So here are the so-called behind the scenes of cooking Lasagna with LOVE as the special ingredient. Nyahaha.

Meat sauce

White sauce

Pasta

Play timeee! I kid. Layering time, that is.

Baking in progress. Talagang binuksan ko yung oven para magpicture noh? Hahaha. Pasawaaay!

Busy bee in the kitchen. Haha. Photos and collage courtesy of my baby sis.

Dun-dun-dun-dun! Haha. My version of lasagna. Yeheeeey! *Cartwheel*

Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy. I love you into bits.

B

Love,
Your baby girl xoxo
———————————

Being that it is mother’s day, I really wanted to give my mommy a shout out .

I hope everyone is loving their mommies today!

Yesterday was a crazy productive day for me! I actually ended up sleeping in till 11:00!!!! I don’t do that…EVER! But it was absolutely amazing, and my body was begging me for it.

I got up and made lexi an egg of her own, and hubs and I an egg scramble.  That’s going to be a recipe I post later today. Its super simple!

Then, I headed out and did some grocery shopping, and I got poured on. Kudos to me for checking the weather before I left home (NOT!). Mother nature 1 Sarah 0 . But, I delt with it because I was not going home just to go back out later.

When I got home, I spent the entire rest of the day in the kitchen. It totalled about 10 hours!! I love cooking and making things,  and since I haven’t been able to for the past two weeks with school and work, I definitely made up for it yesterday.

I got all my food prep done for the week, including chicken and veggie dinners for school nights,  fruit bags, and  veggie bags. I made some more amazing guacamole to have for the week. I made a completely homemade dinner (lasagna and veggies), with awful noodles. Do me a favor, don’t ever buy oven ready lasagna noodles, they’re awful. Lesson learned. I also made jam, and I made a second attempt at making yogurt. And…….it was a success!!!!! Pictures to come tomorrow! I am so excited!

I had it planned to go to the gym, but then I got lost in my kitchen LOL!!!

Enjoy what’s left of the weekend!

Tootles xo,
Sarah

First, let me wish all of you Mothers in the blogosphere a very happy Mother’s Day!

I’m being selfish with my time today, because I can get away with it. Mother’s Day, much like a birthday, is a good excuse to gather with family and friends, eat good food and enjoy each others company. It’s not necessarily my favorite holiday, as that slot has been occupied for a very long time by Thanksgiving, but it does have it’s good points. Top on the list of Mother’s Day’s good points is that I get to say what goes.

Here’s my list of things I want today… and by golly, I’m going to get all of it.

1. I want to spend time on my blog (check…mission accomplished!). I get precious little time to come out here anymore, to write or to read my favorite blogs. Today, I get to spend time here. Yes!

2. I want to cook lasagna from scratch today. I love to cook, and don’t get a chance to very often. I have invited my parents over for supper tonight, and when I told Mom what was on the menu, she tried to tell me I should buy a frozen lasagna instead of making it from scratch. I was surprised at how I almost came completely unhinged. I know her heart was in the right place – she didn’t want me to put too much effort into cooking dinner on Mother’s Day. She just doesn’t understand how much like to cook, and how deprived I am in that department. That’s ok… I’ll get my way in the end.

3. I want asparagus. (Demanding wench, aren’t I?) I haven’t had asparagus in years because my picky children won’t eat it, and it really doesn’t pay me to buy it if I am the only one that likes it. Today, it’s just too bad for everyone else that doesn’t like it. I. Will. Have. My. Asparagus! In fact, I have a lovely new recipe that I found on Pinterest for roasted asparagus with olive oil and thyme. I can’t wait!

4. I want to clean my house. The boys are generally pretty good about helping out around the house, but their idea of clean and my idea of clean are galaxies apart. I’ve spent such precious little time at home lately that what little I am able to do gets undone pretty quickly. Today, that gets corrected, even to the point of scrubbing out the fridge. I think something died in there, and is crying out for a decent burial. Argh!

5. I want to spend time in my yard. Spring finally did make it to North Dakota, and there hasn’t been a snowflake in sight for a good three weeks. I think Winter is finally gone for good this year, but I’ll leave my collection of snow shovels out until June 1, because I am just that superstitious about that sort of thing. My yard needs a good raking, and my strawberry/kitchen garden needs to be weeded. There are lots of plants returning from last year, but the grass is trying to overtake them. Time to get out the gloves and open a can of whoop-ass on that nasty invader.

There it is…my top five demands for today, in all of their glorious depravity. Like I said, today I get what I want, and no one best get in my way…or else!

Here’s hoping all of you Moms in the blogosphere get exactly what you want, how you want it, and when. More importantly, I hope you have a lovely day with your families and friends.

No grocery list today. It’s Mother’s Day and we’re hosting. The Kid and I went to Starbucks and Bruegger’s Bagels to get The Wife bagels and coffee this morning. The Kid gave The Wife her gift — a Kindle Fire HD for Mother’s Day and The Wife’s birthday (May 28).

