Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Another recipe inspired by Paula Deen. (I think it was the same episode as the Oven Fried Chicken). I used the basic ingredients but changed up the dressing. An excellent salad: hearty, filling and fresh.

Black Bean and Avocado Salad



Ingredients:
2 cups Chopped Romaine
1 Avocado (peeled and sliced)
Juice of One Lemon
1 cup Corn Kernels (drained)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
Salt and Pepper

Mix all the vegetable ingredients in a large bowl. Top with juice of lemon, salt and pepper. I served with my Homemade Ranch Dressing drizzled over it. My husband was actually a fan of this salad (which is probably a good thing since he didn’t eat much of the chicken I served with it. LOL)

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a recipe that I've been meaning to post since Thanksgiving. It's one of those simple things that everyone has a take on but is always included at Holiday meals. Unless you are me, and your baby just happens to get on a Sweet Potato Casserole kick and demand it of you every other week until your husband wants to throw it at you every time it shows up on the dinner table.

I can honestly say we have eaten Thanksgiving dinner several times since then, including yesterday (which is after Christmas). Sweet Potatoes are a super food though, so I have regulated the guilt to the back of my mind, though I could probably attribute a few of these 20 lbs I've gained in the 27 weeks of pregnancy to sweet potato casserole.

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup drained crushed pineapple (or more if you like it)
1 cup light packed brown sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
4 tbs butter (optional really but I'm from the south, we like butter with everything)
Large or Small Marshmellows (your choice and I vary it depending on what I happen to have on hand).

Directions:
Boil sweet potatoes in salted water until tender. Process through a Potato Ricer or mash until smooth. Place all ingredients in a casserole dish, mix well and top with Marshmellows. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until Top is browned but not burnt.

Pepper Broccoli Fettucine

1 (8 Ounce) carton of sour cream
1 tbs milk
1 tbs pepper
1 tbs butter
¼ cup finely diced/minced onion
2 tbs minced garlic
8 ounce box of linguine (cooked)
2tbs grated Parm.
1 box frozen chopped broccoli-thawed and boiled till heated through (optional)

Directions:
Combine Sour Cream, milk and pepper in a bowl. Stir well.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute 3 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and add the sour cream mixture. Mix and toss with pasta and broccoli. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Serve Hot.

Pumpkin Dip

For a Mary Kay Facial Party I threw Friday night, which was very relaxing and a fun giggling time with the girls, one of the new items I tested was Pumpkin Dip. I’m a huge pumpkin fan: pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread and pumpkin spice lattes but there are certain mixtures with pumpkin and cream cheese I don’t do well. It’s the combination of flavor and texture. Among them: pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheesing icing and now, pumpkin dip. Everyone else in the known world loves it though. I’m the weird one. I served this recipe with Gingersnaps and it was tasty, I was just able to stop after two cookies, so maybe my slight aversion is a good thing.

Pumpkin dip

Ingredients:
1 can Pumpkin Puree
1 package cream cheese (8 ounces, room temp, lightly beaten or whipped)
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cloves
Dash vanilla

Directions:
Mix everything, cover and chill. (We actually served it fresh which I liked better than chilled but most recipes call for you to chill pumpkin dip).

Simple Corn Chowder

Many people use bacon and bacon grease as a flavoring for corn chowder, but as I am currently not stomaching meat well (including my turkey bacon) I decided to go with a more vegetarian option.

Corn chowder is a simple hearty soup that is great for a cool fall day. I served it up with a fresh crisp iceberg salad with my Ranch Style Dressing. An excellent easy meal for a week day with plenty of leftovers.

Simple Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
4 TBS Butter
7-8 Red potatoes (washed, peeled and cubed)
1 medium yellow onion (finely diced)
2 cups water
2 cans Creamed corn (if using homemade its 3 cups)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups heavy whipping cream (or half and half)

Directions:
In a large stock pot over medium heat, sauté your onion and potatoes in the butter for 4-5 minutes. Stir in water and corn. Add your salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for approx 25-30 minutes stirring 3-4 times during cooking time.

Warm the cream (I popped it in the microwave for 2 minutes) and add to the chowder about 3-4 minutes before serving.

Ranch Style Dressing/ Dip mix

So why do I call it Ranch Style? Because its not true ranch. If you been reading this blog long, you know I tend to steer clear of spices, peppers and pork due to past allergy experiences (beginning of the year).

One of the things I’ve been missing most this year is Ranch dressing. I LOVE ranch. Cucumbers and carrots and wedges of lettuce dipped in creamy ranch. Ranch on spaghetti, chicken tenders in ranch. If you can dip it, I like it in ranch.

