bran came over and made dinner last night!  she found this dandy of a recipe from publix and it was delicious… not very nutritious, but our healthy sides made up for it.  i sautéed  broccoli with red pepper flakes, minced garlic and evoo and we also made a spinach salad with mandarin oranges, pecans and ken’s fat free raspberry pecan dressing.  we also threw in some garlic breadsticks.  now onto the main course…

• 1/4 c roasted red peppers
• 1/4 c sun dried tomatoes
• 6 slices smoked bacon
• 1 lb. boneless chicken tenders
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c pre-sliced green onions, divided
• 8 oz. linguine pasta (bran went for a whole wheat and linguine florentine combination)
• 1 1/2 jars of alfredo sauce (bran used classico sun dried tomato alfredo)

1. bring water to a boil for pasta.  add salt, evoo and oregano flakes to water.  coarsely chop red peppers.  cut bacon into bite size pieces.  cut chicken into 1 inch chunks, sprinkle with season salt.
2. preheat large sauté pan on medium high for 2-3 min.  place bacon and 2 tbsp green onions in pan; cook and stir 4-5 min. or until bacon begins to brown.
3. cook pasta following pasta following package instructions.  add chicken to bacon; cook and stir 4-5 min.
4. reduce heat (on chicken) to low.  stir in alfredo sauce, red peppers, sundried tomatoes and 2 tbsp green onions; cover and cook 4-5 min. or until heated.  drain pasta; stir into chicken.  serve.

thanks for dinner bran!

enjoy!

lasagne is one of my signature dishes, i don’t think that i’ve made it the same way twice.  it has changed and evolved over time, depending on how much prep time i have, what i’ve got in the kitchen and how many people i’m cooking for.  i like to make lasagne split up between two ez-foil pans.  i like the long loaf pans because they accommodate lasagne noodles so well and i can freeze one for later.   they’re also very easy to clean up!  you can find these pans at larger grocery stores, such as meijer’s and wal-mart.

• 2 boxes lasagne noodles
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. italian sausage, removed from casings
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• italian seasoning
• salt and pepper, as desired
• 2 jars spaghetti sauce, your choice of flavor, brand
• 1 qt. tomato juice
• 16 oz. ricotta cheese
• 12 oz. cottage cheese
• 6 oz. cream cheese
• 4 c mozzarella cheese, separated in half
• garlic powder
• grated parmesan cheese to top

1. in a large pan, brown beef and sausage with minced garlic and onion.  season with italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  drain off excess oil.
2. in a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, cottage, cream and 2 c of mozzarella cheeses.  season lightly with garlic powder.
3. in another large bowl, combine tomato sauce and juice.
4. now it’s time to assemble!  divide meat in half, with the amounts listed, you will make a 7 layer lasagne.  start layering with meat and 3/4 c of sauce.  evenly spread the sauce with a spatula or spoon.  place two uncooked lasagne noodles between each mixture. spread a layer of the cheese mixture over the noodles and top with two additional noodles.  repeat until you reach the top of the pans or end on a meat/sauce layer.
5. the second pan can be frozen, top with a layer of saran wrap and aluminum foil.  it takes about 12 hours to unthaw, when you’re ready to bake it.
6. bake at 375° for 30 min.  top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 15 min. until bubbly and browned on top.  serve with freshly grated parmesan on top.

enjoy!

i may have mentioned this before, but i think that italian food is my favorite type of food to consume and to make.  these suckers were time consuming to make, but definitely worth the effort. source also, as a side note, check the price of the cheese that you’re purchasing.  back in michigan, i used to purchase wedges of parmesan cheese.  i couldn’t find plain parmesan cheese at the store, so i went ahead and purchased the parmigiano-reggiano cheese that was called for.  it wasn’t until after i got back home and started cooking that i noticed the $11.89 price tag on the back of the cheese.  i just about fell over!  next time, i’ll have to shop around to find economical cheese.  it was really good cheese, though.

filling

• 1 1/4 c ricotta (i use part skim, it makes me feel better about consuming so many carbs.)
• 1 c grated parmigiano reggiano (or plain parmesan, whichever won’t break the bank)
• 1/3 c finely chopped parsley (or 1/2 tbsp italian seasoning)
• 1 egg yolk
• generous pinch of salt and several grinds of fresh pepper

egg wash

• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp water, combined well with a fork to fully emulsify

pasta dough

you can purchase pasta dough at the store, but being the cook that i am, i decided to make my own.  this was the most time consuming part of the whole meal.  having a pasta maker or a sweet attachment for your kitchenaid mixer (hint, tom!) would make this process go much more smoothly.  the pasta dough is very springy and takes a long time to roll out.  my non-stick rolling pin was pretty useful.

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

1. place all ingredients into a food processor and combine until the mixture begins to form a ball.
2. remove from the food processor (be careful, it’s sharp! i learned the hard way.) and place on a floured work surface.  knead by hand, adding flour if necessary, until dough becomes smooth and elastic.
3. flatten the dough into a manageably-sized rectangle and roll out until it is 1/16″ thick.
4. make the filling in a large bowl.  combine all ingredients and taste test to make sure that the seasoning is right.  set aside until you’re ready to assemble.
5. cut your fresh pasta into strips of manageable size.  to make finished ravioli pieces that are each about 3 inches square, it’s best to make three at a time.  cut strips that are 9″ by 3″.
6. using a teaspoon, place heaping tsp of ricotta filling on  the strips, each about 3″ apart.  be consistent.
7. place another 9″ by 3″ strip of pasta dough on top of the one with the ricotta and using your fingers, gently press around all of the edges and in between the mounds of cheese filling.  carefully push excess air out of the pockets, but don’t push the filling out.  you do not want to tear the dough.
8. using the serrated edge of your ravioli cutter (i used a sharp knife), cut each pocket into it’s own separate parcel, trimming around each edge to fully seal it.
9. if you’re going to wait a while to cook ravioli, place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and cornmeal or flour.  i only lined my sheet with wax paper and learned the hard way again, that you need cornmeal or flour to keep your ravioli from sticking to the wax paper.  cover sheet with saran wrap and place in fridge.
10. when you’re ready to eat the ravioli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
11. using a slotted spoon, place about 3-4 ravioli into the pot of water, cook for 3-4 min.  drain very carefully.
12. serve on a bed of your favorite tomato sauce.  i added 1 lb. ground italian sausage to my sauce.  grate cheese over top and serve.

enjoy!