The crowd piles in around Noon, so I’ll be finishing a special two days to prepare lasagna, followed by gluten-free brownies and two different flavors of ice cream (vanilla and espresso chip). I’ll have posts about both this week.

Yesterday’s surprise was the delivery of my Father’s Day/Birthday present: a four-burner Char-Broil Infrared grill. The delivery wasn’t a surprise; I set it up. The surprise was that it came unassembled. It took about two hours, but it went together pretty easily. More on that later this week too.

This week will also mark the beginning of the Gluten Schmuten posts. We’re going to go through the products we have purchased for The Kid (thus far) and discuss how expensive they are (not as bad as you would think) and how they taste (not as bad as you would think).

Happy Mother’s Day. Do something nice today for your mother (even though she’s the reason you are a complete emotional and psychological mess) or the mother of your children (even though she’s the reason they will be a complete emotional and psychological mess). And then tomorrow we can all go back to ignoring them for another year. Ha!

Lasagna Roll-Ups

1/4 cup milk
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 jar (24oz) spaghetti sauce (I used Paul Newman’s Marinara)

********************************************

* In medium bowl, combine cheeses and milk. Add cooked beef to combination.

* Spread 1/2 cup mixture on each lasagna noodle; roll jelly-roll fashion

* In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, coat the bottom with spaghetti sauce

* Arrange lasagna rolls, seam-side down in sauce in baking dish

* Top with remaining spaghetti sauce and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot

* Serve with parmesan cheese

Ingredients
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided
12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.

SPREAD half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.

BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Great news !

NEW STOCK has arrived !

 Le Creuset Rare Pink

Can be sold separately or bought as a set
Compliments previously posted set

1x Spatula Holder at RM 90.00  (~35% off) RM 59.00  each

1x Salt Pig at RM 105.00  (~35% off) RM 68.00  each

1x Square Dish cm at RM 140.00  (~35% off) RM 90.00  each

1x Rectangular Dish cm at RM 130.00  (~35% off) RM 85.00  each

Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Lasagna
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 dried lasagna noodles
Butter, for baking dish
2 cups “Quick Marinara Sauce”
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)

To make the sauce:
1. Melt the butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking continuously.  Whisk in the milk.  Increase the heat to medium-high.  Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.  Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the cream sauce.

To make the lasagna:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, egg, the 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper until blended.
2. Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.  Spread the cream sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.
4. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll the noodles up and arrange the rolls, seam sides down and not touching one another, atop the cream sauce.  Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.  Spoon 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the lasagna rooms, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.  Cover the dish tightly with foil.  Bake until the rolls are heated through and sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the cheese on top is golden, about 15 minutes longer.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot.  Transfer the sauce to a sauce boat and serve alongside.

Makes: 6 Main-course servings

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups)

2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 bunch of fresh basil, stemmed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a blender, purée the tomatoes with their juice and the basil until almost smooth.  Set the tomato purée aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until very tender, about 12 minutes.  Stir in the tomato purée, oregano, and sugar.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Decrease the heat to medium and continue simmering until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. ( The sauce can be made 1 day ahead.  If storing for future use, cool, then cover and refrigerate.  Reward over medium heat before using.)

This has been a crazy couple of weeks, to say the least.  I knew it would be, but even I couldn’t prepare myself for the little wave of panic when I looked at my calendar and saw three tech-to-performance weeks in a row.  There is a reason that the theater industry calls these “hell weeks”…nah, I’m (mostly) joking.  Thankfully, all of these performances are with my children’s company which means: (A) I know those involved, (B) Most of our team has down this before, and (C) We are all awesome enough to make these week run smoothly and simply!  This post has been sitting in my drafts, half-written, for almost a week-and-a-half, and this recipe has been waiting even longer!

This lasagna was one of the actual “recreation” dinners I made after going gluten-free, and it was also the first time I’d ever tried making lasagna at home.  I was intrigued by the grain-free recipe (one less ingredient to worry about converting to gluten-free–score!) and the extra veggies with zucchini substituting for noodles.  I added more vegetables in the form of onions and peppers, but this recipes is incredibly flexible.  Sub more vegetables in for some or all of the meat, or any more to the onion-pepper mixture.  When I first made this recipe, I sliced the zucchini lengthwise, into long strips like noodles.  These had a tendency to slip out when trying to cut a bite’s-worth, so I recommend cutting into circle crosswise, or peeling the zucchini before slicing it.

I wish I had had time to make this Lasagna this week (the recipe and photos are from about a month back).  This makes the best leftovers, and we have plenty when I’m only serving dinner to three people.  This comforting dish is the perfect bridge between winter and spring (we’ve just had three days of torrential rain–yuck) and would be the best lunch on my hectic performance days.  I’ve got one more performance weekend, one more week of wrap-up, and then we’ll be off on our relaxing cruise!  I’ll certainly keep you posted before then, and plan to come back with a full review of Royal Caribbean’s gluten-free offerings!

