Ravioli Lasagna

What a delicious recipe! Found this from Rachel Ray & it feeds a ton of people!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp basil
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp allspice
salt & pepper
1 cup red wine
6 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp bay leaves
1/2 cup carrot, grated
1/2 cup onion, diced
3/4 pound, ground turkey
3/4 pound, ground beef
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
16 oz. provolone cheese, shredded (I used slices)
3 large bags of frozen cheese raviolis


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cook raviolis according to package directions. Be sure to add salt & separate the raviolis after you drain them so that they don't stick together.
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan cook turkey & beef with olive oil. 
Rachel Ray recommends that you brown the meat to extra crispy to give it extra flavor and I would support her advice.
Add onion, carrots, garlic, & bay leaves.
Cook for about 5 minutes. 
Season with salt, black pepper, and allspice.
Add Worcestershire sauce & beef broth.
Bring to a boil.
Add tomatoes & tomato sauce.
Cook for 15 minutes (give or take) until sauce thickens. 
Add parsley & basil then remove from heat shortly after.
In a baking dish add 1 cup of the meat sauce.
Then line with 1 layer of the raviolis.
Repeat two more times, then top with cheese and bread crumbs (optional).


What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Homemade Italian Bread Wedges With Dipping Oil

August's Cooking Club theme was herbs. I used AllRecipes.com ingredients search to find a starch side dish recipe. I came across these flatbread wedges. It was quite a challenge since I've never made bread before, but they turned out great. 


I love the bread they give you at Macaroni Grill & dipping it in the olive oil so I wanted to mix in spices/herbs with my olive oil to create the same idea. I don't have an herb garden and I'm not very good at keeping my herbs fresh, but Darrenkamp's has these great mini herb packets that are sometimes on sale for 99 cents that are perfect for me. I used them to create both the bread & olive oil recipe. 

DIPPING OIL RECIPE:
Mix a few sprigs/leaves of basil, thyme, rosemary, & oregano in an empty jar or olive oil container/dispenser. Pour in about 1 or 2 cups of virgin olive oil and let sit for 2 to 3 days.  


BREAD RECIPE:

Ingredients:
3 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
3+ cups whole wheat flour (you can use regular flour or bread flour but this is all I have)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup grated fresh mozzarella cheese






Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
Pour yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water and let it dissolve.
Add the sugar and let stand for a few minutes.
Add the salt, oil, remaining water, and at least 2 cups of flour.
Mix until smooth.
Stir in additional flour until dough is soft and not too sticky.
Place onto floured surface and kneed for about 8 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl and turn so all surfaces of the dough get greased.
Cover the bowl.
Let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
Take out and place on floured surface.
Pat dough flat.
Let rest for 5 minutes. 
Press into a greased 14 x 9 in pan or cookie sheet.
Cover with garlic powder, oregano, thyme, pepper, & cheese.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Mini Chicken Parmesan

I was in the mood to make something Italian for my small group. I know that I enjoy making Chicken Parm, but I needed something that would be easier to make for 14 people. So I wanted something "smaller" or really just simpler. I started doing some research online. I found some really creative ideas out there (google: mini chicken parm) but then finally settled on making Miniature Chicken Parmesans with already cooked chicken nuggets. It was listed as a Fun For Kids recipe but I decided it would be perfect for a group of adults too. It was delicious! Chicken nuggets were on sale @ Darrenkamps so I bought two big bags. Just make sure you have plenty of cheese & sauce and you are good to go. My small group always pitches in and brings stuff to share. We served with a side of multi-colored rotini, plenty of sauces to choose from, garlic bread, & a delicious salad with avocado slices. Then ended the night with an Oreo Torte! YUM!



Here is a recipe that will serve about 8 people.



Ingredients:
1 large bag of frozen chicken nuggets.
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups of pasta sauce (may need additional for pasta)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
pasta, any kind
salt & pepper, if desired


Directions:
Preheat oven and cook nuggets according to directions. (remember to flip halfway through)
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Stir in onion & garlic and cook until tender. 
Stir in pasta sauce, parsley, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to box directions.
Mix parmesan & mozzarella together in a medium bowl.
Top each nugget with a spoonful of pasta sauce.
Spring with cheese mixture.
Return to oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted. 
Serve with cooked pasta. Use excess sauce on pasta.

Evelyn is still too young to enjoy mini chicken parm, but some day she will enjoy the food that her Auntie Jilly cooks her  (ok, so i'm not really her Aunt)

Italian Hoagie Dip

OH MY GOSH THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!

Special thanks to my friends Jess & Drew for introducing this to me, I think it might have changed my life. Amazing Amazing.


