Lasagna Roll Ups

I wanted to make lasagna but it takes so long. So, I decided I would make some lasagna roll ups. They should be faster, right? I'm not quite sure if they were any faster but they were just as good. I asked my daughter if she would freeze a couple since they would make a great frozen lunch. She told me that there will be none left. She was going to finish the rest for lunch tomorrow. I also prepared supper at the same time as this meal which I will show you on the next post. I didn't want the leftover filling to be wasted and I needed a quick weekday meal especially after recovering from the lost daylight savings hour. To be able to make two meals from one is the best thing ever.

Lasagna Roll Ups
15 lasagna noodles
1 (15 oz) container of part skim milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
3 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
8 cups of spaghetti sauce
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 links of sweet Italian sausage
Bechamel Sauce:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups milk (I used skim)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Directions:

1. Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water. Cook until al dente. 
2. Drain the hot water and rinse with cold water. Allow the cooked pasta to sit in cold water until ready to use.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
5. Add the Italian sausage with casings to the skillet and brown for about 5 minutes.
6. Add 3 cups of spaghetti sauces to the browned sausage and cook for about 3 minutes. Set aside.
7. To make the bechamel sauce: in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
8. Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk for 3 minutes.
9. To the flour mixture add the milk and whisk. Simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes until it thickens.
10. Whisk in the salt and pepper to the flour mixture.
11. To assemble: in a clean surface, lay a lasagna noodle flat.
12. On top of the lasagna noodle cover with the ricotta cheese mixture.
13. Top the ricotta cheese mixture with the sausage mixture.
14. Top the sausage mixture with the bechamel sauce. (See above photo.)
15. In a baking dish, add 1 cup of spaghetti sauce.
16. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
17. Starting from one end, roll the lasagna noodle up to the other end. Don't worry if some of the filling falls out since you can just place it on the next noodle. 
18. Add the noodles to the baking dish with the open side facing down and up. ( See above photo.)
19. Add additional filling to the center of the noodle if needed.
20. Continue the noodle assembly until all the noodles are used.
21. Top the noodles with the remaining cheese.
22. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes and the cheese is golden brown. 
23. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
24. To the remaining Italian sausage spaghetti sauce, combine the remaining spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese filling, and bechamel sauce. Mix well and set aside to assemble Lasagna french bread pizzas.   

Inspired by Giada De Laurentis. 

One year ago.......................I made White Cupcakes.

Did you already know........
-The majority of the U.S and Canada observe daylight savings time.
-Benjamin Franklin is credited for the concept of daylight savings time but Germany was the first to enact it.
-Near the equator, the length of day varies little making daylight savings time unnecessary.

Peanut butter Nutella Oatmeal

I am always surprised with the request my children make. My oldest daughter woke up and wanted oatmeal. Oatmeal? No one ever asks for oatmeal. Waffles, eggs, or pizza are the most popular request. My favorite is cereal. I'm still trying to make it for supper but no takers. Well, my two youngest children said they don't like oatmeal. My oldest likes instant only. I haven't purchased instant for years since no one ate it. I told my oldest that I only had the old fashion kind. She informed me that it was too much work. So, I decided to make her oatmeal. I saw this great recipe but I changed it up since I didn't have a lot of strawberries left. Strawberries somehow disappear in my house. After I made this oatmeal, my two youngest children loved it. My oldest daughter said that she just wanted plain. I can't please everyone but it is nice to know that I can serve oatmeal more often.

Peanut Butter Nutella Oatmeal
3 cups milk (I used skim)
1 cup water
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups old fashion oats
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and water. Bring to a simmer an then reduce to medium-low. Stir often to make sure the milk doesn't scorch.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the oats to the skillet and toast for about 2 minutes.
Stir in the toasted oats into the heated milk. Allow to simmer gently until the mixture is thick. It will take about 20 minutes. 
Stir in the salt and brown sugar. Allow the oatmeal to continue to simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed and the oatmeal is creamy.
Stir in the peanut butter and Nutella.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.

One year ago..............................I made the very cool Agent P sandwich.

Did you already know................
-Quaker Old Fashion Oats are whole oats which have been rolled to flatten them into flakes.
-Quick Quaker Oats are Old Fashion Oats which have been cut into smaller pieces.
-Steel Oats are whole oats which have been cut into thirds.

