Lasagna from scratch!

Lasagna

This is not a quick dinner.  It has a lot of prep work, but it is oh so worth it!  I wrote this recipe in a different format.  I wrote down everything as I did it.  If you gather all of your ingredients, you should be able to work your way through the recipe and end with a fantastic lasagna!

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 eggs

2 cups broccoli

1 small zucchini

¼ pound sliced mushrooms

1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

2 pounds ground beef

½ onion

3 cloves garlic

1 pound mozzarella

½ pound Romano

½ pound parmesan (plus more for topping)

6 lasagna noodles

In separate bowl mix…

2 cups fresh spinach chopped

2 cups ricotta cheese (the smaller container is just under this amount, I use that)

2 eggs

Prep the Vegetables…

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 small zucchini sliced thinly

1/4 pound sliced mushrooms

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)

Make the Sauce…

2 pounds ground beef

½ onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 jar of your favorite sauce

Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic together in a deep frying pan.  Mix in the sauce and remove from the heat.

Cheeses all shredded…

1 pound mozzarella

½ pound Romano

½ pound parmesan (plus more for topping)

Cook 6 lasagna noodles for 12 minutes.  Remove from water to cookie cooling rack.

Assemble…

In a 10.5in x 11.75in x 2in baking pan pour just enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom.  Add remaining tomato sauce into the meat sauce.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. 

Lay in 3 noodles spread evenly in pan.

Lay in a layer of mushrooms

Lay in the spinach and ricotta cheese mixture

Lay in a layer of zucchini slices

Lay in a layer of meat sauce

Cover in Romano cheese

Lay in 3 noodles spread evenly in pan

Lay in a layer of chopped broccoli

Lay in a layer of remaining meat sauce

Lay in a layer of remaining mozzarella cheese

Layer with parmesan cheese

Bake at 425* for approximately an hour or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.  Let cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.  Top with extra parmesan cheese.

Breakfast Cookies!

These are lovely moist cookies that make for a healthy quick breakfast.  They were a huge hit will all the children in the household.

This is my inspiration for this recipe.  I didn't have any applesauce on hand, but I did have plenty of frozen mashed bananas.  None of my children will eat raisins, so I put in chocolate chips instead.

My version is this...

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
2 C uncooked rolled oats
2 C mashed banana
1/4 C whole milk
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinamon
2 tsp sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*F.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Let the ingredients sit for about five minutes so the oats soak up some of the moisture.
Spoon the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet.  You can put them pretty close to each other.  The cookie will not spread out as it cooks and will keep the shape you put them in.
Bake for 18 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit before you eat.

One batch makes approximately 24 small cookies.

I'm thinking these would freeze very well, though we don't have any left after four kids ran through the kitchen a few times.

Crepes Sleepover Brunch

I just made the most scrumptious brunch for after a sleepover.  Quite filling and decadent for the morning after a sleepover.  A double batch of the crepes, a single batch of the berry sauce, and a single batch of the cream cheese filling was enough to feed 5 children and 3 adults.  With just two crepes leftover.

Crepes

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 stick frozen butter

Beat the eggs lightly in a bowl, add the milk and continue to beat to mix.  Add flour, stir until mixed evenly.
The pan needs to be heated to a medium heat before you start cooking.  I don't use nonstick pans, the following instructions assume this.  Use the frozen butter to grease the pan, pour in 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture.  You will need to pick up the pan and swirl the crepe batter a bit to spread it out.
Watch the crepe closely, it is ready to flip when the top looks dry.  Flip and cook on the other side for just a bit of time (1 minute maybe).  You will not be able to walk away from the crepes, they cook quickly!
Fill with cream cheese mixture if desired.  Roll and top with berry sauce.
A single batch will make approximately 12 crepes.

Berry Sauce
I used the homemade cranberry sauce recipe.  I just did 2 cups cranberries and 2 cups blackberries for the crepe topping.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce:
Ingredients:
‎1 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
4 Cups Fresh Cranberries.

Directions:Put in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for apx 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. It will thicken as it cools.

Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients
1 package cream cheese (8oz)
approximately 1 cup whipped cream topping

Directions:
Put the cream cheese and the whipped topping in a 1 gallon ziplock bag.  Squeeze as much of the air out as possible.  Squish the cream cheese and the topping together until combined.  Squish all the mixture to the bottom of the bag.  Snip the corner of the bag and use as a pastry bag to fill the crepes.
This makes just enough to fill approximately 10 crepes.  My children do not like this filling, so I only used it for the adults.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

I found this recipe scratched on a piece of paper and shoved into an old cookbook.  I have no idea where it came from or who to give credit to.  It was fantastic though!

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 can whole cranberry sauce (I used my home made sauce, recipe below)

Directions:
Mix oats, flour, and brown sugar in bowl.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Put half of mixture into a well greased 8x12 baking dish.  Cover with cranberry sauce.  Put remaining mixture on top of cranberry sauce.  Bake at 350*F for approximately 45 minutes or until top is nice golden brown.  I baked it for 55 minutes and it could have used a couple more minutes, so perhaps an hour?
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan.  Cut into squares and serve.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce:

Ingredients:
‎1 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
4 Cups Fresh Cranberries.

Directions:
Put in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for apx 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. It will thicken as it cools.

Turkey Ala King!

Turkey Ala King is a wonderful comfort food.  Rich and creamy, a perfect use for leftover turkey or chicken. 

Ingredients:

4 or 5 mushrooms sliced (more if you love them, less if you don’t)

2 stalks of celery chopped

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic minced

½ cup butter (1 stick)

½ cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half and half (you can use milk)

Approximately 2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken) cut into bite size pieces

1.      Melt butter in a deep fry pan over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, celery, onion, and garlic.  Stir and cook for 5 minutes or until onion is transparent.

2.      Stir in flour.  This will be goopy, keep it moving in the pan for about a minute.

3.      Add chicken broth and half and half.  Stir constantly until bubbly.  Keep stirring, while bubbly until it starts to thicken.

4.      Add turkey.  Keep stirring until turkey is heated through.

5.      Salt and pepper to taste.

6.      Serve over fresh biscuits or toast.

Tonight for dinner: Baked ham, candied yams, and kernel corn.

I put a 2lb ham in a small roasting pan with about a cup of water and covered.  I put it in the oven at 375*F for approximately an hour.  While this cooked I prepared the yams and glaze.  The corn was just frozen whole kernel corn that I boiled.

Candied Yams
3 large yams
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups small marshmellows

Peel the yams and cut into bite sized pieces.  Put into a pan of water and bring to a boil.  Boil the yams for approximately 10 minutes or until easily poked with a fork.  Drain.  Put the yams into a 9x13 baking pan.  Spread the brown sugar and marshmellows over the top of the yams.  Bake in 375*F oven for about a half an hour or until the marshmellows are nicely browned.

Cranberry Glaze

2 cups fresh cranberries

½ cup orange juice

¾ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground all spice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup honey

½ cup packed brown sugar

Put first five ingredients into a deep fry pan and heat over medium temperature.  Bring to boil.  Use a potato masher to crush the berries. Reduce heat and simmer for three or four minutes.  Add honey and brown sugar.  Stir and simmer for another three minutes.  Pour over sliced ham and bake for 10 minutes at 375*F.

Oh my gosh!  This glaze would be fantastic on turkey!  So good!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This is my favorite recipe for totally from scratch cake. I found it in my Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1970) page 181. I did alter the recipe a bit. My alterations are in red.
¼ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 can (8½ oz) sliced pineapple, drained
7 maraschino cherries
6 pecan halves
Dinette Cake batter (see below)

Heat oven to 350*. Melt butter over low heat in round layer pan, 9x1½ inches. I just put the pan with the butter in the oven while it preheated. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Place pineapple slice in center of pan. Cut remaining slices in half; arrange halves cut sides out around pineapple ring in pan. I use pineapple tidbits instead of rings. Not as pretty, but much easier to cut and eat. Place cherries in pineapple slices; arrange pecans around center ring. I’ve never used the pecans, the cherries are also optional.
Prepare Dinette Cake batter. Pour evenly over fruit in pan.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert onto plate. Leave pan over cake a few minutes. Serve warm and, if desired with whipped cream.

Serves 9

Dinette Cake
This is a moist yellow cake. I’ve only ever used it in the pineapple upside-down cake. I found it in my Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1970) pg 97. My alterations are in red.

1¼ cup flour
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup shortening I use softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350*. Grease and flour square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend ½ minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.