Cheesy Spinach Lasagna!

This is a variation of the lasagna my mother has made for years. Everybody makes their lasagna different, below is the picture of hers I helped her make during spring break.  Her's has two layers and uses one bottle of sauce, all other ingredients are the same.  Mine has four layers and two bottles of sauce.

 I am trying to make this one a diet lasagna.  I have begun a new diet... diet of Anna, meaning I made it up myself, so I have been trying to cut the carbs, cut the fat intake, cut the sugar, eat more salads for lunch and actually get back into a walking and exercising schedule.  Sticking to diet drinks and water, and am trying to always buy lower fat products like ricotta and mozzarella, and cutting down on the fruit juice! I didn't realize how much calories orange and apple juice actually have in them!  I'll let you know how it is going.  I doubt I will ever get back to my high school self, grad school can pretty much kill your body and soul!!!!!!!!  So my goal is my sophomore college self.

Today was beautiful, so I took my dog Lucy to the University of Alabama quad and did two laps.  That probably wasn't even a full mile.  My dog only weights 12 pounds, but she has never been fond of leashes and pulls something terrible!  So I feel exhausted from battling her!  We have had her for almost 3 years, but there are still a few habits that we haven't broken!  She was a humane society puppy.  ADOPT DON'T BUY! She is hilarious when she decides she wants to stop walking... she will literally lay down in the middle of the sidewalk and just look at me!   Haha, she has me trained!  She knows I will just pick her up and go home.  She didn't do that today thank goodness! She is my baby! Took us a year to figure out what kind of dog she actually was.  She is a Norfolk terrier and we think she is around 4 or 5 years old now.  When I cook in the kitchen, she hovers at my feet. Especially when there is cheese involved!

CHEESY SPINACH LASAGNA

1 and 1/2 boxes lasagna noodles ( I buy whole wheat or Barilla Plus)

1 and 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef

2 small chopped onions

1 box sliced portabello mushrooms

2 bottles tomato sauce (I buy Classico Tomato and Basil and Classico Spicy Tomato and mix together for extra flavor)

1 bag or box frozen chopped spinach, heated and drained

1 large tub of low fat ricotta

2-3 cups part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese

pinch of parsley 

1 lasagna pan

First of all, you can use whatever casserole dish you normally use, but I prefer to use a disposable lasagna pan (because I dont' have a real one...... yet!). You can buy these at the store in the disposable section of aluminum pans, the pan is just deeper than normal casserole dishes which I really like for layered casseroles! Some people put a beaten egg in their mixture to help it stay together, but I really don't think this recipe needs it.  If you are going to serve some red wine with your lasagna, you could also add a few tablespoons of it to the mixture for some extra richness.  I used a splash of Yellowtail Pinot Noir and it was delicious!

In a large frying pan, brown the meat, onions, and mushrooms. In a large mixing bowl, combine together meat mixture, spinach, ricotta, and 1 bottle of sauce.  My bowl this time was too small to also add the sauce, so I just spread it on top of each layer.  Begin the layering by spreading a few tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of the pan.   Spread an even layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom.  For the end piece, you will have to bread off 2-3 inches of the lasagna noodle to fit.  Then layer 1/4 of meat mixture and spread evenly, spread a 1/4 of remaining sauce, then sprinkle a handful or two of mozzarella cheese over the mixture.  Place another layer of lasagna noodles on top and repeat.  Repeat until you run out of meat mixture.  I ended up with 4 layers.  Do this however you like it.  I have also combined all ingredients with a package of pasta small shells and baked it all together.  I have also scooped this into large shells and manicotti and placed sauce and cheese on top of this and baked.  For the lasagna I am using dry noodles not precooked.  For the top layer, place a layer of dry noodles, then spread a good layer of sauce and top with all remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle a bit of parsley over the top, when the cheese melts the parsley just makes it look more restaurant style.   Adjust cheese and sauce according to how you like it.  If you are in a hurry, just bake it at 350*F for 1 hour. If you have the time and patience....  Bake at 300*F for an hour covered and then at 350*F for 30 minutes uncovered. 

I recommend serving this with a nice balsamic vinegrette salad or salad caprese.  

Law School Week Crawfish Boil!

No new recipes this past week!  It was Law School week for Hood so we went to a special event most nights.  Just thought I would throw this picture up of the Crawfish Boil! It was epic!  Think this table times 10 plus live music, a mullet toss, and a clown.  It was delicious!  All you can eat crawfish, corn, potatoes, and sausage with beer!  I'll put up spinach lasagna tomorrow!

