Turkey Sausage Lasagna

I got this recipe from my Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook about 4 years ago.  The first time I made this lasagna it was so good that I swore I would never make a plain old ground beef lasagna again.  And honestly, I haven't.  This will definitely feed a crowd and is a perfect dish for a potluck dinner party.
Try it, I have a feeling you will enjoy it thoroughly :)

Turkey Sausage Lasagna


2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 yellow Onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pkg sweet Turkey Italian Sausage, remove casings
1 28 oz. can crushed Tomatoes in puree
1 6oz. can Tomato Paste
 1/4 cup chopped Parsley
1/2 cup Basil leaves, chopped
1 pkg Lasagna noodles
15 ounces Ricotta cheese
3-4 ounces creamy Goat cheese
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1 extra large Egg
1 lb. Mozzarella, sliced thin

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Heat olive oil in skillet and cook onions for 5 minutes until translucent
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more
4. Add sausage and cook over medium heat breaking it up into pieces until it is no longer pink.
5. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and 2 Tbsp of the parsley, basil and salt and pepper .
6. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until thickened.
7. Meanwhile, Fill large bowl of pan with hot tap water, add noodles and let them sit in the water for 20 minutes (until softened) then drain.
8. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, goat cheese, parmesan, egg and remaining parsley and a dash of salt and pepper and set aside.
9. To build lasagna, ladle some of the sauce onto 9x12x2 inch rectangular baking dish and spread evenly over the bottom
10. Then add layers as follows: half pasta, half mozzarella, half ricotta mixture and 1/3 sauce.
11. Repeat until assembled and cook for 30-45 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Chicken Diane

I finally found a gourmet meal recipe that does not involve a lot of time and ingredients.  It was super yummy!  It does call for some alcohol, brandy to be exact, and luckily you can go to your local liquor store and buy one of those mini bottles for around $1.25. While I did not eat it (not on my diet), my boys did.  They ate the whole thing and went back for more.  This recipe is perfect for 2 people, but if you want to make more, just double it.  Trust me, it will be well worth it!

Chicken Diane


1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and seasoned with salt and pepper.
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced shallots
1 tsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp brandy
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup half & half
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1. Heat oil in pan, add chicken and cook 6 minutes; flip, cover and cook 6 minutes more.
2. Remove chicken from pan to a small plate and tent with foil.
3. Melt butter in same pan and stir in shallots and garlic, cooking for 1 minute
4. Take pan off heat and add brandy to deglaze pan, scraping all of the browned bits off the bottom.
5. Return skillet to heat and boil brandy for 30 seconds
6. Whisk in Dijon and Worcestershire for 20 seconds
7. Take pan off heat and whisk in half & half and parsley
8. Return skillet to heat to slightly thicken sauce and season with salt and pepper
9. Return chicken to skillet and turn to coat in sauce
10. Remove chicken to a plate and top with sauce (I served it on top of whole wheat pasta)

Shrimp Fajitas, Guacamole and Vegetable tostada's

Since I am not a fan of any Mexican restaurants in our area, I have decided to make our own Cinco De Mayo feast today.  Reid has been helping me prep, or as he likes to tell me, "we can be a team mom" so here goes our recipes.  One thing to keep in mind, when buying refried beans always get the vegetarian kind.  They are the only ones with NO LARD, which is a must in my book. You can also use some cumin, smoked paprika or chili powder for seasoning, really it's just about what flavors you like.
 Also, try and grow your own herbs/tomatoes.  I will tell you that I will never buy herbs in a grocery store again!  There is nothing like fresh cilantro out of the garden, the taste is so much earthier...I love it!  Our tomatoes are still green, so maybe in another month they will be ready for picking.  I grow all of our herbs and tomatoes/peppers in large pots, you really don't need to plant them in your yard if you can not find enough space ( as was my problem).

Guacamole
3 ripe Avocado's
1 ripe tomato
1/4 white onion
kosher salt
1/4 lime
fresh cilantro (torn in pieces)

All I do here is pit the avocado's, scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork until smooth.
Add diced tomatoes and white onion and season to taste with salt, cilantro and a a squeeze of lime.
It doesn't get any easier than this!

Vegetable Tostada's


1 can Vegetarian refried beans
1 pkg tostada shells
1 1/2 white onion sliced thin
1/2  green bell pepper sliced thin
1/2 pkg mushrooms sliced thin
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
fresh cilantro (torn in pieces)

1. Bake tostada shells according to pkg.
2. Saute onions, bell pepper and mushrooms until tender, 5-6 min. You can add some cumin, chili powder, or smoked paprika with some kosher salt to add some mexican flavors.
3. Layer the tostadas with beans, onions, peppers, mushrooms and cheese
4. Put back in oven until cheese melts
5. Top with pico de gallo and guacamole and cilantro.

Shrimp Fajitas  (makes 6 fajitas)

1 lb shrimp

1 tbsp olive oil

6 flour tortillas

1/2 white onion sliced thin

1/2  green bell pepper sliced thin

1/2 pkg mushrooms sliced thin

kosher salt

pepper

fresh cilantro (torn in pieces)

1. Peel shrimp and toss with olive oil, pepper and kosher salt. Or you can use some cumin and smoked paprika.
2. Roast shrimp in oven for 6 min. at 400 degrees
3. Let shrimp cool and saute all vegetables until tender, 5-6 min.
4. Heat up tortillas in a non stick skillet over low heat.
5. Assemble tortillas as you like them and top with pico de gallo, cilantro and guacamole.

