Thursday, February 3, 2011

Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

We made this lasagna Sunday and it was SO good! This recipe comes from All Recipes dot com.

INGREDIENTS:

20 lasagna noodles (no cook noodles are awesome)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (baby bellas are yummy)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups fresh spinach
3 cups ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.
4.Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.
5.Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Apple Blackberry Tart

The first time I made this, it was Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie recipe. That was Sunday. Love PW, but there was no pie spice and I missed it. I also prefer my pie crust recipe that uses butter. SO, without further ado, MY revised recipe...just 3 days later.


Combine:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 light brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
2 Tbsp flour

Your favorite pie crust
1 cup blackberries (optional)
2 Tbsp course sugar (for sprinkling on top)
2 Tbsp butter (place dots of butter on top before baking)

Divide dough into halves and roll into two rounds.
Mound the sliced apple mixture into the center of each round.
Fold the dough around the edges.

Dot each with 1 Tbsp butter and sprinkle with course sugar.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.
Slice and serve like a pizza.


I used to loathe cleaning up all of the dishes that resulted from baking a pie.

Then my sister gave me some SUPER cute bowls for my birthday a few years ago. Who wouldn't want to bake with these??

Chicken Tetrazzini ala Giada

A friend recommended this recipe and I finally had time to try it. Gotta love a snow day! It's definitely on the rich and creamy side. Total comfort food.

Ingredients

9 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.
Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.
Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.