Our friend Mike turned 30 this weekend and I decided to bring this to his birthday party.


I'll warn you, this dip is addicting. It tastes JUST like your are eating an Italian Sub, it's kind of cool.



Ingredients:
1/2 lb hot ham capicola, thinly sliced
1/2 lb genoa salami, thinly sliced
1/3 lb pepperoni slices
1/2 lb white american cheese, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp italian seasoning
1 cup reduced fat mayo
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup diced celery (optional, I had some already chopped in my fridge)
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
Lay out meats & cheese on a large cutting board.
Cut up all the meat and cheese in one direction, then do it again in the opposite direction (see pictures)
Place in large bowl and mix in onion, italian seasoning, mayo, and salt & pepper.
Put in fridge to keep cool.
Cut up lettuce & tomato and add to bowl right before serving.
Serve with slices of french baquete, crusty bread, or flip side pretzel crackers (see pictures)
Add additional italian seasoning or salt & pepper, if desired.


What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Eggplant & Zucchini Lasagna

I've been on a big lasagna kick lately. But it's hard to cut out the fat & calories. So instead of using any meat I've been trying different vegetables out and was excited when I realized I could give eggplant a try. I had two eggplants and three zucchinis. You don't need that many, but I put aside some of the leftover vegetables to eat as a snack. You might want to use less vegetables. Also, I keep the skins on the vegetables to save time, but you can feel free to peel the eggplant & zucchini and cut into smaller pieces.



To make this recipe healthier I use Light Ragu instead of another type of pasta/tomato sauce. I also use fat free cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I know my true Italian friends are gasping everywhere, but sometimes these sacrifices need to be made. This was a big dish and I was able to make 3 lasagna layers because I had so many veggies! I think this recipe could use some improvement so I'm open to any suggestions. It's easy to make it taste better by adding more cheese, but I'm trying to avoid that. For starters, I only used 1 jar of Light Ragu. I would recommend using maybe two. I also like making lasagna with diced tomatoes. You can use fresh tomatoes or diced tomatoes from a can. I would recommend doing that for this recipe even though I didn't. Also try using Parmesan cheese on the top layer.


When I had dinner with my in-laws this weekend I needed to have enough food to feed the 7 of us. I didn't think one lasagna was enough. So I brought this along with the taco lasagna. 

Ingredients:
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant, chopped
2 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups spaghetti sauce (I used light ragu)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup water
2 cups fat free cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to box directions.Chop eggplant, onions, & zucchini.
Heat oil in large saucepan and add vegetables. 
Saute until tender.
Stir in pasta sauce, water, and parsley.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain noodles, separate and place on parchment paper to avoid sticking together. 
Arrange 3 pasta pieces on bottom of greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
Spread 1/2 cottage cheese over noodles. 
Spread 1/3 sauce mixture over cheese.

Top with 3 more noodles.
Repeat.
Top with final 3 noodles. 
Spread mozzarella cheese & parmesan cheese on the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. 
Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
 
I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!

Spinach Lasagna

You can really take the fat/calories out of lasagna by switching up your ingredients. Try cottage cheese instead of ricotta (I know, I know real Italians are cussing at me everywhere), use vegetables instead of meat, cut down on the cheese, use whole wheat pasta, try fresh tomatoes, and use low fat cheeses. This recipe calls for fat-free cream cheese rather than doing other types of cheese. I thought that was something different so I gave it a try. It turned out really well. When some of the girls came over to make cake pops with me we I had this for dinner. 


This was inspired by the Tomato-Basil Lasagna with Prosciutto recipe that I found here. But I made it differently and then adapted it some more so I could freeze it. See directions below and how to cook after freezing it for up to 2 months. 


Ingredients:
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorina romano cheese
2.5 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 large egg
1 jar of low fat pasta sauce (I used Ragu)
cooking spray
12 lasagna noodles (I use Ronzoni Healthy Harvest)
1 to 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 packages of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained, dried out, and mashed with a fork. 
1/2 cup of reduced fat parmesan cheese


Directions:
Cook lasagna noodles according to box instructions. Separate on wax paper when finished cooking and draining. 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix garlic and cottage cheese together.
Make sure cream cheese is soft and at room temperature. Use microwave if needed.
Mix in cream cheese, pecorina romano, basil, pepper, and egg. Mix well. 
Spread 1/2 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a greased/sprayed 13x9 baking dish. 
Arrange 3 noodles on the bottom. 
On top of the noodles spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. 
Top with 1/3 of the spinach mixture.
Top with 1/2 cup of pasta sauce.
Repeat with noodles, cheese, spinach, & pasta sauce. 
Repeat with noodles, cheese, spinach, then noodles again. 
Pour remaining pasta sauce over noodles. 
Top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. 
Bake in oven, covered, for 45 minutes. Bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered.


