Lazy Lasagna

Turkey Lasagna
adapted from Barefoot Contessa

I was not a lasagna fan until I tasted this recipe. Everything Ina Garten makes is delicious and when I first saw this episode on the Food Network for Turkey lasagna I knew it was going to be fabulous. The first time or two I made this recipe I actually used turkey sausage, a combination of mild and hot. One day I was at Central Market and instead chose half hot pork sausage and half mild pork sausage and it really took this recipe to the next level. But go ahead and use the turkey so you can pretend likes it healthy. I also do use lower fat cheeses in the recipe when available.

This is a great make ahead dish that can be stored in the freezer. I’m sure you noticed the crude presentation of a foil baking dish in the photo. I make two of these every year for our annual Labor Day trip. I use the foil pans for the trip so we don’t have to wash dishes and I don’t have to worry about anything breaking during transport. This year we were expecting more people so I had made 3 but some people had to drop out at the last minute so I left the third lasagna in the freezer to be enjoyed at some unknown date in the future. Well that date has arrived. See it’s my birthday and December is always a busy time of year, and we are leaving to vacation in Belize. So in addition to being out of town every weekend this month I just don’t have the time for a proper b-day celebration. But since several friends have inquired and insisted I do something to mark the occasion my compromise was to have a causal low-key girls dinner and thaw out that lasagna. Everyone else was responsible for vino, salad, and dessert (and my wonderful husband washed the dishes). One friend said it wasn't right hat I was making my own dinner, but the work was done back in August, I just threw it in the oven.

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue
Southern Living: November 2010

This delicious pie is on the cover of the Southern Living Thanksgiving issue and has the look of perfection. Mine of course does not look as fabulous since I don’t have a food stager or professional photographer on standby. Many years ago at a Thanksgiving buffet I grabbed a slice of sweet potato pie by mistake thinking it was pumpkin—they are both orange. I was disappointed when I was told it was sweet potato, but reluctantly tasted it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. This pie was absolutely delicious and exceeded the pie in my memory.

Also last night while eating Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner I realized this pie can double a side or dessert since its sweet potato!

I started off this year’s holiday season with our new tradition of a broken oven (it has broken 3 years in a row during the holidays). Fortunately the part was available and it was repaired on Tuesday allowing me plenty of time to bake my dessert to take to Scott’s family Thanksgiving.

There were several great things about this pie recipe. I was able to bake the sweet potatoes for the filling on Tuesday night, use a Pillsbury pie crust and assemble and bake the pie on Wednesday, and then prepare the meringue on Thursday morning. For the sweet potatoes, I poked them with a fork, wrapped them in foil and baked them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour and half and then scooped out the filling. I absolutely detest making a pie crust from scratch--I feel like it’s a lot of unnecessary work for something that is in the background, and yet at the same time it’s so essential. I once cut my finger on the food processor blade while making a pie crust for a less than stellar pie, so maybe I am scarred for life. But there are some shortcuts I take to deviate from my scratch method, and for me the Pillsbury pie crust is one of those rare exceptions.

This pie also had several baking firsts for me. I don’t bake a lot of pies since my favorite desserts are cookies and I will occasionally bake a tart but tart crust is entirely different. Anyway this pie called for prebaking the pie crust using pie weights. I didn’t read over the directions until the last minute, so instead of braving the Thanksgiving shopper insanity at the grocery store to pick up some dried beans, I was already planning to stop by Williams-Sonoma for some pre-black Friday holiday shopping and purchased pie weights there. Scott made the mistake of biting into one thinking it was candy…good thing he didn’t bite too hard or he would have lost a tooth. Also this was my first time to ever make a meringue which sounds intimidating, but it was actually very easy thanks to my Kitchen Aid mixer. However I discovered in the car on the way to our Thanksgiving meal that meringue can melt so it needs to stay in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
By Paula Dean

I’m in love with these cookies and also very sad since this is the last time I will ever bake them. Hershey’s has discontinued the main ingredient. I used to be able to find the chocolate raspberry baking pieces at my local grocery store and then one day they were gone. I immediately went to the Hershey’s website only to discover they were no longer listed. I sent an email to Hershey’s urging them to bring them back and to let me know if there were anymore packages available in the Houston area. As luck would have it, I received a reply and headed over to the River Oaks Randall’s where I bought the last bag! This was over a year ago and I have been holding on this piece of heaven ever since, waiting for the perfect occasion.

That day has finally come. When I bake cookies I usually have enough for 2 occasions, so I try to be strategic about splitting up the cookies…I don’t want to end up with too many on my waistline. The two lucky recipients of this chocolate goodness are my Grandpa and my old boss Anita.

My Grandpa is 99 and recently broke his hip, had hip replacement surgery, and is temporarily living in a rehabilitation facility so he can undergo physical therapy everyday for several weeks to learn how to walk again. He has a serious sweet tooth and those genes were passed onto me. At his age I hope he is around long enough for this pain and suffering to be worth it. So I thought I’d cheer him up with a package of cookies and some cross word puzzles to keep him occupied.

Also Anita’s birthday was on Halloween, so I owed her some goodies. She was my boss for several years when I first started working and she is responsible for molding me into the employee that I am today.

Fall Flank Steak Salad

This recipe was inspired by the November 2010 issue of Southern Living. It is filled with fabulous fall and Thanksgiving recipes, including a sweet potato pie that I have been dying to bake. I was looking for a quick and easy weeknight recipe and when I saw the Leafy Green Salad with Pears recipe I thought, “Add a protein and it’s a meal.”