As noted in the recipe below, there is plenty of room to play in this recipe. If you make this vegetarian or vegan, or sub in an awesome ingredient, let me know how it turns out!

Zucchini Lasagna (Pasta-less Lasagna)

Serves: 8 | Prep time: 30 minutes

• 2 large zucchini
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large bell pepper (any color), finely diced
• 4 cups fresh spinach or kale leaves (kale stems removed), roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz ricotta cheese*
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese*
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese*
• 1 lb italian sausage (can replace with equal amounts of another ground meat or finely diced tofu or mushrooms or veggie mix)
• 2 c. tomato sauce (storebought or homemade), divided

*I’m guessing that you could possibly use cashew ‘cheese’ if you wanted to make this vegan.  I’ve never tried it myself, please let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the zucchini into thin slices crosswise (making circles, not long strips). (Optional–peel zucchini before slicing).  Lay slices out on papertowels and salt generously.  Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes–zuchinni will release some of their liquid.  Crumble sausage/meat/tofu/veggies into a large sauté pan.  Cook completely, then set aside.  Drain grease. Cook chopped onions and peppers in a large sauté pan with minimal oil for about 5-7 minutes, until softened.  Set aside.  Rinse all zucchini well.  Cook zuchinni in sauté pan for about 5 minutes, until slices begin to wilt.  Spread on papertowels and allow to cool.  Cooked spinach/kale in a covered sauté pan until wilted, about 3 minutes.  Mix together wilted greens, basil, garlic, parmesan, 1/4 c. mozzarella, and ricotta cheese in medium bowl.  In separate bowl, mix together onions, peppers, and meat/veggies with 1/2 c. of tomato sauce.  Firmly pat zucchini slices dry

Lightly grease a 9×9″ pan.  Spread  1/2 c. of tomato sauce into the bottom of the pan, coating evenly.  Layer zucchini in even layer, top with cheese mixture then meat/veggie mixture, spreading evenly for each layer.  Top meat/veggie mixture with 1/2 c. of tomato sauce.  Continue this pattern (zucchini, cheese, meat, sauce) until ingredients run out–I got three layers.  Be sure to end with sauce on topmost layer.  Cover with remaining 3/4 c. mozzarella cheese.

Cover pan with aluminum foil.  Bake at 375 degree F for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until cheese is browned and bubbling.  Allow lasagna to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Can be refrigerated in sealed container for up to 4 days.

I’m not one to shy away from challenges or intimidating circumstances but my gosh, Ironman is beginning to cast a dark, looming shadow. The more I talk about it with people the more I wonder to myself WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING TRAINING FOR THIS THING!?!

I was recently explaining the race to some friends and was trying to put it in context for them in relation to our lives in Reno. Basically, I will swim across Donner Lake, bike to Sacramento, and then run to Fernley. Gah, the panic is slowly trickling into my head as I’m becoming more in touch with the sheer magnitude of this kind of event. Frankly, it’s overwhelming even just reading about strategies for surviving the race because everyone has their own opinions and strategies for success. Some suggest eating a gel every 20 minutes, another camp fully supports eating PB and J while drinking chocolate milk, some bring Twix and Snickers in their bags, and yet others swear by a strange mix of guava juice, monkey fur, and ketchup. Sigh…

I only know a paltry handful of people who have completed an Ironman, not more than three, that’s pretty daunting odds if you ask me. That means the chances of me being the only Ironman someone knows is also pretty high. Better not let the expectations weigh me down. Oh the pressure, I love it!

The similarities between 2011 and 2013 are so far somewhat disturbing me. In 2011 I was gearing up for my first half Iron (70.3 miles) and this year is of course the full 140.6 excursion through Idaho. 2011 had me soul-searching to discover myself in the MBA program; 2013 has me soul-searching because I’m graduating. 2011 forced me into all kinds of fun adventures and 2013 has yet to disappoint me with a new dog, a new career, a new degree, a new camera, new social circles…

Food is what keeps us alive, fuels our body and our minds, and keeps us pressing on as long as we consume it in adequate amounts. The amount of food I purchase and devour is rather insane, but without it I would wither away (and often do as my friends can vouch). It’s a great source of energy but so are many other things in life:

• Social interactions – I thrive on meeting new people, having engaging conversations, debating the strengths and weaknesses of superheroes, and just engaging my friends and people close to me at a personal level. It’s not energizing in the way that a power nap is but it’s fun exposing my brain to new things.
• Good support – I will never forget the construction adventures with my dad as a little kid. He used to drive me around to various sites where a new bridge or parkway or other wonderful feat of human ingenuity was taking place and would talk me through how it all works together. Frankly, I find large-scale construction quite fascinating especially how it is all rooted in the supports that are put into place. Bridges need massive amounts of cabling, concrete, towers, arches, or whatever else to keep them up in the air while bearing a load, and roads need to be built so as not to collapse under thousands of cars driving over certain areas every single day. Our lives aren’t different; in fact, we take beatings on a daily basis which is why we must find support through those around us. Life is rife with stress, disappointment, and downers but it’s also packed with joys, wonderful experiences, and adventures of an epic proportion. Sometimes, we just need to view it all through a different lens…
• Fuzzy pets – I have always had a soft spot in my heart for warm creatures dating back to my 6 year old self in Tennessee when I got my first hamster Rocky. I gradually progressed through the ranks with my Fuzzies and have finally arrived at a dog of my very own. Next time you see me, you should ask me to tell the story of how my parents replaced me with a dog the week after I went off to college. That’s always a hoot… Regardless, there’s just a great feeling coming back to creatures that look forward to seeing you.
• Tools of the trade – I wouldn’t be a very good IT dude without a computer or a very diverse set of computer skills just like an artist would really suck without brushes and a slew of rainbowed pastel splotches on their palette.  A triathlete without goggles, a bike, or running shoes sure won’t get far, and an astronaut without oxygen, well, that won’t end nicely. We all gather tools for our chest in life and may use some of them often, and others rarely. Interestingly, it’s the collection of tools and how we use them that makes us unique and exciting individuals.
• Mental perseverance – My mad devotion to success in life and triathlon can only be explained by an inane locus of control, the ability to set ridiculous (yet achievable) goals for myself, and just an internal thirst for more, more, more! For whatever reason, my mental and emotional aptitude for success are thrusting me ever forward to June 23^rd. The words “Russell Aaron, you are an IRONMAN!” will be well worth the grocery bill, taxing training, loss of sleep, sore muscles, and social outings cut short. It’s going to be a good year. Strap in!

The weeks are blazing by, and summer will be in full force soon. What had previously been a neatly laid out plain is quickly becoming a cratered pothole of craziness, beautiful weather, and no more school! Huzzah! Happy Friday to all and to all a good weekend!

Picture credit 1.

 Tomato Mozzarella Panini with Cream of Mushroom Soup

Whale Meat with a Baked Potato Loaded with Butter

Ox and Steak Tenderloin with Frites

Vegetable Lasagna Stacked with Zuchinni and Pasta and a Side Salad

Icelandic Skyr Hereford style [ kind of like a  lemon custard or panna cotta]  garnished with mint

Frozen Icecream Stuffed Crepe with Nutella and Strawberries

Photos by Andrew Lane

I was able to go visit them today, take some pictures, talk to the students and see what they were making. I felt like a paparazzi

Some dishes they were making were Potato Pancakes, Vegetable Dumplings, Mini Lasagna and last but not least Empanadas. I was able to get pictures of all the students because they are “camera shy”. Here’s a few.

MINI LASAGNA!

The Lasagna mix, includes onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomato sauce, pepper and other condiments.

Prepping the wonton wrappers to make the Mini Lasagnas.

“I like cooking because I like experimenting with different ingredients” ~Israel Dones

“I like cooking because I love food and I love the different flavors ” ~ Kanisha Wise

                                                                               VEGETABLE DUMPLINGS!

Students prepping to make the Vegetable Dumplings.

OTHERS:

Students makes the mix for the potato pancakes and empanadas.

 I was told by some students that they had fun in this intensive and some were even thinking of being chefs! That is so awesome to hear!! Sadly enough I wasn’t able to taste any food but it smelled amazing!!

Appetizer, Drink, salad, main course and dessert. They were so funny. I had to pick and choose to create a meal that made sense! I mean – rice and beans just don’t “go” with Lasagna and coconut shrimp! This is what we ended up with:

Drinks – Lara picked anything with coconut or a drink made with fresh grapefruit juice. I ended up making a pitcher of “The Best Drink Ever” (out of my cookbook) A yummy, coconutty daiquiri
Appetizer – Jonathan is king of snacks so he got this category. He loves anything cheesy and dippy. So…Italian queso it was! (Also in my cookbook) I served it with toasted baguette pieces.

Salad – Alison raved about the salad I threw together for the chicken and waffles meal I made a couple of weeks ago. So I pulled that one back out just for her.

Main Course – Joey is the Italian in our group and loves anything with ricotta! Homemade Lasagna it was. I added extra ricotta to the meat sauce to make it extra rich.

Dessert – Aaron loves Cheesecake and Courtney loves all things chocolate Mousse! So… I combined them. I made a thick vanilla cheesecake and topped it with a light and creamy chocolate ganache mousse and fresh strawberries.