Roasted Gourmet Fingerling Potatoes and Carrots

This is a really simple recipe that can make a really elegant side dish by just replacing standard new potatoes or yukon gold potoes with a mixture of gourmet baby potatoes including the purple peruvian, french fingerling, ruby crescent, and russian banana.  This mixture is a ready made mixture made by Melissas.  You can find this in several stores, if not, choose small potatoes of assorted colors.  When they are cut open, they are very pretty!  The red skin ones actually have pink flesh!

ROASTED GOURMET FINGERLING POTATOES AND CARROTS

2 lbs. gourmet fingerling potatoes

3 or 4 peeled and quartered organic carrots

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

3 tablespoons olive oil

Combine together.  Spread on a roasting pan.  I prefer an aluminum foil covered one to help with cleanup.  Roast at 350*F for an hour. 

German Hunter's Schnitzel and Spaetzle

I have been sick the past several days so I haven't been posting.  This particular meal may be hard for others to make, but I thought I would post it anyway because it was so yummy just in case you can find the seasoning packet. You can also order it online for a fair price. I purchased this one at the Redstone Arsenal Commissary (Army grocery store) in Huntsville, AL.  Some grocery stores that have a larger foreign foods section may carry this seasoning package.  I  have not looked for it before at World Market. I always had thought schnitzel meant breaded and pan fried, but this recipe just called to take pork cutlets or pork chops, I used boneless pork ribs because they were on sale, and just to bake them in the oven with the sauce poured over it.

GERMAN HUNTER'S SCHNITZEL

1 package Maggi Hunter's Schnitzel seasoning mix ($1.25)

1 package spaetzle

1 lb. pork, veal, or turkey portions

1 package sliced button mushrooms

2 cups heavy whipping cream (try to use no-fat)

1 tsp. chopped parsley

I sort of followed the directions on the package.  The package only called for 1 cup of cream but I thought the sauce was way too thick so I added an additional cup and some extra parsley.  The recipe calls for you to saute the mushrooms in a pan and to add the seasoning package and cream to the pan until it simmers.  In a small casserole dish, place washed and dried meat, pour the sauce over top, and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. I found that I needed to bake it for 50 minutes and served it over spaetzle.  Delicious!

  

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Belated Saint Patrick's Day post!  My boyfriend and I had the experience of a lifetime in 2007 when we got to spend a month in Ireland with the University of Alabama.  I love Ireland and Irish food sooooo much so naturally we love Saint Patrick's day.  Unfortunantly, this year I was sick and not feeling well and we had just driven back from Huntsville and Moulton so we did not cook a big Irish dinner.  We grabbed two reuban sandwiches from Arby's and drove over to a friend's apartment that was having a viewing party of Boondock Saints 2:  All Saint's Day  (brought to you by Bushmills and Guinness (me: diet coke for the night)). Today I am feeling much better, I got my Irish shamrock tea set out and set it up, it made me happy!  I actually saw this exact Shannon porcelain teaset in Ireland and wanted it but I thought it was way too expensive and wouldn't travel well.  Well, a year later, I found several of the pieces at different T J Maxxes around Alabama!  Still missing the sugar bowl and some additional teacups and saucers. My mom gave me a shamrock plant when I went home as a Happy Saint Patrick day present and I put it in an awesome green pot that Stephie gave me a while ago from Anthropologie. Went to target, they still had their corned beef packs on sale and their cabbage, so this year we will be making our Irish meal a few days late.  Corned beef in the crockpot now and I will be cooking the cabbage tomorrow for dinner.

While I was home, I of course went shopping at my favorite store..... TJ Maxx....which in the UK and Ireland I believe is TK Maxx, I really don't know why they felt the need to change the J to a K.  Anybody out there know? I didn't find anymore shamrock china this year, but I did buy a new micro down comforter that is soooo soft.  It looks white in the picture but it has little bity light greenish grey diamonds.  I also bought some new 500 thread count sheets.  I love saving hundreds of dollars at TJ Maxx! Obviously green is my favorite color. The curtain is actually a quilt with green stripes that I bought at TJ Maxx and had a place stitched for a curtain rod to go through  We have a train track VERY close to my condo, as in less than 50 feet away.  For the most part they sound like a humming noise when they go past but occasionally when the large freighters go by they can be really loud!  The quilt has enough padding where it helps keep out more noise and still lets light through, the outside of the walls are brick. Quilt curtain was my mom's idea.  The round antique mirror we got at an antique auction for $20. All decorative pillows, and quilt at the end of the bed also came from TJ Maxx.

