The Best Lasagna Ever

Have you heard of the Pioneer Woman? I am sure you have, but if not, you can find her blog HERE. She makes a lot of down home things and sometimes even healthy things.  I have made a few of her recipes and they always turn out great. One of my favorites is the “Best Lasagna Ever”. 

The Best Lasagna Ever (**modified by me a tad)

Layer 1

10 oz lasagna noodles

Layer 2

3 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup parmesan (**I used shredded, she calls for grated)

2 tlsp Italian seasoning**

Salt

Layer 3

1.5 lb ground beef

1 lb hot breakfast sausage

2 cloves garlic

2 cans (12 oz) whole tomatoes

2 cans (6 oz) tomato paste

Salt

Italian seasoning**

**2 cups chopped zucchini, celery, bell pepper or other veggies

Layer 4

1 lb mozzarella**

Brown the hamburger and sausage with the garlic. Once it’s done, drain off half the fat and add the rest of layer three to the pot. Let that simmer for about 45 minutes. While it’s cooking, mix together layer two and cook the lasagna noodles. Once everything is done, layer (in a 9x13 pan or similar) in order: 3 or 4 noodles, cottage cheese, meat, then add mozzarella. I usually make two pans at a time and can get two layers out of each. Instead of mozzarella on the very top layer, put parmesan on top (after the meat layer). Cook for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I usually make two pans at a time and cook one right away and put the other in the freezer, where it will keep for a long time and you can make it whenever you want! If you are cooking from frozen, I found it best to leave it out all day and then cook it for about an hour and a half, but it depends on your oven strength (mine is weak).  You can also make it and then keep it in the fridge for a couple days before baking.

**Modifications:  I did use actual shredded parmesan, even though she says you can use Kraft. I also used real buffalo mozzarella, even though her photo shows the harder kind of mozzarella (like string cheese).  I also added veggies, which is not in her recipe, but I like to sneak them in when I can. For Italian seasoning, she uses separate ingredients of basil, parsley etc. But I found it easier to just use Italian Seasoning!

 If you are interested in calories, if you make this into 12 servings, it’s approximately 450-500 calories per serving. So it’s not necessarily low fat, but it sure is good! I use two pans and can get about 9-12 servings per pan, so that cuts it down a little. Except for the fact that I just eat TWO servings instead!

What is your favorite Lasagna recipe? Have you tried any of the Pioneer Woman’s recipes? Do you modify recipes or stick to the schedule?

An Apple a Day Monday: IV

I arrived home the other day to find out that my mother had bought even more apples! This is the fun of living in the state that grows much of America's produce; when you are driving home, you never know what you may find. Peaches, plutots, kiwis, artichokes, mandarins, walnuts, and of course...apples. 

1. I think she got a peck of apples. If she got a peck of apples, how many apples did she get? 

2. Do you use a peeler or a knife? I used the knife. 

3. One apple = approximately 1 cup

Everyone keeps saying that Apple Crisp is their favorite Apple dish, so I thought I would take a stab at it. I used Martha Stewart's recipe. (Check out Apple a Day I and Apple A Day II and Apple a Day III.)

Martha Stewart = Butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

3 pounds apples, such as Empire, Gala, or Braeburn, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cut butter into flour, using a pastry blender or two knives, until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add oats, and use your hands to toss and squeeze mixture until large, moist clumps form. (I used my hands, after washing them in COLD water, so as to not melt the butter)

Transfer to freezer to chill while you prepare apples.

The porch aka "the freezer"

In another large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. (I also added a few tsp of my new friend, flaxseed meal)

Transfer to a shallow 2-quart baking dish, and sprinkle with topping mixture. 

I like to use several. It makes it easier to give them away!

Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until golden and bubbling, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

It turned out pretty good! The only thing I would do differently is that I would double the amount of apples, since they bake down a lot!  Or maybe if I had only used one pan, it would have been thicker? I say more apples! You can never have too many apples.

What is your favorite apple crisp recipe? Do you think Martha uses too much butter? Have you ever bought a bushel or a peck of anything?

Ten Days of Thanksgiving: Days 7 and 8

Today we have Days 7 and 8 of the Ten Days (crammed into 4 by me) of Thanksgiving (inspired by Lisa).

#7: Fruit: I eat at least an apple a day, sometimes more. I enjoy pretty much all fruit and am glad that we live in a place where we can get it fresh and juicy no matter what season, although I prefer each fruit in the season where it is ripe. I was lucky this year to catch both blackberry and apple season at home, where we can pick them right off the bush and tree. I also very much enjoyed the blueberries and fresh peaches from the farms in Missouri. 

Saturn peaches

California strawberries

Blueberries are like candy!

Picking blackberries for cobbler

#8: Flour: I know that you already know that I love to bake. Actually I tend to stay away from bread-like items most of the time. However, when I get the chance I do love to throw some flour in with a few eggs and make a muffin or a cookie or bread. So, even though I don’t use it very often, I am thankful for flour and for the baked goods it makes. 

Buttermilk flax muffins

Green Tomato muffins

A Few Other Things I’ve Made Using Flour:

Apple Bundt Cake

Blackberry Cobbler

Cake Pops

What is your favorite fruit? Is there a good farmer's market near your house? What carb-loaded goodie do you like to splurge on from time to time? 