It was a feast! We had to be rolled out of the dining room! It was a lot of fun to take time to figure out what my friends like and to come up with a way to do something special for each of them all at the same time. I hope you get a chance to celebrate your friends “just because” sometime soon. Friends are a blessing and a treasure and time spent with them is a treat! Thanks for indulging my craziness, guys!

Since it was such a hit, I am including the recipe for the salad dressing and the ingredient list for the salad I threw together. Hope you enjoy this one! Homemade dressings are super easy and leave little excuse for purchasing bottled ones! You will have most of these ingredients on hand I bet! And your guests will think you are brilliant!

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

½ Cup white wine vinegar

3 T honey Dijon mustard

1 T olive oil

Juice of 1 fresh lemon (about 2T)

Salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.  This makes enough dressing for a salad that feeds 8- 10 people.  You can save the rest in an airtight container for your next salad!  Or marinate chicken tenders in it!

Salad that I use it on:

Chopped romaine

Chopped Kale (stems removed)

Diced avocado

Pepperoncini peppers

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Crumbled Crispy salami  (I cook salami in a 400 degree oven until it is brown and crispy)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

You know how people often say they have a love/hate relationship with something?  How they lament about being torn between the benefits and satisfaction of something and the pain or challenges that very thing may cause them?  You know that, right?

Well, I have had a hate/hate relationship with mushrooms for as long as I can remember.  There’s been no love.  None.

Not.  One.  Ounce.

To be fair, I haven’t eaten a lot of mushrooms in my life, but, really, it didn’t take me long to develop a belief they were the worst food ever.  They were slimy.  Or mealy.  Or slimy AND mealy.  They were overcooked or undercooked.  They tasted sort of like dirt and they took up large portions of ingredient real estate that could have been used for other, less offensive items.

I guess this is the post where I tell you how I REALLY feel.

Here’s the catch, though, I know how good they are for me.  I know that they bring an incredible amount of nutrition to any meal and I’m on board with that.  After I read Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman (LOVE this book, by the way), I was convinced I needed to figure out a way to start over with mushrooms.  Fuhrman is a big fan of what mushrooms can do for our health and I’m a big of Furhman, so I decided that we needed to make amends, mushrooms and I.  I thought maybe it was time I give them another chance.

It was going to be tricky, as I was still holding a bit of a grudge against them.  But, here’s where my Foodie Firsts column came in to play.  I had NEVER cooked with mushrooms and I had NEVER eaten a mushroom I liked.  I had the opportunity for two firsts and decided to view that a challenge to take on.  I had to start by considering my mushroom options.  After some discussion, I was able to discern I would be best to avoid button mushrooms.  A friend let me know that it was likely these types of mushrooms I had generally been served in restaurants and had spit out in slimy horror.  This was helpful information.  Button mushrooms were flagged as off limits for now.  I was also gently steered away from Portobellos for the time being; it being suggested those might be best left for after developing a bit more mushroom tolerance.

So I knew what to avoid.  Excellent.  Next, I needed to know what to make.  I wanted to try something that would definitely feature a hefty dose of these little fungi, but would also have familiar and likeable components.  I didn’t want to just dive right into a plate of cooked mushrooms with no other food around, if you know what I mean.

I decided on Italian.  Specifically, I decided on an Italian vegetable pie.  This vegetable pie would have many items I love (onions, tomato sauce, garlic, bell peppers) along with a hearty portion of mushrooms.

My course was set.

Knowing what kind of mushrooms NOT to get helped guide me at the store and I settled upon a bag of crimini mushrooms to feature in my vegetable pie.  Italian mushrooms for Italian pie.  Perfect.

The criminis that I bought were pre-sliced (fancy), but I wanted them chopped a bit smaller, so I took care of that at home.  I will say, as someone who finds chopping vegetables thoroughly pleasant and at times even therapeutic, going to work on these mushrooms was very enjoyable.  The ease at which my chef’s knife moved through them was quite satisfying.

The mushrooms were cooked briefly with other filling ingredients for the pie, layered up with the noodles and sauce, and baked for a short while.  When the pie was ready, I was nervous.  I wanted to love it.  I wanted to love THEM.  But I was totally unsure of how it was going to turn out.

Onward I went.

Slicing up the Italian pie, I dove in with gusto.  I decided to just take a leap of faith in regards to this meal and tried to eat without the memory of past experiences coloring my tastebuds.

And?

I was rewarded.

It was GREAT.  It was REALLY GREAT.

This was a perfect re-introduction to mushrooms, as I certainly did know they were on my plate, but they held their texture quite well and I ate them in forkfuls with other familiar and delicious ingredients, not having to be the only thing I tasted in each bite.

You may have noticed that I titled this post ‘Making Friends with Mushrooms – Part 1’.  Because there are so many varieties of mushrooms, as well as an abundance of preparation options for them, I have decided I will do another post or two featuring the mushroom family.  And, I’m actually looking forward to it, which is nice.