Iced Sugar Cookies

Back  around Christmas time William Sonoma had their annual sale and all of their Star Wars items were marked down.  Now,  knowing how much my son loves Star Wars and how much I love a bargain, I decided to get the cookie cutter set.  Now spring forward to Reid's 4th birthday, and he wants me to make the Star Wars cookies, but not just anyway...the way that the William Sonoma professionals make and icing them.  So, we set out today to Michael's to get our icing colors and meringue powder (I'll explain that one later).  All I can say now, is that this should be interesting.  I am going to try my best, but what I know now is that I have a new found respect for pastry chefs and professional cake/cookie decorators. I will post pictures after they are all complete.

 Below is a wonderful recipe that I used at Christmas time to make cut out sugar cookies (thanks to Martha Stewart) and royal icing.  I will be using it again for these cookies and also for some Easter cookies. I will tell you that I make the dough a day in advance and keep it in the fridge, then we cut out cookies and bake them the next day.

Sugar Cookies

4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk to combine flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
2. In another bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium high until pale and fluffy
3. Add eggs and vanilla and reduce speed to low.
4. Gradually mix in flour mixture.
5. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and chill up to 1 hour or 1 day.
6. When ready to cut and bake, bake at 325 for 10 minutes.

Royal Icing

4 cups confectioners' sugar

5 Tbsp Meringue powder (I use this instead of actual egg whites, you can buy it at Michael's)

Water as needed to thin icing or lemon juice

1. With an electric mixer on low beat all ingredients until smooth, about 7 minutes.
2. If icing is to thick add water or I also use a little lemon juice to add some flavor.
3. If icing is too thin, add more sugar.
4. Use immediately or store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Pomodoro Salad & Simmered Italian Rice

These are 2 new side dishes we made with dinner last night.  They were delicious!  I paired them with some baked Salmon and was surprised how well it went together.  I am always looking for new side dishes, especially since my son will not eat mac & cheese or mashed/baked potatoes.  The Pomodoro salad
recipe comes form a wonderful cooking show I DVR everyday called "Mad Hungry" on the Hallmark channel.  The chef, Lucinda Scala Quinn has some great recipes.  Look her up on the web or buy her cookbook of the same name, it is a good addition to my library.  The rice recipe came from a Swanson chicken broth recipe ad in a magazine that my mom tore out and brought to me.

Pomodoro Salad

4 fresh, ripe tomatoes
1 Tsp coarse salt
1 small red onion sliced thinly
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 tsp fresh thyme or oregano
3 Tbsp olive oil

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.   Drop the tomatoes in and boil for 10-15 seconds
2. Remove and immediately put the tomatoes in a bowl of ice water, this will loosen the skins for easy removal.
3. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and slice into thin wedges.
4. Place in a medium size bowl and add salt and mix
5. Add onion, parsley, garlic, basil, thyme or oregano and olive oil
6. Stir until well combined
7. Chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

Simmered Italian Rice

1 3/4 cups Chicken broth

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3/4 cups uncooked long grain white rice (we used brown rice)

1 cup fresh chopped spinach

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1. Heat broth and Italian seasoning to a boil
2. Stir in rice and spinach, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 min or until rice is tender.
3. Since we used brown rice it took longer and we did have to add more broth.
4. Once rice was cooked we boiled the excess liquid off.
5. Add parmesan and stir until blended

Chicken with white beans and tomatoes

When I went home last week my Mom made this one day and it was so good I ate it for lunch and dinner.  It came from the January 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine.
It is super easy and uses fresh herbs (which I love!).  I am making this for dinner tonight after I pick up my chicken from the farmers market today. Try it one night this week for dinner and let me know what you think.

Chicken with white beans and tomatoes

2 15.5oz canned cannellini beans
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh oregano
2-4 cloves garlic smashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
2 bone in, skin on chicken breasts

1. Heat ove to 425
2. In a large baking dish add rinsed beans, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, garlic, 1 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Toss together.
3. Pat chicken dry and place on top of bean mixture skin side up.  
4. Rub with remaining oil and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
5. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 35-45 minutes.

Oven Fried Chicken

I found this recipe in one of my books filled with recipes that I have either ripped out of magazines or found online somewhere. This particular one came from an old Parade magazine clipping.  Funny,  I have hundreds of old recipes that I always thought looked good but never cooked them.  Well, I finally cooked this one and it  is now my new favorite!  You must try it...it is easy, quick and delicious.  We paired it with a cucumber salad and baked sweet potatoes.

Oven Fried Chicken

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders - washed and patted dry
1/4 cup Smart Balance lite melted
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan
2 tbsp dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 500
2. Mix melted margarine, Dijon mustard and garlic in a bowl
3. Add chicken to bowl and toss around until fully coated on both sides
4. In a separate bowl combine Panko, Parmesan and parsley
5. Now, coat only one side of the chicken in the crumb mixture.
6. Place on a baking sheet or pan crumb side facing up and bake for 15 minutes.
7. If you have thicker pieces of chicken and they are browning on the outside but not fully cooked on the inside, after the 15 minutes turn oven down to 400 and check every 10 minutes until cooked.