Really fast and easy do ahead Lasagna evolution!!

When I stop and think about it the older I get the more inclined I am to find ways to make things ahead.  While I won't compromise on quality or taste and end result if I can make it easier on me by making it ahead or simplified that is always my course.  This was prepared Friday evening in anticipation of Saturday night supper with an unknown quantity of people which turned out to have been 9.

My husband had a thing for good old Ragu spaghetti sauce.  It is the only sauce he has ever liked in the 37 years we have been married.  So I have long ago given up my preference for my Mother's home made sauce and use the Ragu.  I have found also long ago that I get an excellent result by not cooking the lasagna noodles but rather assembling the dish using uncooked pasta the night before and letting it sit, covered in the refrigerator overnight.  The pasta absorbs the excess juices and flavors and bakes to the perfect doneness when the final cooking takes place.

So here is my method and recipe:

1 pound of bulk sweet Italian sausage, browned with
1 pound of ground round
1/2 box of flat lasagna noodles
1 large jar Ragu spaghetti meat flavored sauce
1 pound of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
1 pound of ricotta cheese
1 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper

I use a 12" x 15" glass baking dish but I have made it in a 9x13.  It bakes faster and does not bubble over if you use the larger dish.  Grease the dish and set it aside.  Brown the meats and season with half of the salt and pepper.

This is the lasagna before I covered it to be refrigerated overnight.

Spread about 1/3 C. of the plain sauce over the bottom of the prepared pan then make a layer of the noodles.  Add the remaining sauce to the meat adding the Italian seasoning and blending together well.

Using a medium sized bowl stir together the ricotta, 1 C. of the Parmesan, the egg, nutmeg, and rest of the salt and pepper.

Top the noodles with 1/2 the ricotta mixture then 1/2 the meat sauce and then tear the mozzarella over it all evenly.  Start again with a layer of noodles. top with ricotta then meat sauce, again tear the mozzarella and finnish with a sprinkle of the reserved Parmesan cheese.  Cover with plastic wrap and/or foil and refrigerate all day or overnight or freeze until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and bake approx. an hour.  If it is browning too quickly tent with foil.  Be sure it is nice and bubbly all the way around to ensure it has baked through.  Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing for ease of serving.

Note that I use only 2 layers of noodles and use more meat than most recipes.  That is our families lasagna evolution.

Asian Cabbage Slaw, Orzo with Sugar Snap Peas, Grilled Chicken, & Cake

We have two daughter-in-laws and they are both named Julie.  We call them Julie 1 and Julie 2, not based on age but based on the length of time in the family.  AND YES!!!! We are looking for a Julie for our third son...ha ha!!!

Julie 2 celebrated her birthday this weekend so today was another family dinner as  requested by the person celebrating the birthday.  She asked for grilled marinated skinless boneless chicken breasts, Asian slaw, and orzo with sugar snap peas.  She also requested a cake I have already written out for you on Emily's birthday that recipe is posted in mid June.  The chocolate, chocolate chip cake with ganache for frosting....mmmmmm.

Brian grilled the chicken to perfection and I had Randy the butcher run the chicken breasts through the meat machine they use on the cube steaks and then marinaded half of them in garlic butter and the other half in teriyaki sauce.  They were very moist, tender and full of flavor!!

The Asian Slaw I have made for many years and is quite close to a Norwegian Slaw I have also made with the only difference being how the cabbage was cut!!  The recipe is great to pack for a summer gathering as it uses no mayo and you don't have to worry over spoilage.  It keeps well and is good the next day should any be left.



ASIAN SLAW
3 pkg. of cabbage cut for slaw or 2 heads of cabbage you shred yourself (about 3 pounds)
1 bunch green onions sliced including tops
1 pkg. chicken Ramen noodles
1/2 C. slivered almonds
1/4 C. sesame seeds
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. vinegar
1/4 C. oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper

Open the ramen noodles and remove the flavor pack and set aside.  Place the noodles in a heavy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin until well crumbled.  Set the noodles aside.

Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat and dry toast the sesame seeds, watching them very closely as not to burn.  Immediately pour them into a waiting cold plate when toasted.  Then toast the almonds in the same hot pan removing them quickly when golden brown as not to scorch them.
Set these both aside for now.

Combine in a small saucepan the sugar, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and the seasoning packet ingredients from the ramen noodles.  Bring to a boil stirring to dissolve all of the ingredients.  Remove from the heat and cool in a jar.  I often do this a day ahead and just leave it sitting on the counter overnight.  I also often toast the nuts and seeds ahead and break up the noodles then about an hour before serving time I put it together by just combining everything in a very large bowl and stirring well.

If you don't need this much slaw you can certainly cut the recipe in half by only using half the crushed noodles and so forth.  If you like to cut the cabbage yourself you can also throw in some red cabbage and shredded carrots as I have many times for a colorful and flavorful dish.

ORZO and SUGAR SNAP PEAS

1 lb. uncooked orzo
1 pkg. 8oz. fresh sugar snap peas
Zest of 1 fresh lemon
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
5 T. butter
3/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese (save back 1/4 C. to sprinkle on top of completed dish)
1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and drain the sugar snap peas and cut off the ends.  Then slice them twice from end to end much like the way you French cut green beans.  Set these aside.  Brush the mushrooms with a soft brush to remove any grit and slice them.  Set them aside too.  Zest and juice the lemon and grate the cheese.

Now this goes really quickly and you will ready to serve.

Bring a medium kettle of water to boil and salt it well.  Cook the orzo according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and immediately put the butter back into the bottom of the hot pan and add the peas and then the hot drained orzo, the zest, lemon juice and 1/2 C. grated cheese.  If you are using mushrooms they go in now too. Stir all together well.  Add salt and pepper and turn onto a serving dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve.

Both Julies love this one.  I hope you will too.

Cookie Crisp

This has proven to be a very busy Labor Day weekend with our children and grandchildren visiting.  I decided to do everything the easiest way I could as to spend more time with everyone visiting and not so much time working away in the kitchen.

I really didn't plan ahead much and just "went with it" more than usual.   Saturday I baked an especially quick and easy desert.  It is a combination of store bought pie filling with additional fresh or frozen fruit added plus a little jazz up with a bit of extra butter, sugar, and cinnamon.  Basically I used a can of apple pie filling and added a couple of peeled and sliced cooking apples plus an additional tablespoon of butter, three tablespoons of sugar(to taste), and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

The next step is to use a roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough and slice it about a scant quarter inch thick.  Top the fruit with the cookie slices and sprinkle the cookies with demura or raw sugar.  I used individual stoneware baking dishes and doubled the recipe using 2 cans of pie filling, 4 apples and one roll of cookie dough and yielded twelve deserts.

I baked them 22 minutes at 350 degrees F.  It is quite nice to top with whipped cream or ice cream.

I first thought this up when my husband headed up the local cowboy shooters at our local gun club and I often prepared lunches for 75 hungry cowboy shooters!!  So if you have a crowd to feed you can use big disposable aluminum pans and mix up big batches.  I just bake them until the  fruit is bubbling around the edges and the cookies are brown,  You can use any fruit you like and I always added frozen fruit for the cowboy shoots and topped it with a ready made whipped topping from the freezer section of the grocery.  I just thought I would share some of my tips for cooking for a crowd.