Skillet Lasagna

This was an easy lasagna recipe that came from Martha Stewart's Real Simple. I've had this one for awhile so I do not recall from which issue it came. I changed up the sauce a little to make it closer to what I would normally prepare. This is a good one for dinner in about an hour.

Skillet Lasagna

3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (28oz) can tomato puree
1(15-oz) can diced tomatoes
8 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
1 large egg yolk
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese, room temperature
1 (12oz) box no-boil lasagna noodles
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil  and add garlic, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and basil, bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix egg yolk, ricotta and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Carefully pour sauce into heat proof bowl and return 3/4 cup to skillet; spreading sauce evenly. Add a single layer of noodles, breaking them to fit. Top with half of ricotta mixture, spreading evenly. Follow with a second layer of noodles, then 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Add a third layer of noodles, then remaining ricotta. Follow with a final noodle layer, then remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bale until golden and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

White Chicken Chili

 

This was the perfect chili for the first really cold night of the year. I've had this recipe forever and finally prepared it for the first time last night and was pleased with the outcome. It had a really nice thick consistency and the flavor was not too spicy, but just spicy enough. You can add more chili powder or even try a chipotle chili powder, the original recipe did not call for it, but I wanted a little more flavor. Top it with white cheddar, Monterrey Jack or a a good pepper Jack.

White Chicken Chili

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped white onion
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 (15oz) can cream-style corn
1 (7oz) can chopped green chiles
2 cups whole milk
1 (15oz) can cannellini beans
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
grated white cheese for topping


In a large sauce pan, heat oil over high heat. Add onion, pepper and jalapeno and cook, stirring often, until onion softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute. Add cumin, chili powder, corn, green chiles, milk and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into warm bowls and top with cheese.

Mac n' Cheese Soup

This is a thick and hearty soup with great flavor! I was sceptical when I started making it, but enjoyed the finished product. The recipe came from Cuisine At Home Magazine, one of my favorites.

Mac n' Cheese Soup

1 1/2 c. dry elbow macaroni
1/2 c. minced onion
1/4 c. minced celery
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 c. whole milk
4 c. shredded sharp Cheddar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/4 crumbled blue cheese
2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

Cook macaroni in a pot of salted, boiling water according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Sweat onion and celery in butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in flour to coat and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated. Stir in broth, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne. Simmer 5 minutes, until slightly thickened, then whisk in milk and warm through. Do not let it boil, it will become grainy.
Add Cheddar, 1 cup at a time, allowing it to melt completely before adding the next cup. Stir in macaroni, lemon juice and salt; remove from heat.
Combine blue cheese and chives in small bowl. Garnish each bowl with mixture.

Girl Scout Cookie Brownies

One of the ladies I work with brought these wonderful brownies to work one day and I have to say they are incredible. They are so rich and fudge-like and the possibilities of variants are endless. These are made using a triple chocolate cake mix, Caramel DeLites Girl Scout cookies ( Samoas in certain markets) and a mix of butterscotch and white chocolate chips. I think they would be really good with Thin Mints and chocolate chips or peanut butter cookies and peanut butter chips. You will be tempted to eat them warm, but they have to cool completely to set up. The recipe I am posting is the original.

Girl Scout Cookie Brownies

1 box Caramel DeLites, crushed
1 chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup caramel sauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 11.5 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cake mix, melted butter and evaporated milk. Spread half of mixture into pan. Bake for six minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with half of crushed cookies and half of the chips. Drizzle with half of the caramel sauce. Drop spoonfuls of remaining batter evenly over the top and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cookies, chips and caramel.
Cool completely before cutting.

Fresh Ricotta

I made cheese!! Okay it's a bad picture, but I made cheese! And it was easy. Thanks to my favorite cooking couple, Gabriele Corcos and his wife Debi Mazar on The Cooking Channel's Extra Virgin, I have made cheese. This is a wonderful , fun recipe that is so good served warm on toasted bread with lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil and some cracked black pepper. I imagine that this will become a staple in our house. I just used a thin dish towel that was folded over instead of using cheesecloth, but do what you are most comfortable with.

Fresh Ricotta

4 cups whole milk

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Extra-Virgin olive oil for serving

Lay 3 layers of cheesecloth over a colander.

Add the milk to a large heavy pot and place over medium high heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt and heat until an instant read thermometer reaches 175 degrees. The milk will just begin to bubble and steam. At this temperature you will see the curds separate from the whey. Do not over stir while the curds are forming, you don't want the ricotta to become stiff. Let sit for 5 minutes undisturbed.

Gently remove curds from the pot to the colander. Tie the cloth using butcher's twine and let drain for 5 to 10 minutes. I hung mine from the faucet. Remove from cloth and place in a bowl. Serve warm on toasted bread with lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.

Refrigerate leftover in a covered container for up to 5 days.

Farro Salad

This salad has become a huge favorite in our house and pairs well with any grilled meat. I made it again the other night and used quartered cherry tomatoes instead of buying regular tomatoes and it worked out perfectly. The recipe calls for balsamic vinegar and I usually use that, but this time I used a cranberry pear balsamic from Oleacea, an olive oil and vinegar shop in Sante Fe, NM. This vinegar makes the best vinaigrette, very light and refreshing. The recipe is adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis.

Farro Salad

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups farro

2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

1 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped

1/2 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup snipped fresh chives

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine water and farro in a medium saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until farro is tender but not mushy. Drain well; transfer to large bowl to cool.

Add tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, chives and parsley to the farro and toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil. Add to salad and toss to coat.

Serve at room temperature. Can be refrigerated overnight.

Trick or Treat Salted Nut Bars

These could be the perfect tasty Halloween treats to serve at a party, but they are one of the hardest things to make. The marshmallow layer was very tricky and required a lot more powdered sugar than the recipe called for. You are supposed to beat the marshmallow creme with the powdered sugar at a low speed until combined, but that was not happening. Instead it all clumped together in the beaters and I had to use a wooden spoon to get it out. Once it was on my cutting board it was nothing but a big sticky mess. So like a good bread dough, I kept adding a small amount amount of sugar until I thought I had a good working consistency. Using my hands proved to be an issue because they kept sticking to the mixture. I sugared up my trusty rolling pin and had much more success.
Anyway, they are good , but only for the most patient of cooks. The recipe came from my Cooking Club Fall 2011 issue.

Trick or Treat Salted Nut Bars

crust:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

topping:

1 (14 oz.) bag wrapped caramels

2 Tbsp. water

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar, divided

1 cup marshmallow creme

2 cups salted roasted peanuts, divided

1/4 cup candy corn

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch square baking dish with foil, spray with cooking spray. Beat crust ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed 1 to 2 minutes until fine crumbs form; press into bottom of pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

Unwrap caramels. Heat caramels and water in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water 8 to 10 minutes until melted (bowl should not touch water), stirring occasionally. remove from heat; keep warm.

Meanwhile, beat 1 cup of powdered sugar and marshmallow creme in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Sprinkle remaining powdered sugar over flexible cutting board or sheet or parchment. Lightly coat hands with powdered sugar; gently pat into 8-inch square. Brush off excess sugar.

Spread 1/2 cup of melted caramel over crust; sprinkle with 1 cup of peanuts. Top with marshmallow square, pressing firmly to adhere. Pour remaining caramel over marshmallow layer. Top with remaining peanuts and candy corn; patting down firmly.

Refrigerate 30 minutes until set.

Lift foil to remove bars and remove from foil. Cut into 24 squares ( I cut mine into 20). Cover and store in refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.