So I finally broke down, researched what is in Ranch and created my Ranch Style safe version. What I love about this is it is a dry mix that can be stored for months in a dry place or the freezer and you can whip up a dip or dressing in the blink of an eye. It has gone over big time at my parties and I’ve already given the recipe out to half a dozen people they loved it so much. So I am going to share it with you! (Don’t you feel special?)

Krista’s Ranch Style Dressing/Dip Mix
8 tsp minced onion
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp garlic powder

Dump all ingredients into a small Tupperware container. Place the lid on and shake well. Store in a dry dark place or the freezer until ready to use. Shake Well before each use.

For DIP:
1 Cup Mayo
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 ¼ TBS Ranch Mix

For Dressing:
1 cup Mayo
1 cup Buttermilk
1 ¼ TBS Ranch Mix

For either one, add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk till blended and smooth. Chill.

Multi Bean Soup

On a trip to the Farmer’s Market several weeks ago (maybe two months at this point), my mom and I found the dried bean bins. So we mixed up our own bean medley in a bag. Since the beans are by the pound we were able to produce our own special bean blend. I can’t honestly tell you what’s in it but I know there are some: butterbeans, fordhooks, pintos, black beans, legumes, etc. I’ve been meaning to make a bean soup for quite awhile but kept putting it off because cooking dried beans takes awhile. This was a rainy/stormy weekend so yesterday was perfect to experiment with soup. This is a hardy soup that is inexpensive, makes a lot and can be on hand for any time of the year.

Ingredients:
Bag of Mixed dried beans (probably about 1lb)
1 bag Frozen Stew Vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celery and onion)
1 bag Frozen Mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, carrots, corn)
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Stewed Tomatoes
¼ stick of butter
Salt and pepper to taste (requires quite a bit)

Directions:
Fill crockpot (5 quart) half way up with water, and dump beans in. Cook on high for 4 hours. Beans should take up the majority of the water at this point. Dump EVERYTHING else in and cook on high for another 2 hours. Serve hot.

I am going to experiment using leftovers more as a chili or an accompaniment to Beef roast etc. I think this soup will be very versatile as it has a great natural flavor that can stand alone or go well with other dishes.

I love, no, make that LOVE peas. As a child I actually loved mixing peas into the Hamburger Helper Beef stroganauff (I know, it pains me to admit my love for the boxed stuff too). That was one of my favorite meals though. As an adult, I am finding all kinds of new dishes with peas. I put them in EVERYTHING. A frozen bag of peas (about 15 oz) is only 97 cents. Why NOT put them in everything?

A month or so ago I ran across a Pea Salad recipe at www.singforyoursupperblog.com. I had to try it despite the fact I don’t eat bacon. So I bought some low sodium turkey bacon as a substitute. When it came time to make it however, it was late, I had been in the garden all day and I was exhausted. So I nixed the bacon and instead whipped up a handful of tiny pasta shells to add body to the salad.

I admit, I was a little skeptical at the raw simplicity of the salad. I started out with a tiny little bit. I went back for thirds and I brought it for lunch today. I did not share or leave any for my husband (but since its all green I doubt he would have tried it anyway unless I shoved it down his throat). I can not wait till the next potluck or party because this will definitely be on the menu throughout the whole summer. I may even venture the bacon and leave out the noodles for a zippy gluten free version!

Creamy Pea Salad
Ingredients:
15 ounce bag of frozen peas thawed
2 sticks of celery, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup tiny pasta shells, boiled in salted water till al dente
½ block of sharp cheddar cheese cut in very small cubes
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
I did not add salt and pepper but you can to taste

Directions:
I had all the ingredients (minus the pasta) in the fridge so everything was cold to begin with. Even adding the hot noodles did not heat it up much so I served as is which was still pretty chilled but you can chill before serving. Just dump everything together and stir. Great for a make ahead meal/dish.

Spinach Shells: Two Ways

In my garden, I have an abundance of spinach, which is great because I LOVE spinach. Spinach and peas find a way into almost everything I make! LOL I wanted to play with dishes that feature spinach as a main ingredient, like my Spinach Lasagna which is to die for. (Okay I wouldn’t DIE for it but it is really good).

As I was experimenting with a recipe very loosely inspired by Giada De Laurentiis I went even further to try it with two types of shells: tiny shells and large stuffable shells. While both were good, and they both had the exact same ingredients, I have to admit the small shells were better. Something about how the ingredients blended together with the shells. I will definitely be making this again, very soon. (Especially since my spinach needs picking after all this rain we’ve had!)

