Cottage Lasagna

So Brad's favorite is lasagna. I decided to make a Monday a little brighter with a lasagna/cheesecake meal. Let's just say he had seconds of both!

Lasagna is an adapted recipe.

Basically, start by pre-heating the oven to 375. Then I throw a cup and a half of part-skim ricotta, 2 pieces minced garlic, and 2 packages of 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed tight to get rid of as much water as possible. I mix that all up and set it aside.

Next, I brown the sausage. Italian sweet sausage is my favorite, but occasionally I sub in turkey sausage.

Oven-ready lasagna noodles are terrific.

In the pan (8x8 or 9x13) I pour in enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the pan (sorry, not giving away the family secret, but Jersey tomato sauce from Whole Foods co. is delicious). Then I layer in the oven ready noodles. Next, I spread the ricotta mix, place the sausage in nice little rows, and cover with tomato sauce. I repeat this one more time, and then, for the top layer, I just spread the ricotta, tomato sauce, and layer the top with mozzarella. The quality of the cheese is extremely important, so try and get it from an Italian deli if possible.

Bake 35-40 minutes for 8x8, a bit longer for 9x11. Let cool 5 minutes.

The cheesecake was delicious as well--but not my recipe to share. Sorry!

Family-in-Boyfriend's Soiree Preparation & Centerpieces

So I'm not big into party planning, but I did grow up with Beebe as an aunt. So when hosting family-in-boyfriend, what does one do? Well, prepares a feast, and then adds small touches to make it seem cozy and warm and friendly. Like towels. In bright colors. For everyone! And plenty of air mattresses, and pillows, and sheets. Ok, great. Everyone has a bed, sheets, pillows, and towels. Now what? The meal, silly! You can't have a party without food...

So here's my plan... I'll update the situation as it progresses.

Day 1:

1. Montana Ribs. Perfect. Although slightly pricey, easy to make and a real crowd pleaser because everyone thinks you slaved over them. Yes, it takes a while to prep, but once prepped, it's a piece of cake.

2. Mac & Cheese. Nothing goes better with ribs than Mamie's mac & cheese. Nobody has to know about the Paula Deen amount of butter. The French would be pleased.

3. Giada's Peach & Strawberry Crumble. Though I haven't made it yet, I know it cannot possibly be bad.

Day 2:

1. Hamburgers and Hot Dogs. Who doesn't love an old fashioned BBQ? Plus, it's kid friendly and great after a day of activity. Hiking, fishing, rowing, swimming... Easy to do, just prepare the fixins, and call it a day.

2. Corn. 'Cause I don't know if you've had it yet, but this year's corn is exceptional. No butter needed.

3. Perhaps some grilled veggies. Kids need to grow, right?

4. Vera's Margarita Cheesecake. Simple enough recipe, and Brad loves cheesecake. Might as well make the host happy. Make-your-own Ice Cream Sundaes also, because not everyone might like something funky like that. Plus, nothing is better than Make-your-own sundae night!

Breakfasts will consist of eggs one day, pancakes the next, and plenty of coffee and O.J. Lunch will either be quick cold-cuts on honey oat/Costco wraps/sammies on or Main Street Farm sandwiches to take with us on a hike/fishing if people are willing to go.

But one of my favorite parts, is the centerpieces that I've already created thanks to Martha Stewart and Wal-mart. They just go together, right? Since we'll be eating out on the deck, fingers crossed, I thought they'd be good as mood lighting and table-cloth holders. One of those little added touches that makes it appear that you went above and beyond the reasonable, when you really didn't do THAT much. Plus, they're awesome and the picture included doesn't do them justice. Martha Stewart calls them fire and water, because once the candle burns down enough, it gives the illusion that the flame is actually under the water. Right now I'm in the process of burning the scented candles down a bit. Love it!

Fresh Trout, and Trout Town, U.S.A. Unite

Goodness gracious. Trout caught in town is delicious! Unfortunately, Brad and I didn't catch the fish.... this time. We did, however, spend approximately an hour and a half today in Roscoe, NY (otherwise known as Trout Town U.S.A. as voted by a country-wide poll), learning the nuances of fly fishing. Which was awesome, by the way. So we thought it was only par for the course to consume some fresh just-caught-today trout tonight for dinner. So we headed to Main Street Farms, which I will have to create a separate post about in the near future, and purchased ourselves a dandy. We grilled up the entire fish, head and all, with a very simple recipe: some lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oregano. Wrapped the sucker in tinfoil, cooked it for approximately 12 minutes, 6, per side. While that was grilling, I sliced up some eggplant, and grilled that on top of tin foil for about the same time, with a simple dressing of oil and salt and pepper. Finally, I had some sugar sweet Georgia corn that I boiled for about 8 minutes in a mixture of water and milk. Everything was delicious, and after going on an 11 mile run/hike up and down insane hills, I was too tired to remember to take a picture. Sorry. But it was DELICIOUS.

Summer Chili: When It's 49 Degrees at Night, and 88 Degrees at Noon

Gather around the campfire. But before you roast those marshmallows, consider cooking up some delicious chili! Here's how it goes...

2 pounds ground turkey/chicken/beef/or combo
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1 29 oz can kidney beans
1 29 oz can pinto beans
1 29 oz can black beans
1 cup diced onion (1 med onion does the trick)
2 chili peppers diced
1/4 cup diced celery with leaves
3 med tomatoes, diced
2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder

*Sour cream and sharp grated cheddar for serving

Depending on my mood, I'll toss in some bell peppers, or fresh parsley, or something else that's been residing in my fridge.

Brown the meat, then simply drain and add to a giant pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, and then let simmer for the rest of the day--the longer the better. This is a dish that always tastes better the next day, but will be delicious and nutritious whenever you partake. Enjoy!