Or...if you want to freeze it, don't bake it now. Cover it with foil, plastic wrap, or casserole dish lid. Place in freezer for up to 2 months. 


The night before defrost in the fridge. Take it out 30 minutes before you are ready to cook. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a little bit of water in the bottom of the dish so that noodles don't dry out. But not too much water. Cook in oven for about an hour and a half, covered. Optional-top with additional mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. 





What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Slow Cooker Puffy Pizza

I stole this from A Year of Slow Cooking Blog. I haven't really mastered this recipe yet. I had a lot of people over and didn't have enough for everyone (we wound up ordering pizza too). I could of doubled the recipe and made it in my larger crock pot, but I don't know about the cooking times. I cooked on high for 4 hours. You may need to experiment and watch it to see if it needs longer or less than that. My edges came out a little too burnt. I would have wanted to make it more puffy and less meaty. But I don't know how to time that so that the meat doesn't get too burnt and the water/flour/milk/egg mix cooks enough.  Feel free to try this recipe and give me some pointers. It's really good and you can add more vegetables like onions & peppers (or any other pizza topping you enjoy). Feel free to check out the original recipe too. 

Also, you can just go to the store and pick up Spaghetti Mix and use that instead of all the seasonings. But I did what was recommended and just made it. (That's really just cause I couldn't find the Spaghetti Mix at the grocery store.) All the ingredients to the right is what i needed to make the Spaghetti Mix So that is up to you to decide. I also didn't have green pepper flakes so I couldn't use those as well. 



Ingredients:
3/4 pound extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
20-30 turkey pepperoni slices
1/2 cup sliced olives
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon green pepper flakes (if you have them)
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown beef, cook onion & garlic.
In a small bowl mix together kosher salt through italian seasoning.
Pour over beef mixture.
Add oregano, tomato sauce, and water.
Stir over low heat until bubbles appear. Remove from heat and place in 4 quart slow cooker.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, milk, eggs, and cheese. Pour evenly over beef mixture.
Top with pepperoni and olives.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Cooking time may vary.
Look for it to puff up and pull away from sides.





What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Slow Cooker Pizza

I love Slow Cooker Saturdays! (Except when I forgot to defrost the ground beef) I try to freeze stuff more to prevent food from spoiling, but it always backfires on me because I forget to take out the food in time. Oh well. I still made it work. I prepared the recipe in the morning and let it sit in the fridge right there in the crock-pot. Then went to work to get some things done. My husband came home with the Christmas tree around 1 and all he had to do was plug in the crock pot and turn it on. It was perfect & easy. Dinner was ready when I walked in the door @ 6PM.  This is a great recipe because it uses so few ingredients. It takes a little time to prepare, especially when you have to cook frozen ground beef in your skillet while cooking the pasta. But it was great and really does look like slow cooker pizza! 

Thoughts? What could I add to improve this recipe? I stole this from AllRecipes.com and didn't make much changes. I know it could use more veggies! What do you think?




Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds of extra lean ground beef
• 8 oz of pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
• 1.5 or 2 15 oz cans of pizza sauce
• 1 19 oz can of cream of tomato soup (I used creamy tomato basil soup from Progresso)
• 1 package of turkey pepperoni, about 30 slices.
• 1 - 2 cups of part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Italian Seasoning

Directions:
1. Boil salted water and cook pasta according to box directions.
2. Brown ground beef in skillet and drain, if necessary.
3. In medium sized slow cooker alternate layers of ingredients: Ground Beef, Italian Seasoning, Pasta, Cheese, Soup, Sauce, Pepperoni Slices. You should be able to make 3 layers. 

4. Top with additional cheese or ingredients, if desired.

5. Cook on low for 4 hours.


I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!

Two-Cheese Sausage Pizza

 Another great recipe inspired by my Freezers Pleasers book! I used a lot of cheese, probably way more than the recipe called for. Also, feel free to use other veggies like broccoli or spinach. This was yum! Did I mention it was quick??? (even better as leftovers the next day)


Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (already made, or you can by the frozen kind that you shape yourself)
• 3/4 to 1 pound hot italian sausage, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 can of pizza sauce
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon of pizza seasoning (or try italian seasoning, red pepper, or garlic salt)
• Olive oil or olive oil spray

Directions:
   1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   2. Coat dough with olive oil spray
   3. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper.




   4. Spread pizza sauce over crust. 


   5. Top with sausage mixture.


   6. Cover with mozzarella cheese, then cheddar cheese.




   7. Bake on pizza stone for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.


I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!