Butternut Squash Lasagna

Josh: Butternut squash is on sale, should we buy it?
Me: Yes!

A week goes by and that squash is still sitting on my counter begging to be cooked. What should I do with it? Soup...nah, not in the mood, just have it on the side...nope too much for that, lasagna...yes!

And so it began -- the "I'm going to make a lasagna because I have a bunch of stuff in my fridge that I need to use before it goes bad." As most of my recipes go, I didn't measure, you've been warned.

Ingredients:

• 9 sheets of lasagna noodles
• 3/4 container of part skim ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of fresh basil
• half a bag of baby spinach
• 6 or 7 decent sized cremini mushrooms sliced
• butternut squash
• olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 slices or so of prosciutto
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 3/4 - 1 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano (you can use regular parm, this is just what I had)
• white pepper
• ground sage
• ground allspice
• garlic powder

Step 1: Heat oven to 400 and put a large pot of water on to boil the noodles. In the meantime, peel and chop the squash and place it in a 9 x 13 baking dish and coat with olive oil, a sprinkling of sage and allspice over the whole top. Put in oven and cook until soft, tossing often.

Step 2: In a bowl add the ricotta, chopped basil, and the egg. Put this back in the fridge for use later. At this point your water should be at a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 9 minutes. Strain.

Step 3: In a saucepan heat a tsp of olive oil. Roll slices of prosciutto and cut into small pieces. Add prosciutto to oil cooking until crisp. Remove, but leave behind the oil. Melt butter and then whisk in the flour slowly. You will see that it begins to create a sort of paste. Slowly add in the milk while whisking. You do not want this to become lumpy! Add in your parmigiano reggiano and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Then add the prosciutto back in and add white pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Step 4: To use less pots, use the same one you cooked the noodles in. Add some olive oil and brown the mushrooms. Dump in the spinach and cook until it is wilted. 

Step 5: Your squash should be soft now. Move it to a bowl and mush it into smaller pieces. 

Step 6: The 9 x 13 pan should still have some olive oil, which you will want to prevent the noodles from sticking. Layer your first three noodles, then add the ricotta mixture, then 3 more noodles, then the mushroom/spinach mixture, then the butternut squash, now sprinkle allspice, garlic powder and sage, layer on the last three noodles, pour and spread the sauce across the top. Place in oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes until cooked through.

Easy Dinners

Weekdays get crazy, we come home tired, and just want to do something simple. Well that doesn't mean that you can't have something delicious and nutritious!

Here a couple of easy ideas:

Tofu Tacos

Cube up some tofu and toss it in cornstarch, garlic powder, and ginger powder.

Fry it in the wok (not deep fry) with just enough oil to make it golden brown.

Slice up some green cabbage.

Spread some hoison on a tortilla, lay down the cabbage and tofu and you are good to go!

Lazy Lady's Lasagna

Cook some whole wheat penne, then toss it with your favorite red sauce and a vegetable like peas or spinach. Those are vegetables I always keep on hand in my freezer for quick meals.

Brown up some ground beef or use a vegetarian substitute.

Mix together some part skim ricotta and pesto.

Now time to layer: spread some sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, layer some pasta/vegetable, layer the ricotta/pesto, layer the meat, layer the rest of the pasta, and top with shredded mozzarella.

Put under the broiler  to melt and slightly brown.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken Salad

Put some pretzels in the food processor and grind until you get small bits.

Mix together some whole grain mustard, dijon mustard, a little red wine vinegar and oil.

Dredge the chicken breast in the mustard sauce, then dip in the pretzels. 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 mins, flipping once.

Slice up the chicken and serve over a salad. Keeping with the theme you can use honey mustard dressing.

Simple Salmon

Clean and pat dry a piece of salmon.

In a bowl, mix together 1/3 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp light mayo, juice from half a lemon, lots of dill (dried or fresh), a dash of white pepper, and a clove of garlic (you could also sub garlic powder).

Spread the yogurt mixture on the salmon and cook at 375 until the fish flakes.

While your salmon cooks you can saute some baby spinach in olive oil with some salt, pepper, and a finishing squeeze of lemon. Do the lemon after you take the spinach off of the heat.

Throw in a bag of 3 minute microwavable brown rice from Trader Joes and enjoy!

Notice that these posts weren't that specific (I mean even more so than I usually am). That's because following a recipe slows you down. You have to get into that groove in the kitchen. Taste as you go along and trust yourself. 

Cooking isn't about being in your head. You can get in there, spend some time with your family and let the stress of the day melt away. The worst that can happen by taking the recipe training wheels off is that you learn. And maybe have to order chinese delivery if your meal really is that bad.

The Almost as Good as My Mom's Brisket

One food to master at the top of every Jewish wife's list is the brisket. This meat when cooked right it is tender, juicy, and oh so flavorful. But something that may surprise you is how many different ways a brisket can be made.

So here are tips straight from my mom to make the most delectable brisket you've ever had:
- It's all in the pot. Break out your Le Creuset for this one. If you unfortunately do not have one yet because of their hefty price tag, a basic heavy covered cast iron will work too!
- Quality meat. Sounds obvious, but you might have to try a few groceries before you find that crown jewel. I bought my meat at Trader Joe's (please forgive me, because I love you) and it just wasn't right. Find a nicely marbleized cut that is fresh.

Okay, now on to the ingredients:
- Brisket (2-3 pounds)
- Red Wine (make sure it's something you would drink)
- Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Catalina Dressing
- Small Potatoes
- Olive Oil (not extra virgin)
- Kosher Salt & Pepper

Let's begin!
1. Heat your oven to 325 degrees. At the same time put your Le Creuset or cast iron on the stove and heat it to medium high.
2. Your kitchen should start to make you sweat now. So grab your room temperature...that's right, ROOM TEMPERATURE meat and cover it with kosher salt and pepper. If your meat is cold, it will stick on the next step.
3. Pour in enough olive oil to give you a nice coat at the bottom of your pot.
4. Sear each side of your meat until it is golden and making you drool.
5. Add a packet or two of the soup mix (more meat - more mix). Pour in 1/4 to a 1/3 of the bottle of Catalina Dressing depending on how many pounds of meat you have. Now get the meat drunk by almost covering your meat with the wine.
6. Add in your peeled carrots (I normally cut them in 1/3s so they don't fall apart) and sliced mushrooms.
7. Cover and put it in the oven.
8. When you have about 45 minutes left in your cook time, add the halved potatoes.
9. Let it cool then cut. Once sliced on a bias, place back in juices.
DON'T EAT IT YET
10. You've been patient and waited a day, now reheat and devour!!