Notes & Final Thoughts:

Serving Suggestions:  I have to say the Italian Vegetable Pie I made was quite good.  It hit all the right notes for those who love lasagna or Italian casseroles, but provided a new twist on these old favorites. The recipe is below if you, too, want to give it a try.  It’s filling, produces an enticing aroma while it cooks, and makes a lovely presentation, in addition to just tasting really good.

Lessons Learned:  Be flexible and creative when trying to incorporate ingredients that may not initially appeal to you.  Once I stopped my rigid thinking about mushrooms (ALL mushrooms are bad) and considered that maybe the types or preparations I had experienced in the past just weren’t the best ones for my particular tastes, I was able to think about this ingredient in new ways.  Drawing upon positive food experiences as a base and finding ways to incorporate mushrooms into food I already knew I would enjoy has opened up new cooking doors for me.

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Italian Vegetable Pie 

Adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• Cooking Spray
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 10 oz crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 10 oz firm tofu, drained, pressed, and crumbled
• 3 tblspns tomato paste
• 1/2 tspn dried oregano
• 1/4 tspn crushed fennel
• 1 tspn crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tspn salt
• 1/2 tspn black pepper
• 28 oz marina sauce of your choice
• 8 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3 tblspns vegan Parmesan

Method:

1. Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions, set aside when done, and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.  When warmed, add bell pepper, onion, and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, 4-5 minutes until softened.
3. Add mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and crumbled tofu.  Stir to mix all ingredients and cook 3-4 more minutes.
4. Add tomato paste, oregano, fennel, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper,  Stir to coat vegetables with seasonings and then add marinara sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.
5. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and vegan Parmesan and set aside.
6. Coat a 9-10 inch pan or cast iron skillet with cooking spray.  Arrange cooked lasagna noodles in a circular pattern around the pan, so that they line the bottom of the pan, with half of the noodles hanging over the edge.  Spoon half of the vegetable-marinara mixture onto the noodles.  Fold the hanging edges of the noodles over to cover this part of the filling, then spoon the rest of the vegetable-marinara mixture on top.  Sprinkle bread crumb and vegan Parmesan mixture evenly over the top.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Check it out.  It’s the pasta of all pastas!  Well, it is for us Paleo people.  As most of you know, grains, carbs, and dairy are a no-no when eating Paleo, so what does that mean?  No pasta.  Say what?  You’re telling a 100% Italian gal that she can’t have pasta?  Try again.

I’m only kidding.  I know that was part of the choice we made when deciding to go Paleo, and I honestly don’t regret it.  Do I miss pasta every now and then?  Sure.  Do I feel better without it?  You can bet your bottom dollar I do.  So, when I came across Cappello’s in my Paleo Magazine, I thought, this has to be a joke…Paleo-approved pasta at the click of a mouse?  Done!

It took me sometime to actually order it though.  Their pasta is pricey since it’s fresh made and shipped on dry ice, but I finally bit the bullet, and am here to blog about it.  I went for the Taste of Each and got 2 fettuccine, 1 gnocchi (say ‘in-yok-ee‘), and 1 lasagna.  Don’t get me started on all the wrong ways to say gnocchi.  My hubby drives me nuts on purpose by calling it ‘n0-kee.’  He knows better than to argue with this Italian girl.

After some deliberation, and trying all 3 kinds, I would have to say the gnocchi is a bit mushy.  Maybe because it’s been forever since I’ve had it, but Josh did agree and he’s the non-gluten eating guy.  The fettuccine and lasagna both have a bit of a mushy texture to it, but it’s not terrible.  Just slather it with sauce, veggies, sausage, and grass-fed beef and it’s all good.

You can always keep is simple with just some homemade pasta sauce and shredded chicken.

Or go all out.

Here’s the lasagna I made the other day.  It’s completely dairy-free, as in zero cheese on it, and has kale instead of spinach.  I’ll be back to post the recipe of this mouth-watering meal, complete with two meats.  The cool thing about it, was I made two small pans, so we could eat one that night and freeze one for later, so it will be ready when baby comes.  Winner, winner, lasagna dinner!

Well there you have it, gluten, dairy, and grain-free pasta delivered to your doorsteps.

Have you ever tried Cappello’s or heard of it before?  Or will you continue to enjoy your big bowl of carbs while laughing at me for giving up pasta?  It’s cool, I made my pasta-free bed and will continue to lie in it.

Note: Photos are from here and here.

When I was living in LA for grad school, my roommates and I would often find time between classes and work to make dinner together. They were modest meals that came out of our tiny kitchen and on our grad student budgets– but they were always fun and memorable. Especially because we barely had any cookware or pans!

One pot meals were a necessity and boy did we come up with some doozies! A million different types of fried rice, stroganoffs, breakfast scrambles, stir-frys, and one of my tried and true favorites—skillet lasagnas.