Mini-Spring Break Adventure: Amish Country, Etheridge, Tennessee

I have not posted anything in the last few days because it is our Spring Break.  We went to Huntsville for a few days, and we took a day trip up to the local Amish Country in Ethridge, Tennessee.  We used to go often when I was a child because we lived so close.  Ethridge, Tennessee is a few miles from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. I will post the directions and map in a little bit.  It is very easy to get to with a very pretty hour long country side drive passing many beautiful farms and historic places.  We would always buy molasses and peanut brittle.  I remember how I used to fantasize how simple and calm it must be to live like Laura Ingalls Wilder in the Little House books.  No electricity, simple handmade clothes, cooking all your own food, reading and working by candlelight, farming, riding in carriages. Going back as a 25 year old, things looked quite different, still enjoyable, but quite different. Now I see how unhappy the children look, no smiles, dirty clothes, red faces.  The houses looked picturesque dotted across idyllic country farm landscape, but up close they lacked any sign of flowers or decorative landscape,  and of course there was farm animal smell of the animals being kept too close to the houses. Regardless of my disillusionment, the wares they sell tasted the same as my childhood and were delicious. I did not take any pictures as we were driving around because the Amish do not like to be photographed.  We downloaded a map off the internet with a listing of 30 or so farms and what each farm specializes in selling and visited 4 or 5.  They sell eggs, butter, cheese, fresh baked breads, ginger cookies, molasses, peanut brittle, cedar chests, lots of different furniture, chidlren's wooden playsets, wooden toys, jams, jellies, chow-chow, candles, soap, puppies, and various other things for very reasonable prices.  I ended up buying some lye soap (good for camping), some peanut brittle, some no bake cookies (we call them preacher's cookies or cow patties - oatmeal, peanut butter, cocoa powder, sugar and butter), and some caramel pecan sourdough bread that my stepdad turned into the best french toast ever.

n 1944, the AMISH people migrated to Lawrence County, Tennessee and established their community. There are One of the official websites states, " Now approximately 200 Amish Families in the city of Ethridge after a small group migrated to the area in 1944. The Amish are simple living people which have made them a source of interest to tourist from all over the world. They are skilled craftsmen and farmers and have many of their handcrafted items as well as fresh produce available for sale! Visit the Amish Community and see up close and personal how the Amish community lives and works, but please remember that Amish consider posing for photographs to be an unacceptable act of pride and do not allow pictures of themselves for this reason. The Amish will usually allow you to photograph their homes, farms, and buggies if you ask respectfully, but even this can be intrusive and is better avoided. Please be sure to be respectful of their beliefs while visiting."

I have discovered a very interesting blog from a girl that grew up Amish but has recently left the faith with her husband and children.  She shares wonderful stories about growing up, almost in the picturesque Laura Ingalls Wilder form, and says that she will eventually discuss why they became disillusioned with the faith.  It is a very educational and nice read.   http://ajoyfulchaos.blogspot.com/    There are several Amish blogs out there of former Amish, or people who are very interested in Amish lifestyles.

Dilly Salmon and Wild Rice Cakes

This is an excellent variation of the classic salmon patty.  Today is another day where I went through my cabinets and refrigerator to see what I had to make for lunch without having to go out to the store.  I had some leftover wild rice from the chicken casserole I made two days ago and some frozen salmon fillets (Walmart Wild Salmon... 4 fillets for $3.50), so I thought I would throw together some salmon patties/cakes.  This is a very cheap dish to make.  It would be even cheaper if you are ok with using canned salmon, most people do, but picking the bones out of the can icks me out a bit. I would rather not deal with the extra step.  I usually eat my salmon cakes with a side salad, but today I served them on top of toasted English muffins leftover from breakfast.  I fixed them hamburger style with tomatoes and mayo.  I hope you enjoy this recipe! It is delicious!

DILLY SALMON AND WILD RICE CAKES

1/2 pound cooked and torn apart salmon meat (2 small portions of fish)
1 cup cooked wild rice
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 heaping tsp dill
1/2 tblsp small capers
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Cavender's Greek Seasoning (you could substitute salt and pepper)
1 tsp. minced garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon (if lemon is not very juicy, use whole lemon)
2-3 tablespoons grated parmesean cheese
1/2 tsp dry powdered english mustard
dash of worchestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients together except the bread crumbs and whip together until fully incorporated.  Add the bread crumbs and mix together and let sit for a few minutes so that the bread crumbs can soak up some flavor.  Use clean hands and form patties and set aside. This mixture made 4 large cakes, next time I would make it into 5. It would also be great in mini-patties fried up as finger foods for parties.  I fried mine in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes on each side. Some people are not a fan of capers or only like a little bit of capers, so adjust to your liking. I also recommend making a quick aioli sauce to serve on top of this salmon cake.   (Mix 1/4 cup mayonaise, Juice and zest of half a lemon, a tsp of capers, 1 tsp fresh minced garlic, and whatever herbs you like such as dill, parsley or basil). Total cook and prep time was probably 30-35 minutes but that is because I had to cook my salmon first.

