2. They are easy to make

3. They taste great

4. You can just as easily make this vegetarian and you can mix and match toppings and fillings- whatever you want to dress it up. Leave out the spinach, leave out the meat.. it all works and comes out great.



Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 lb ground turkey or beef (browned) (leave out for a vegetarian meal)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Stir the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl until blended

Add oil to boiling salted water and cook the noodles until al dente.

Lay out on a baking sheet so they don't stick

Combine the meat and the marinara sauce and pour some in the bottom of the pan

Spread the ricotta mixture on top the the noodle and then roll

Place into pan. Continue until all of them are done and in the pan

Cover with the rest of the sauce and put cheese on top

Cover with foil

Bake in oven about 25 to 30 minutes.


Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine

I have to say out of all the recipes I've tried recently this is the only one I've made twice in two weeks. This picture is from my second attempt where I forgot to put parsley in. Either way it was still good. Lick my plate good.

This is definetly something that is going to be a regular around our house.



Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine

1 pound linguine
6 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts
Flour
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup dry white wine
Chicken broth (optional)
1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream (can use half & half)
1 heaping tablespoon capers
chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Flatten chicken breasts to uniform thickness. Salt and pepper both sides, then dredge in flour.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Throw mushrooms into the pan and stir. Immediately pour in wine, then squeeze juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon. Stir to deglaze the pan, then cook vigorously for 1 minute, until sauce reduces.
Pour in cream and stir, then add capers and parsley and stir. Turn off heat. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Don’t undersalt!
Place pasta and chicken on a platter and top with every last drop of sauce. Generously sprinkle Parmesan Cheese over the top.

Quick Way to Spice up your morning oatmeal

Add a spoonful or two of pureed pumpkin or pumpkin pie mix (whichever you prefer) to your morning oatmeal and stir. Pumpkin is very high in fiber and potassium.

Some of my other favorite oatmeal mix ins: dried cranberries, cinnamon, brown sugar, almond, walnuts, berries, apples, bananas and peanut butter.

Did I miss anything else?

Veggie Stirfry

Veggie Stir-Fry
sliced veggies whatever you want
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce
sprinkle of sesame seeds
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
1 tablespoon of pineapple juice (or more depending on how sweet you want it)
cooked rice

* Combine all ingredients in pan except for rice and sesame seeds and stir fry until cooked
* About 1 minute to go add seeds to pan
* Pour mixture over rice and enjoy

Baked Turkey Ziti

Baked Ziti
1 lb. ground turkey
1 package penne pasta
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (your choice)
1 tsp italian seasoning
3 cups of shredded cheese - mozzarella and asiago cheese

* preheat oven to 375
* boil pasta and set aside
* brown turkey and add tomatoes, sauce and seasoning
* mix pasta and sauce together
* Layer in pan with cheese
* Bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

Spicy Bean Dip

Spicy Bean Dip
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Old El Paso Taco Sauce (I used hot, you can use whatever you want)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp ground cumin

* In a saucepan combine all ingredients except cheese
* Stir until mixture is smooth (about 5 minutes)
* Remove from pan and immediately put cheese on top so it will melt.

Chipotle Marinaded Steaks

• 
  Chipotle Marinade
  1 small can of chipotle chiles in adobo
  2 tablespoons of adobo sauce
  5 garlic cloves, minced
  1 small orange zested
  3/4 cup orange juice
  1/4 cup lime juice
  2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  1 tablespoon of tomato puree
  1 teaspoon dried oregano
  1 teaspoon ground cumin
  1 teaspoon ground pepper
  
  
  Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor until smooth
  Pour over steak and marinade for 1 to 2 hours.
  
  We served this with pico de gallo on top,pinto beans and hot tortillas on the side.
  You can use more or less peppers to adjust the heat. A full can of chiles is really spicy.
• 
  

Cheesy Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole from Pillsbury

Look at the cheesy goodness. This dish is so good and a great way to stretch out a family meal. We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day plus it was rather inexpensive to make.