Skillet lasagnas were perfect! Not only were they delish and filling but you literally only needed a pan and one stove top burner to make it.

No ovens, no baking dishes and no extra pots needed to boil the noodles ahead of time. Just the thing when you’re short on time—and cookware.

So when I got my little hands on this gorgeous sauté pan from our friends at Nambé, nostalgia kicked in and I had to give it a roll.

Nambé’s new cookware line is FANTABULOUS! Sturdy, heats evenly, easy to clean and is just so pretty. Since they’re so snazzy, you can move them directly from the stove to the dining table! Cookware to Serveware? Where were you when I was in grad school?!

And since you are the sunshine of my day, YOU will have the chance to win a set of four (4) of their new CookServ Sauté Pans (8, 10, 12 and 14 inches) courtesy of the awesome team at Nambé! Check out these beauties:

Nambé has partnered with several different blogs for this joint giveaway of these stunning pans that are retailed at 650 buckaroos. Want to know how to win?

It’s Easy-Peasy!

Simply click on the following link to enter the Nambe Giveaway powered by Rafflecopter

ps. Whether you have only one pan in your pantry or a dozen, you’ll really want to make this Italian Sausage & Mushroom Skillet Lasagna. Sooooooo yummmyyy!

pps. Don’t forget to enter this rad giveaway and BEST-O-LUCK!!!

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Italian Sausage & Mushroom Skillet Lasagna
Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
2 cups sliced crimini mushroom
1 cup diced white onions
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoon tomato paste
3 16-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
10 ounces dried lasagna noodles (about 2/3 of a regular sized box)
1½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and black pepper
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

In a large skillet that has a lid; heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat. Removed the casing from the sausage and add to the skillet. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage and cook until lightly brown. Add in the mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. Remove the sausage and mushrooms to a clean plate.

Add an additional tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook the onions until softened and translucent. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute before adding in the tomato paste. Allow the mixture to cook for an additional minute to allow the items to become aromatic. Transfer the sausage and mushrooms back to the skillet and stir to combine.

Using a blender or immersion blender, puree the tomatoes with its juices until smooth.

Break the lasagna noodles into 1-2 inch pieces and layer on top of the ingredients in the skillet. Pour the pureed tomatoes and chicken stock over the noodles. Allow the liquids to come to a slight boil. Cover and simmer the lasagna for 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Continue cooking until the noodles become al dente.

Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper and lay pieces of mozzarella over the top. Garnish with basil leaves and serve warm.

**If you would like a bit of crunch, turn on your oven broiler after placing the mozzarella cheese and place the skillet about 4 inches away from it. Allow to brown for about 30-45 seconds but be sure to keep an eye on it to avoid burning the lasagna.

Ever since my mom made this, I’ve been hooked! By far the BEST lasagna I’ve ever had. I made it for my son’s 1st birthday party last year and it was gone within the first 30 minutes I brought it out! Its very filling and its sure to please a crowd, or the family . If you are on the healthier side, I would use turkey sausage instead of the Italian Sausage, fat-free ricotta cheese, low fat/fat free mozzarella cheese, and whole wheat lasagna. If you’re also on a budget, any Italian sausage will do as well as the other ingredients. Just a little FYI, this includes A LOT of ricotta cheese, i usually end up having extra in the end of the day so I cut the amount of the ricotta cheese down a bit. I use the Sazón for a different taste as well with the Cumin. You may choose to opt out of these if you wish.

Ingredients

• 12 Lasagna noodles, uncooked

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 Package  Italian sausage

• 1 Onion

• 2 Garlic cloves, chopped finely

• 1 Jar Marinara Sauce

• 4 Cups Ricotta Cheese

• 1 Large Egg

• 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

• 2 Cups fresh Spinach,  chopped

• 2 Cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese

• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon Cumin

• 1 teaspoon Sazón

Directions

I hope everyone enjoys this recipe! Please let me know if you did any substitutions or what you would have done differently. Let me know how this goes!!

Take this weekend. The husband had to work a station event on Saturday which left me at home with my good friends Hawk and Steve Stone. All 3 of us died a little that night. And Sunday an even bigger piece of me died because a) it was just painful to lose like that, and b) I was there. When it all came crashing down in the 10th, the husband essentially dragged me out of the stadium while repeating, “Walk of shame. Walk of shame,” while I ranted and raved for a solid hour.

So you can see why I relied on my good friend The Captain and my new friend Cheesy Corn Brisket Nachos to get me through that experience. It’s okay, though. Because Saturday night, I pregamed with quinoa. Like a boss. Or someone who doesn’t understand what pregaming is. Your call really.

pinned here

Verdict

Nailed it. Stunning, isn’t it? I even let it sit for 10 minutes (which I never do) and it still came out looking mangled (like lasagna always does). And yet, I honestly didn’t care. This was delicious the night I made it and, per the rules of baked pasta dishes, even better as leftovers.