Ingredients

Prepared Patties

Finished Lunch! : )

Traditional Southern Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole and Wild Rice

Dinner tonight is something that I have made since middle school in Elkmont, Alabama.  This is a classic comfort food recipe that is very affordable and delicious! You will find a million recipes for this in local southern cookbooks. I usually serve this with a salad.

CHICKEN POPPY SEED CASSEROLE

1 pound cooked chicken breasts shredded (bake or boil)
1 can healthy request Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 small vidalia onion chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 cups crushed crackers (usually I use low fat Ritz, but today I had whole grain Kashi)
2-3 tablespoons melted butter
wild rice (cooked according to directions)

Combine chicken, soup, sour cream, onion, and poppy seeds together and place into a casserole dish.  Mix melted butter with cracker crumbs and top casserole.  Bake in a 350*F oven for 45 minutes.  If you think the crust is becoming too brown, cover the top with a loose piece of aluminum foil so that the steam can still escape.  Serve over wild or brown rice.

This is what it should look like before you add the crust.

Finished product.... kinda blurry.

Antique Dealer Sold Me Her Family Photo of her Grandmother and Five Sisters

This is a very odd post.  On Saturday, I took my friends Anna and Erin to another yardsale, and we also went to Tuscaloosa's oldest (or one of the oldest) cemetery, and two antique shops.  The first shop, a small historic house on hargove, has tons of antique/junk stuff in the yard where you can pick up an item and make an offer on it.  On the porch inside a box, I found a small photograph that has 6 cute little old ladies sitting on porch steps, the back of the photo says.....

"The Six Sisters - Mother and Five Aunts
Annie Lizzie Trawick
Eva Harrison
Jennie Mary Ingram
Fanny (Nanny) Ingram
Sarah Trawick, Buck's Mother
Carrie Haynie
picture made around 1952"

I took it inside and asked the lady how much, she asked "where did you get that", I told her it was sitting on the porch.  She said, "I don't know how that got there, that is a photo of my mother and my aunts".  I said, "Oh, then I am glad I found if for you, it could have gotten wet and ruined out on the porch".   She said, "Oh I don't care I have other digital copies of the photo I think.  How bout a dollar?"   I don't think I could ever sell an original picture of my family to someone else.   So odd.  Love the picture though, so I bought it.  The only Item I bought all day.  Would you sell your family photos?

Dinner on the Coffee Table for Oscar Night!!! Citrus Carne Asada Tacos and Mexican Baked Corn

So happy about the Oscars tonight!  I am so glad that Sandra Bullock won.  She is so adorable! Dinner was served on the coffee table so we could watch the Oscars. Make your own taco style.  My coffee table is one of my favorite pieces of furniture!  The top can be raised up so that it turns into a tv dinner style table.  It is hard to describe without a picture of a similar table.  My table is kinda like this but it looks more like a table with legs than a trunk. Mine has about 4 inches of flat storage space under the top unlike this table.

 Tonight I made citrus carne asada that I marinated for two days and baked off in the oven.  This makes the meat soooooo tender!  You could also replace the orange juice with mango juice. I sliced it up and served it with sliced avocado, some quickly made pico de gallo, grilled onions/red pepper/orange pepper, store bought white cheese jalapeno nacho dip, flour tortillas, and sour cream.  I also made some baked mexican corn that I love!  A local family owned  Mexican restaurant, Taco Gean, used to make corn similar to this but unfortunantly they had to close not too long ago.  I bought a 1 pound sirloin steak at publix, that was the beef special this week, and marinated it in the following marinade for two days.

CARNE ASADA STEAK MARINADE

Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
add whatever other flavorings you wish, I added a few shakes of some powdered jalapeno I had

When you marinade steak in this, the meat will turn gray on the outside because the acid cooks the skin, but don't worry.... the inside is still red and this is normal.  Cook this any way you want:  grill, pan-fry, fajita style, broil.... I baked mine at 425*F for 12 minutes.