Ingredients
1 package refridgerated biscuits
olives sliced
cheddar and mozzerella cheese grated
1 lb hamburger meat
whatever veggies you want - mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own)
1 cup hot sauce or salsa

*Preheat oven to 350
*Cut biscuits into smaller pieces to fit into dish and coat with hot sauce or salsa
* Sprinkle half the cheeses over top with the olives
*Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes
* While baking - saute the onions and veggies in a pan until cooked
* Add the hamburger and brown until done
* Add the seasoning
* Pour over the top of the cheesy biscuits
* Add another layer of cheese
*Bake another 8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Serve immediately



Yum

Pioneer Woman's Stovetop Macraroni and Cheese

I keep seeing this over and over on different blogs. The pictures make me want to drool. Seriously. I usually eat mac and cheese out of a little box and the one time I made homemade macaroni and cheese it was not so creamy - but still good. This looked so creamy, that I knew the next one I'd try would be this one.

Ingredients
4 cups dried macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated (I used half cheddar and half monterey jack)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook macaroni in a pot until done
Drain and set aside
In a large pot, melt butter and add flour in gradually
Stir together for five minutes
Pour in milk and mustard and stir until smooth
Cook until the sauce thickens
Reduce heat and stir in the egg until smooth
Add cheese and stir until melted
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the macaroni into the sauce and stir to combine

Serve immediately

or you could top it with cheese and bake it, but really serve immediately.

Italian Pepper Pasta with homemade sauce

Macaroni Grill used to have a sausage and pepper pasta. I would order it all the time. It came with peppers, onions, chicken, feta cheese in a spicy tomato sauce or Arrabbiata Sauce.

The sauce is very easy to make on your own. It takes very few ingredients and what you are left with is a delicious dish.

Ingredients
Red bell pepper - chopped
Onion - chopped
Spaghetti - cooked

Sauce from Epicurious.com
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 14 1/2-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay)
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Saute onion and garlic with red pepper flakes. Add the bell pepper
Add the tomatoes with juice and the wine bring to a boil
Turn down the heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until it thickens
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Add to pasta and toss with feta cheese.

Pioneer Woman's Potato Bundles

I have wanted to make this since I saw it because it seems like an easy clean up version of oven fries. I love oven fries. So when we were getting ready to make tri-tip again, I made these. It seems like half a potato works well portion wise and it seems like so much more than just a potato sitting on your plate. We had bought two big potatoes and it seemed like we really only needed to use one for the two of us. What a great way to stretch the groceries out.

Pioneer Woman's Potato Bundles

Russet potatoes - cut into chunks
Yellow or white onion - cut into chunks
Butter
Heavy cream
Salt
Paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Place a peace of foil down and add a handful of potatoes and onions
Top with a slice of butter
Pour some heavy cream on top
Add the spices - salt, pepper, paprika and parsley
Fold into pouches and place on a baking sheet
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes

This is a really great recipe because it is so interchangeable - you could add some peppers, tomatoes, cheese, any spices you want really and it would turn out fabulous.

Mario Batali Spaghetti Sauce

I saw this on the shelf at the store and I had no idea that he made spaghetti sauce. However it looked good. There were three kinds, we chose Tomato Basil. Its made with san marzano tomatoes and fresh basil. It looked really chunky and good. So I decided to give it a try.

I made it with a package of Trader Joe's linguine, grilled chicken breasts and mushrooms. I sprinkled some shaved parmesan on top. I think it came together really good.

I also made some cheesy garlic bread to go with it. Except this time instead of slicing the bread, I just cut the loaf in half and baked it that way. It came out really good. I think it was less maintence that way.

Two new things to try

I love food blogs and I've been seeing a lot of posts about these two things:



Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams
(basically chocolate and peanut butter in a jar! yum!)

and

Barney Butter (or Almond Butter)

I grabbed both to try out and definetly worth it. Both were really good.

I think the chocolate peanut butter was really really really good. Like a peanut butter cup in a jar. Peanut butter cups are my favorite candy ever. I think having this in the house is dangerous.
The almond butter - well tasted like peanut butter - but apparently its better for you with more vitamins and minerals.

Moist Yellow Cake

I made these for Aaron's birthday. I've been wanting to make yellow cake for awhile because its my favorite cake. Aaron likes really any cake thats not chocolate. He doesn't mind chocolate frosting though as long as there isn't a lot of it. The cake was soft and moist. I would definetly make it again.