Fall Flank Steak Salad
Serves 3-4

1 lb flank steak
1 Bartlett pear
¼ cup candied pecans
1 bag butter greens
Salt & pepper
Salad dressing (optional)

1. Heat skillet over medium heat
2. Season flank steak with salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
3. Slice pear.
4. Add lettuce to plates and top with steak, pear slices, and candied pecans. Add salad dressing if desired.

Blue cheese would be a great addition to the salad. I have a chunk in the freezer but was too distracted with all the leftover Halloween candy to think about it. I opted for no salad dressing; however Scott added some Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette. A honey vinaigrette or balsamic dressing would be a great addition as well. I will be enjoying the leftover salad for lunch tomorrow.

Date Night Any/Every Night

Recipes from Peace Meals

Tonight Scott and I conducted our weekly Peace Meals recipe test with a few tests. 1. We finally used our new grill that my dad gave us for our anniversary back in May; and 2. We had dinner on the patio.

You are probably wondering why it took us ~5 months to use our grill for the first time, but really it’s a simple answer, it was just too HOT outside, plus we have a grill pan which is well suited for cooking for two and indoors.

And then there is the concept of dinner on the patio. Now that Fall has arrived, we have been trying to eat dinner on the patio regularly. Everyone loves dining al fresco whether on the patio of your favorite restaurant (Grappino’s, Teala’s, La Vista, etc.) or in your own backyard.

So tonight we made our usual Sunday dinner routine into an unexpected and perfect date night with dinner on the patio. We turned the television to the classical music channel, opened the patio doors, and were celebrating the Christening of our new grill. I usually try to limit my adult beverage consumption to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, but the ambiance made it hard to resist. Scott really wanted a glass of wine all we currently have in inventory is “the good stuff”. Speaking of “the good stuff”, our wine du jour was from our 4th anniversary trip to Napa back in May-- we enjoyed the Elyse “C’est si bon,” which is French for “It’s so good!”. I don’t think we need to explain that further because the name says it all.

And onto our meal…the Grilled Pork Loin Adobado and Honey Roasted Root Vegetables. I was expecting the pork to be spicy but it wasn’t at all. I roasted some Poblano peppers which are milder chiles, the pork had a good flavor, plus I have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next few days and for Scott’s dinner on Wednesday night while I’m at book club. The honey roasted root veggies were delicious and easy to make. I roasted butternut squash, carrots, turnips, fingerling potatoes, garlic, and shallots mixed with honey, olive oil, champagne vinegar, salt, and pepper for 45 minutes at 400. If I had it to do over again I would have turned the veggies along the way for even carmelization, or actually just left the garlic cloves whole instead of slicing. It was definitely a great fall/winter side dish and good compliment to the pork.

Stay tuned for a mushroom quiche which I’m hoping will turn out fabulous since I have very high expectations.

Butternut Squash Bisque

Butternut Squash Bisque
Peace Meals by the Junior League of Houston

To celebrate the beautiful fall weather I decided to make Butternut Squash Bisque for dinner. This is a delicious and easy to make recipe. It took a little over an hour including prep but there was quite a bit of inactive cooking time so it was nice to not have to slave in the kitchen non-stop. Best of all is the surprise ingredient… a jalapeno! The jalapeno added some “heat” in the background in addition to some depth to the bisque. The carrots, celery, leeks, jalapeno, butternut squash, and chicken broth needed to be pureed after they had simmered awhile. The recipe says to puree using a food processor or blender, which translates to more dishes to wash. Luckily I had my secret weapon the immersion blender (and yes I do have the green one). My sister-in-law, Jill, gave me the immersion blender for Christmas last year and it’s a Godsend. This nifty tool makes pureeing soups and sauces a breeze since you can leave everything in the pot. I rounded off the dish with a chopped pecan garnish. I skipped the fried sage because it just wasn’t a step I felt was needed for a Monday night dinner. However I did think about frying up some bacon, but decided to forgo for the same reason.

The recipe claims to be 4 servings. I think a proper portion should be 1 cup; however Scott prefers 2 cups, so the recipe really yields seven 1 cup servings or ~three 2 cup servings. I have some leftover which I have frozen in individual his and hers servings to enjoy in the future.

Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Yellow Pepper Mole Sauce

Recipe by Bobby Flay

Saturday night Scott and I had a date night at home. We haven’t cooked a nice meal on the weekend in awhile and were long overdue. I always enjoy trying recipes from Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill cookbook because they are always delicious and we are never disappointed.

I’ve never understood why my husband, or any man for that matter, is obsessed with pork chops. I’ve never had a pork chop I’m excited about until I made this recipe. These pork chops were tender and juicy, which I credit to their massive size. Often times when I buy pork chops at the grocery store they are cut thin, cook too fast, and I’m often left with a dry and tough meal. These chops were so big that they weighed a pound each, but for two I only spent $10 which is significantly less than I usually spend on a good cut of meat for the two of us. So not only are these delicious but also affordable.

There are two secrets to making this recipe a success...

1. Get really good pork chops! I of course went to Central Market and had the butcher cut me double cut bone-in pork chops.

2. You must make the mole sauce! This sauce is fantastic, it’s got a little sweet and savory all rolled into one. We have some sauce left over so I’ll be added it to my standard weeknight pork tenderloin recipe tomorrow night.