MEXICAN BAKED CORN

Fit this recipe to fit the amount you want to bake.  For each corn on the cob, I like to use white corn, completely dehusk and cut the ends off.  Place in a foil basket (scrunk foil up around it), and add juice from a slice of lime, a few shakes of adobo seasoning, a few shakes of paprika, cayenne, or red chili powder (I used all three), a few shakes of parmesean cheese, and a strip of mayonaise (this makes it really moist).  Use your hands (this is messy) and spread the mixture all around the corn.  Place into tin foil pouch, wrap up tightly, and bake in 425* oven for 25-30, turning a few times.

Amazing Yardsale finds today!

I got up bright and early this morning at 6:30 and went to a yardsale with my Anna.  Yes, that would be Anna and Anna......  It was amazing and they priced things really low!  I held back from getting some cut glass stuff because there is nowhere to store it right now but I did buy these...   With the grand total of 50 cents!!!!  She said 30 cents but I felt bad so I upped it a bit.  No haggling today!
Milk Glass miniature bud vase  10C..... probably worth 10$
Vintage 1950's Santa in Perfect condition with snowy white beard 10C........ probably worth 20$
University of Alabama highball/whiskey glass with school emblem and "roll tide" 10C.....probably worth 5$

VERY HAPPY!

Plum Muffins (Tearoom style and really moist!)

Hahahaha, epic failure!!!   I will re-try the recipe tomorrow and repost all!  Doesn't happen very often.  Recipe card was incomplete and I tried to make them more healthy by replacing half the flour with whole wheat flour.  First 3 dozen got thrown in trash..... for next 3 dozen I added the sugar, but it totally changed the texture and taste.  Well... back to the delicious moist and full white carb version tomorrow.  Look for the re-post!

No Sugar on card!!!!  Recipe has two cups!

Epic Beef Stroganoff and Spaetzle!

This dish may not look amazing, but I believe it is one of my new favorite recipes!!!!   It was soooo delicious! I researched several different recipes for beef stroganoff online and combined my favorite elements of about 6 recipes.  I also really love pairing it with the spaetzle instead of the classic buttered egg noodles. I don't use spaetzle that often so it was thrilling as a novelty item for me.  You could also serve this over rice.

EPIC BEEF STROGANOFF and SPAETZLE

1 pound beef stew meat
1 package button mushrooms (clean, de-stem, and slice)
1 small chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon garlic
1tablespoon parsley
1tablespoon tarragon
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup light sour cream
3 cups beef broth
a few splashes of worchestershire sauce
1 package spaetzle (prepared according to directions on package)
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste (I used just a pinch of salt on the meat while browning it, and added 1/2 tsp pepper)

In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, place butter and oil and turn heat to medium high heat.  Combine the beef with the flour, and saute until the meat is browned.  Transfer to a bowl leaving the drippings in the pan.  Add the mushrooms and onions and saute for 5 minutes.  Return meat to the pan.  Add in the remaining ingredients except sour cream and spaetzle.  Stir well.  Turn heat down to low and simmer for 2 hours.  The beef broth will have been thickened by the flour that you added to the beef.  If you like a thinner sauce, add more broth accordingly. This dish could also be placed in a crock pot at this stage to be put on high heat for 4 hours for extra tender meat. Stir occasionally.  At this stage, turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream until well blended.  Serve over hot spaetzle in a bowl.    I highly recommend using dry sherry for this dish, if you do not wish to use it, I recommend using a dry red wine.

Saint Patrick's Day Themed Gourmet Kitchen Recommendations

Yay!  I saw that my recommendations for interesting Valentine's Day Gourmet gifts got clicked on a lot!  None were bought but at least some of my readers found them interesting.  I thought I would do the same thing for St. Patrick's day.  I haven't decided what I am going to make this year for St. Patrick's day.  Last year I made some brown soda bread and some Guinness Irish Lamb Stew with some Irish Coffees for dessert.  I may do the same thing this year.

In 2007, my boyfriend and I got to spend a month touring Ireland with the University of Alabama's Capstone International Summer Program.  We got to study and live in three cities and go to take several day tours out.  I really want to go back!

Grilled Cheese: Smoked Gouda, Smoked Turkey, Roasted Peppers

I had a bunch of miniature sweet red, yellow, and orange peppers left and one jalapeno.  I put them all on a roasting pan and put them under the broiler for 5 minutes, turning them once until the skin was blackened.  Then I put them all in a plastic bag to steam so the skins would loosen.  Then I took the skins off, de-seeded them, and roughly chopped them.  They were great in my grilled cheese with smoked gouda and smoked turkey.  They were so sweet!  Good cheap lunch!

Haha!  Now I am watching Benny and Joon with Johnny Depp.  I wish I could make grilled cheese like him.... with an iron and ironing board!  I forgot how cute this movie was.  He also mashes his potatoes with a tennis racket.