Chicken Cutlets

During the week, it is so crazy. I try to plan ahead for the week. Some days, I am successful. Sometimes, I try to talk my husband and oldest daughter to cook. Normally, I don't have any takers. I also try to convince the family that cereal makes a great supper but they don't believe me. Don't you think cereal makes a great supper? Well, I will say these chicken cutlets are wonderful. They are quick. They are tender and flavorful. My husband thought they tasted lemony. Oh, these are so good. 

 Chicken Cutlets with Herb Butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 chicken breast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup white wine
2 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
3 Tbsp parsley

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken breast horizontally in half.
2. Pound the chicken to a thin even length.
3. On a plate, add the flour.
4. In a large skillet, heat half the oil over medium high heat. 
5. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
6. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess flour.
7. Add the chicken carefully to the skillet and brown the chicken for about 3 minutes per a side or until the chicken is cooked through. Add additional oil if needed.
8. Remove the chicken and place on a plate.
9. To the skillet, add the wine and whisk.
10. Boil the liquid for about 4 minutes of the liquid has reduced by half.
11. Add the chicken and flip to coat.
12. Remove the skillet from heat and add the butter and parsley. 
13. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food.

One year ago...........................I made Peanut Butter Cookies.

Did you already know..............
-Pounding the chicken will make it cook evenly.
-Pounding the chicken also tenderizes the chicken.
-Use a can, a bottom of a skillet, or the flat side of a mallet to pound the chicken.

Macaroni and Cheese

To save time and hassle, I pick out my children's clothes for the week. I line them up on top of their dresser. Then they just have to put it on and head to school. My youngest daughter doesn't always like my combination so she will switch it. My son just doesn't think about it. Well, I hadn't realized but I had inadvertently placed his sister's pants in his pile. He wore her pants all day to school. When I arrived home from work, I noticed the hearts on the jean's pocket. So I asked, "Why are you wearing your sisters pants?" He took them off looked at them and put them back on. Then he replied, "Because you gave them to me to wear." True it was my fault. However,  I had to ask him, "After knowing that you are wearing your sister's pants, why are you continuing to wear them?" "Because they look good on me," my son replied. He looked like a male country singer in tight jeans. I will admit that his shirt did cover up the hearts on the pockets. Every since, I have been careful on sorting the kids clothes. 

Macaroni and Cheese
12 oz. package of macaroni noodels
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk (I used skim.)
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups Fontina, grated
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Grease a 13x9 glass baking dish with butter. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the Fontina, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. Set aside. 
In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil before adding the noodles. Cook the noodles for about 5 minutes so it is still al dente. 
In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream, milk, flour, salt, and pepper.
Stir in half of the cheese mixture to the milk mixture.
Drain the noodles and add the hot noodles to the milk mixture. Toss to coat.
Transfer the noodles to the baking dish. 
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the noodles.
Bake the macaroni and cheese for about 20 to 25 minutes. The cheese should be melted and browned on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis.

One year ago........................I made Tiramisu with homemade Ladyfingers.

Did you already know..........
-Giada De Laurentiis was born in Rome, Italy.
-She is the granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis.
-After receiving her anthropology degree at UCLA, Giada De Laurentiis attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Mexican Pizza

My son will not let his older sisters kiss him. He will accept kisses from his Dad. He will let me kiss him. He will even reluctantly kiss me good bye in front of his friends at school. Noted, I did say reluctantly. When I made this Mexican pizza, his sister shared some of her pizza with him. He really liked it a lot. He still wouldn't kiss her. Don't worry. His sister's will kiss his cheek after he goes to sleep. Then they tell him the next day.

Mexican Pizza
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 (15 oz) can refried beans
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
8 (9 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
2 green onions, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup black olives, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Coat two pie pans with cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a skillet, brown the meat over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic cloves to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Season the meat with the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
6. Add the 1/2 cup water and combine well. Cook for 2 minutes.
7. Place a tortilla in the middle of the pie pan. Cover the tortilla with refried beans.
8. Spread 1/4 of the seasoned meat over the tortilla.
9. Top the seasoned meat with a little cheese.
10. Cover the cheese and seasoned meat with another tortilla.
11. Bake the Mexican pizza for 10 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and top the tortilla with your desired toppings: additional cheese, salsa, tomatoes, green onions, and olives. 
13. Bake the Mexican pizza for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Recipe adapted from Trader Joe's Recipes.

One year ago..........................I made Banana Cupcakes.

Did you already know............
-The Trader Joe stores began as Pronto Markets in 1958.
-In 1968, Pronto Markets changed their name to Trader Joe's.
-Trader Joe's are named after the founder Joe Coulombe.