Classic Lasagna

So last week, I got it in my head that I wanted lasagna - trying to work with the food I have in my cupboards and fridge. This is the recipe I worked with when we made lasagna. We didn't have eggs, Italian sausage, fresh basil, onion or fennel seeds (I don't like those anyway). We did use dried oregano, rosemary and parsley. Instead of crushed and diced tomatoes, we used canned tomato sauce and paste. Our lasagna came out fine. Even Ivy had a few bites and wanted more (she had already eaten). But I know it will be better the next time we make it.

1          Pound ground round

3          Cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (3 cups = 12 oz)

2          Cup part skim ricotta cheese

1          Cup shredded Romano cheese, divide

2          eggs

3          clove garlic, minced

2          Tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

1/4       Cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, divided

1          can (28 oz each) crushed Tomatoes

1          can (14.5 oz each) diced Tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

1          medium onion, chopped

3          *serving PAM® Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray

9          noodle uncooked lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces)

1/4       Teaspoon salt

1          Pound Italian pork sausage

1/2       Teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2       Teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop cooking. Meanwhile, spray large saucepan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot; add sausage and ground chuck. Cook and stir 5 minutes to crumble meat.

Add onion and garlic to pan. Continue cooking 8 to 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain meat mixture well. Add crushed and undrained tomatoes, 1 tablespoon parsley, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt. Bring meat mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cook uncovered over medium-low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place ricotta, 3/4 cup of the Romano cheese, eggs, remaining parsley, basil and remaining pepper in medium bowl; blend well. Set aside.

Assemble Lasagna: Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup meat sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles over sauce, top with 2 cups meat sauce, half of ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers ending with a layer of noodles topped with sauce and the remaining mozzarella and Romano cheeses.

Spray underside of aluminum foil with cooking spray; cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

YIELD 12

Source

Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookie

This has quickly become one of the top contenders of my favorite cookie list (peanut butter cookies, crinkle cookies, snickerdoodles). 

I don't know the original source - my husband found it. But I'll try.

Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookie

4 ounces roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate
½ C cocoa powder
4 tsp. sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup + 2 Tbsp unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chip-sized pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment, set aside.

In a heat-proof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, melt the 4 ounces of chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, 4 tsp of sugar, and butter, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on high until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer to low and add melted chocolate in a thin stream until combined.

Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chunks.

Drop heaping tablespoons of batter on prepared cookie sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are dry and cracked but still soft in the center. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer on parchment to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining batter. If you want your cookies to be the most attractive, spoon all of the batter out while it is still warm. As it cools it will harden, resulting in a slightly thicker cookie with a little less of a crust. 

Source: Mr. Husband modified from THIS RECIPE which was a modified form of another recipe.

Crock-Pot Chicken Parmesan

I'm looking forward to trying this recipe I found here. It looks easy and yummy.

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan


3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg beaten
4-6 mozzarella cheese slices or more
1 jar marinara/spaghetti sauce

Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil all over bottom of your crockpot. Beat egg and pour into medium bowl. In another bowl mix bread crumbs, spices and grated cheese all together and set aside. Now dip each chicken breast into egg and then dredge in your breadcrumb mix - coat all sides. Place coated chicken on bottom of crockpot. Add sliced mozzarella to top of chicken and pour your jar of spaghetti sauce over everything. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours and that's it.