Traditional Lasagna

Recently I have been looking for recipes that I feel my husband and I would enjoy, but that would also give us plenty of leftovers that I could freeze so I have some meals saved for when the baby arrives next month. I have had pretty good luck freezing Italian pasta dishes and figured this lasagna would freeze well. I guess we'll see what it tastes like in the next couple of months, but I can tell you that the dish that went straight from being prepared to the oven was wonderful! I would definitely make this lasagna recipe again. This particular recipe is very cheesy, which is how I prefer my lasagna. My husband commented that it was a bit salty, so I made a notation in my cookbook to decrease the salt from 1 tsp to a 1/2 next time. I also felt the smokiness from the provolone cheese really stood out, so if you do not like that flavor either substitute the provolone with mozzarella, or decrease the amount of provolone used.

Traditional Lasagna (ToH Winning Recipes)
1 lb ground beef
3/4 lb bulk pork sausage
3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt (decrease based on your preference)
1/2 tsp pepper
3 eggs
3 Tbls minced fresh parsley
3 cups (24 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
1 carton (8 oz) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
6 slices provolone cheese
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, sugar, seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, combine eggs and parsley. Stir in cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Layer with three noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, three noodles, 2 cups meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full). Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Uncover, bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Serves 12. **Note: Freeze desired portion prior to baking. I divided the recipe between two 8x8 pans and froze one 8x8.

Turkey Fajitas

This is a great recipe to try if you have leftover turkey breast. I recently cooked a turkey breast in my crock pot and froze the leftovers. This dish came together super quick with already having the cooked turkey. Rather than marinating the meat as the recipe suggests, I just added a splash of lime juice and soy sauce to the onion/pepper mixture and threw in the turkey to get hot. I then added some lime juice to sour cream for an added kick. Yum!


Turkey Fajitas
1/2 lb turkey breast cutlets
2 Tbls low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbls fresh lime juice
1 Tbls water
2 tsps minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbls chopped avocado
1 Tbls tomatillo salsa
1 Tbls sour cream
1 tsp minced onion
3/4 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp minced jalapeno pepper
1 cup thinly sliced sweet red pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
2 (8-inch) flour tortillas


Cut turkey into strips; place in a small shallow dish. Combine soy sauce and next 6 ingredients; pour over turkey. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours. Place avocado in a small bowl and mash; stir in salsa and next 4 ingredients. Set aside. Remove turkey from marinade, discarding marinade. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add turkey; saute' 2 minutes. Add red pepper and onion; saute' 6 minutes or until turkey is done and vegetables are tender. Spoon mixture evenly down centers of tortillas. Roll up tortillas, folding in sides. Serve with avocado sauce. Serves 2.

Just like Mom's...

As I've mentioned on here before, I did not enjoy fresh green beans when I was growing up. Yes, thankfully my taste buds have changed over the years, and just the other night I made a dish that my mom made each summer. I found the recipe on the Food Network website, but it looked, smelled, and tasted just like I remember my mom's! Yum!!

Fresh Green Beans with Bacon and Potatoes (adapted from Food Network-Emeril Lagasse)

4 slices bacon, cut into thirds
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 large baking potatoes, quartered into large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan or medium Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until it has rendered most of its fat and has begun to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the green beans and potatoes and enough water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then cover the pan and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep the beans covered. As the beans get close to being done they will become quite fragile, so take care when stirring. Serves 4.

more Pumpkin...Ice Cream this time!

I'm still thinking about pumpkin around here....maybe that's what my craving is during these last five weeks of pregnancy! I had some pumpkin puree left from the pie I made the other day and decided to try out some ice cream...it's really custard. The recipe didn't call for any additional "add-ins" but I thought the addition of chocolate covered graham crackers would make it more like a pumpkin pie. After tasting this 'custard', I came to the conclusion that it is very rich and I think I prefer my pumpkin warm, or at room-temperature. Not to say this ice cream wasn't decent, it just isn't one I would make again.

Pumpkin Ice Cream/Custard

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not allow the custard to boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours. Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturers instructions. Add the bourbon during the last minute of churning. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving. Makes about 1 quart.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Ice Cream, by Mary Goodbody (Simon & Schuster, 2003).

Here's what else I'm dreaming about....

Pumpkin-chip Cookies

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Soup.....we'll see how many of these things actually get made!

Seven Layer Bar Cookies

The first Warren Spouses' Club Bunko gathering is tonight and I needed something to take. It was suppose to be an appetizer, but who can go wrong with desserts? I was recently going through my ever expanding recipe files and came across this recipe which was given to me in Montana. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, which is always nice!

**Update: I made these bars a day in advance and have since been told that I won't need to sub for Bunko this evening, which means my husband and his co-workers had a great treat today at work! And I had enough ingredients left over to make a second batch which I took to some friends with dinner for the arrival of their new baby.

Seven Layer Bar Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter and mix with graham crackers. Put mixture in 9x13 pan and spread over bottom until even. Layer next 4 ingredients evenly over graham cracker mixture. Pour milk over entire pan evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Honey Rosemary Chicken

Before the frost really hits here in Wyoming, I wanted to use some rosemary we have growing on our back patio. If I choose to make this recipe again, I will cut down the honey used, I felt it was too sweet for chicken.

Honey Rosemary Chicken ( adapted from Taste of Home Winning Recipes)
1 Tbls honey
1 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls fresh rosemary, minced
1 1/2 tsps olive oil
1 boneless chicken breast
sprinkle salt and pepper

In a small bowl, combine the honey, vinegar, rosemary and oil. Put chicken in resealable bag and add marinade. Let sit in refrigerator at least two hours. Place chicken in oven safe dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. Serves 2.

Streusel Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin and am always anxious to break out the pumpkin recipes at this time of year! I needed a dessert recipe to take to a meeting this past week and came across this recipe from Pampered Chef. It's a basic pumpkin pie with a streusel added for a little flair, and it's super yummy!

Streusel Pumpkin Pie
1 unbaked pie crust
1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Streusel
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbls all-purpose flour
1 Tbls butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves. Roll out pastry crust and place in pie plate. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Cover edge of pie with 2-inch wide strips of aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, for streusel, combine pecans, brown sugar, flour and butter in small bowl; mix well. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Sprinkle top of pie with streusel, leaving a 2-inch opening in center. Continue baking 40-50 minutes, or until center is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 8 servings.