Alterations

I think it’s pretty clear by now where I stand on fungus so it’s safe to say I skipped the mushrooms. I also used ricotta instead of cottage cheese, frozen spinach instead of fresh, and a zucchini/yellow squash mix instead of straight zucchini.

Original recipe from Eating Well.

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Pasta-free Vegetarian Lasagna

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This recipe goes great with a simple spinach or rocket salad with you wanted something extra with it.

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Makes: 6 servings; Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients (leave the skin on your vegetables for more nutrients):

1. 1 red capsicum, seeded and diced
2. 1 brown onion, diced
3. 1 zucchini, diced
4. 2 yellow squash, diced
5. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
6. 1 can (450g) your choice of beans, I used chickpeas, drained and rinsed
7. 1/2 tsp cumin
8. 1 tsp smoked paprika
9. Half a glove of garlic, crushed
10. A handful of coriander, chopped roughly
11. 2 cups enchilada sauce
12. 3 rye Mountain Bread wraps
13. 1/2 – 1 cup your choice of cheese, I used parmesan
14. Salt and pepper

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Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. When your oven is heated, combine your diced capsicum, onion, zucchini and yellow squash with oil and salt and pepper seasoning. Spray a baking tray with oil spray and lay out your vegetable on it to roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until tender. Stir them half way through the roasting process.
3. Now is a good time to made the enchilada sauce if your doing your own home-made.
4. When your vegetables are tender, leave them to cool.
5. Spray a square dish that’s suitable for the oven.
6. In a large bowl, combine the roasted vegetables, beans, cumin, paprika, garlic, coriander and seasoning.
7. Spread a third of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of your baking dish, then one wrap sheet, a third of the vegetable mix and finally cheese and another wrap sheet. For the middle layer, spread half of the enchilada sauce over the wrap, then half of the remaining vegetable mix and finally half of the remaining cheese and another wrap sheet. Now top with the remaining vegetable mix, then the enchilada sauce and finally the rest of the cheese. If you want it to be more gooey with cheese you could use mozzarella and more of it.
8. Cover the lasagna with alfoil that has been sprayed with oil on the inside. Bake the lasagna in the oven for 20 minutes with the aluminium sheet and then a further 7-10 minutes without it, be sure not to burn the wrap sheets as they’re very thin. Serve warm.

One of my favorite dishes during high school.  My mom’s lasagna   Not made when I was younger for obvious reasons – you had to make your own spaghetti sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese and tofu.  Not something that happened often at our house.  These items just weren’t available in West Africa in the ’80s.  When my husband went gluten free, there didn’t seem to be much point in cooking lasagna, most store bought noodles disintegrated in the sauce and everything was weird and mushy.  When I came across Shauna’s website, I discovered lots of great recipes and ideas.  One of which was her gluten free noodle recipe.  Wonderful!  I loved it.  I think I wrote about it somewhere on here before.  Anyway it got me thinking about what I could use it for.  Lasagna came to mind one rainy Saturday morning.  I collected my ingredients and was in love.  Lasagna again!  I think our whole family inhaled it the first day it was made.  One lonely piece was left over until the next day.  Unfortunately it did not survive inspection.  It was too firm and barely edible.    不好吃.  I’ve since messed with the recipe, and now I think I’ve got it where I want it. 

Lasagna

1 batch of noodles from glutenfreegirl (see above).  I don’t have garbonzo bean flour or millet flour.  I used buckwheat and rice flour with the potato starch.  Ground flax in place of the psyllium husk powder.  It does fleck the dough with brown, but I don’t mind that.

1 bunch of mushrooms.  About 2 cups, chopped small so the kids don’t freak out.

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce.  (About 36 oz)

1 can sliced olives

1 tsp. ground fennel

16 oz. soft tofu, crumbled with your hand into small chunks

Cheddar Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1.  Make your noodle dough.  Let rest while you work on the sauce.  Make sure it’s not too soft.  Add water a little at a time.  You want a stiff dough that can still roll out without cracking.  Reminder – this is fresh noodle dough, you don’t need to boil it before putting it in the pan, the sauce will cook it while in the oven.

2.  Saute your mushrooms, garlic and fennel in oil or ghee as you prefer.

3.  When done, pour spaghetti sauce over the mushrooms.  Add the olives.  Let simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes, just to incorporate the flavors.  Don’t add extra salt anywhere!  The cheese and olives will be salty enough as it is.

4.  In a 9×13 pan layer like you do any other lasagna recipe:  sauce, soft tofu pieces, cheese, noodles on top.  (disregard photo of noodles above- I forgot to put sauce on the bottom first.)  Finish with a last layer of noodles, with cheese on top.

5.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30-40 minutes, until all is bubbly and smelling good.  Cool, and serve.