An Apple a Day Monday: III

Remember last week when I made the Apple Cake? Now I had buttermilk left over, as well as still having plenty of apples. I didn’t yet know what I wanted to make with these items. I contemplated buttermilk biscuits or buttermilk apple muffins.

(Check out Apple a Day I and Apple A Day II.)

Then, I got the prize in the mail that I won from Corey! Flaxseed Meal! I have never used it before, but have been putting it in oatmeal, on cereal and now in baking…and its great! I used the recipe that was on the back of the bag and amended it a bit to fit what I had on hand. And…they turned out great! Like a nutty, yummy, bran muffin…without the bran! For those of you who are gluten free, flaxseed is GF, so all you need is some GF flour (can sub for oats as well) and you are all set!

Bran Flax Muffins

(aka Oat Apple Nut Buttermilk Flax Muffins [and Squares])

1½ cups flour

¾ cup flaxseed

¾ cup oat bran (I used stone ground oats)

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ cup carrots, shredded

2 apples, peeled and shredded

½ cup raisins (I used craisins instead)

1 cup nuts, chopped (I used walnuts)

¾ cup milk (I used buttermilk instead)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients (first 7 on the list). 

In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the (wet) ingredients. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Do not over stir. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Pour into greased muffin tin. Fill cups approximately ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Yields 15 medium sized muffins**

**NOTES: I ended up filling 12 cups ¾ full and still having a lot left over, so I used a bread pan and 2 mini bread pans to use up the rest. You could also easily cook these in a 9x13 baking dish and just cut them into squares. 

Next up: The apple craze continues! What else can one make with an apple? Don’t forget to check back next Monday to find out...and for another edition of “An Apple a Day”, which will be a feature each Monday in November.

Have you ever used flaxseed meal? Have you ever made your own oat bars?

An Apple A Day Monday: II

I love to bake, especially in autumn. That nice cinnamon smell about the house, the warmth; they are the epitome of fall to me. Besides that, I love figuring out fun things to make with the ingredients on hand. When I saw Kim’s Apple Bundt Cake recipe, I knew that since it was apple season, and we have several trees, and I finally have an oven to use, I would have to make it.

I didn’t make it once; I made it twice, and it was a hit all around (I took one to the Apple Cider potluck and it was gone in about 47 seconds!) I did not have a Bundt pan, but made it work with a bread pan and a pie dish instead. I bought buttermilk for her glaze, but ended up only using about 1/8 of the recommended amount of glaze, since I liked the cake just fine without it.

Kim’s Apple Bundt Cake

3 cups flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tbsp. Cinnamon

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil (or you can sub ½ c. applesauce, ½ c. oil for a lower fat version)

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 cups raw peeled, diced apples (I used 2 large apples)

1 cup chopped nuts (optional, I did not put them in)

2 eggs, beaten

Glaze(optional):

½ cup melted butter

½ cup sugar (I only used ¼ cup)

½ cup buttermilk

½ tsp. Baking soda

Peel apples. 

Dice and sprinkle with cinnamon. 

Mix together all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add remaining ingredients, including apples, to dry mix. Stir together until well blended. Spread into a greased pan (1 – 10 inch Bundt pan or any other baking dish). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean. 

For glaze: Mix together all ingredients and drizzle on cake after cake is cooked. I only used about 1/8 of the recommended glaze on one of my cakes and none on the other. I actually prefer it without the glaze, but you can do it either way! 

Notes: I don’t flour my pans, I only butter them, but Kim recommended using flour. It’s your call. Mine came out of the pan just fine. The batter looks like it needs more moisture when you are mixing it up, but it cooks just fine. I did press mine down into the pan on the second batch, which made it a little less crumbly, but also less tall. I recommend a light press, just to keep all the batter together, since the first time one of the cakes split in half (it still tastes great though!)

Next up: What will I do with the leftover buttermilk and the rest of the apples? Don’t forget to check back next Monday to find out...and for another edition of “An Apple a Day”, which will be a feature each Monday in November.

Do you own a Bundt pan? What is your favorite thing to bake in the Fall?

The Blacker the Berry, The Sweeter the Juice

I went home for a few days and lucky me, the blackberries were ripe. So I decided to make what is one of the easiest and yummiest dishes to make in the summer, cobbler. Blackberries and cobbler are one of those things that really make me think of summer. My mom calls this "magic cobbler". Probably because it's super easy to make!

First, admire the nice ripe berries. Yum. 

Next, pick the berries. You will need 4-8 cups. 

Wash the berries. Nobody wants to eat those weird little hairs!

Magic Cobbler:

1 cube of butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup Bisquick

2 cups milk

4 cups fruit (this is also really good with peaches)

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a 9 x 13 pan, melt the cube of butter. 

Mix the sugar, Bisquick and milk together. It may be a little lumpy, but that’s okay. 

Pour the batter into the buttered pan. 

Pour the blackberries (or whatever fruit you want) into the batter.

Don't worry, they will sink a little as it cooks!

Bake 35 - 45 minutes until brown. 

Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

A couple of notes: I added about a half a cup of oatmeal to mine, which gave it a bit more robustness. I also added about 6 cups of fruit, which didn't make it too soggy or too tart. 

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite summer recipe to share?