Ingredients
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line two cupcake pans with liners

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. With a mixer cream the butter and suger. Add the eggs one at a time.

4. Reduce the mixer speed. Stir vanilla into the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Mix just until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.

6. Center the pans onto the lower third of the oven and let bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I used this frosting and some store bought sprinkles.

I think they came out great.
The recipe was from epicurious.com

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

I had some fresh blueberries sitting in my fridge that I didn't know what to do with. I've been wanting to make a coffee cake for awhile since my husband loves coffee cake. So I decided to find a recipe for a coffee cake to make. So I went to my favorite recipe hunting ground - recipezaar and found one that looked good.

Ingredients

Cake
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

Streusel
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine the blueberries and 2 T flour;
toss gently and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups flour,
2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup sugar
and 3/4 cup milk in a large bowl.

Beat 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer.

Add egg; beat one minute.

Fold in blueberries.

Spread batter evenly in a greased and floured 9-inch square pan.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a bowl;

cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Spread this mixture over the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Slow Cooker Frijoles a la Charra

I made these for Aaron's birthday to go with some chicken enchiladas I was making. These were really easy and the flavor was really complex. There was a lot going on. It was kind of smoky and spicy. They were good. A lot of prep work, but really not a lot to do once it was all in the pot.

Ingredients
1 pound dry pinto beans
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 (3.5 ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers
1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Place pinto beans in a slow cooker, and completely cover with water.

Mix in garlic and salt. Cover, and cook 1 hour on High.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown, but still tender.

Drain about half the fat. Place onion in the skillet, and cook until tender.

Mix in tomatoes and jalapenos, and cook until heated through.

Transfer to the slow cooker, stirring into the beans.

Cover slow cooker, and continue cooking 4 hours on Low.

Mix in the beer and cilantro about 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.

Tasty Trader Joe's Lunch

We went to Trader Joe's yesterday and I was excited that we were actually on our way home, so we could get some things from the refridgerated section and freezer section. I picked up some Thai Shrimp Gyoza and edamame. I made some up for a quick lunch and it was really good. Especially since it was ready in only 8 minutes.

I love fruit stands

Local fruit stands are all over around where I live. There is one not too far from where I live, but we hardly ever go by it because its more towards the country. Its called the Fruit Bowl. They have gelato and a restaurant. However the fruit is really good there. You can buy it by the flat or the bucket.
We were driving by on the way back from lunch at one of our favorite country restaurants and decided to stop.

We picked up the best cataloupe for only $1.50. Yum!

Do you shop local farmers markets/fruit stands? You should definetly give it a try.

Simple Tangy Steak Marinade

Let me show you one of my favorite marinades for steak

Lets start with two juicy steaks

Add the juice of 1 lemon



Lots of crushed peppercorns



and lots of garlic put through a garlic press.. lots of garlic



It doesn't need long to marinade because of the lemon juice maybe 30 - 45 minutes

Grill and serve

Yummy!

Slow Cooker Barbeque Shredded Beef

Sometimes you need something you can just throw in the slow cooker and know it will be good. I was a little worried about making this because of the root beer. I've never really cooked with soda before so I was a little uneasy about the outcome.

It was good. It gave the meat a little sweetness. It definetly made it easy to shred. The only thing was as it cooked down, I didnt have more to add, so I just added water. Which was fine. It might have been sweeter if I had more - but i actually thought this came out just fine.

My husband actually ate his whole sandwich and half of mine. Then took the rest to work the next day for lunch. I guess he liked it.

Ingredients
1 pot roast (whatever size you want)
1 can of root beer (we used a 20 ounce bottle)
salt and pepper
1 bottle of barbeque sauce (whatever kind you like - we like sweet baby rays)

1. Turn the crockpot on low and put the pot roast in
2. salt and pepper the meat
3. add the bottle of root beer
4. cover and let cook for 7.5 hours on low
5. drain the pot roast
6. put back in slow cooker
7. Add bottle of barbeque sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes
8. dish up and serve. We ate ours on buns - but however you like it is fine