Spinach Stuffed Shells and Spinach Shell Pasta
Ingredients:
½ box jumbo pasta shells OR
2 cups tiny shells
1 gallon bucket of fresh spinach leaves (I would guess about 2 bags but I pick my spinach in a 1 gallon strawberry bucket)
½ container of whole milk ricotta
1 cup cottage cheese (You can use a whole container of ricotta but I always cut some calories by substituting some cottage. It works well)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup parmesan/gruyere mix
1 small onion
1 garlic clove,minced

Sauce:
½ stick butter
3 tbs flour
1 cup cream
1 cup grated parmesan
½ cup gruyere

Directions:
Boil shells in salted water until al dente. If you are using the large shells definitely do not over cook or they will fall apart when you try to stuff them.

In a food processor, combine garlic and onion. Add washed spinach and chop until spinach is fine and combined. In a bowl, combine ricotta, cottage, gruyere/parm mix, salt and pepper and spinach mixture. Blend well. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Cook for 1 minute. Add cream and cook until smooth and it coats the spoon. Remove from heat and add in cheeses.

For Stuffed shells: Use spinach mixture to gently fill shells and place in a greased casserole dish. Pour Sauce OVER shells. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until bubbly.

For Spinach and Shells: Mix Sauce into Spinach mixture. Gently add mini cooked shells and stir until well blended. Place in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes until bubbly and cheese topping is turning golden brown. (You could also add some bread crumbs to the top and drizzle with olive oil for a firm crust).

Goat Cheese Potato Gratin

Recipe from Cooking Light, October 2001

My husband actually really enjoyed this dish. He’s a meat and potatoes kinda guy but my use of goat cheese in some dishes is questionable to him. I should have known I just have to mix it with potatoes! For me personally, it was a little dry for me so I think I would like to add a bit more cream sauce but it was good. Well flavored.

Goat Cheese Potato Gratin
Ingredients:
1 cup half and half
1 tbs flour
1 cup (4 ounces) goat cheese
1 cup 2% milk
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups thinly sliced Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 2 ½ lbs)

Directions:
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2 tbs of half and half with flour in a large bowl (whisk works best). Slowly whisk in the remaining half and half until smooth. Crumble the goat cheese into the mixture and add in the milk, salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir gently. Spread a single layer of the potatoes in pan and pour 1/3 of the mixture over potatoes, coating them. Add another layer of potatoes and repeat with the mixture. Add the last potatoes (will not be a full layer) and pour the remaining cheese mixture. Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Spinach and Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza

This is an important dish. Why? Because it used the first pickings from my garden! This year the first crop picked? Spinach!

So this was a throw together type meal. Let me explain. I've been toying with an idea of putting some of these things together to form a pizza but had not broken down in my head exactly how I was going to do it. Whether I wanted a white sauce or tomato sauce etc. What's a girl to do? Just jump in and try it and make changes later.

This came out VERY Good. The one drawback? Not so great warmed up for lunch the next day. Definately something to serve fresh and hot.

I took pictures, but still having technical difficulties with the camera to computer issue.

Spinach, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh asparagus, remove tough stemmy ends and chop the rest into 1 inch pieces
Handful of fresh spinach leaves
1 vidalia onion (medium)sliced
1/2 stick butter
1/2 pound ground turkey browned in olive oil and drained (optional)
1 Roll out pizza dough
2 ounces of Goat Cheese
1 cup mozzerella
1 cup tomato sauce (or leftover homemade soup like I used)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Roll out pizza dough onto greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. (You don't want it all the way done).

Melt butter on stove, add onions and asparagus. Cover and saute for about 3 minutes. Add spinach leaves. Saute for another 2 minutes until leaves are wilted.

Spread tomato sauce/soup over crust. Sprinkle with cooked ground turkey. Spread aspragus, onions and spinach over pizza. Crumble goat cheese on top. Salt and pepper if needed. Spread mozzerella over entire pizza and then use the butter drippings over the cheese (this forms a golden crust). Bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese is melted and golden).

Serve hot and fresh!

Ina Gartens Cole Slaw

We attended a birthday party yesterday for my "nephew". ( I say that in italics because he's not really kinned to me but it's my BFF's boys so I call them nephews). Being a gracious Southern guest I asked if I could bring anything and it was suggested cole slaw to go with the grilled chicken and baked beans. Given that my BFF's family hail originally from the great Upstate New York, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try out Ina Gartens coleslaw.

It was delicious! (and since I don't have access to my pictures right now, I used the picture on Food network!)

Cole Slaw
Ingredients
1 pound white cabbage (1/2 small head)
3/4 pound red cabbage (1/2 small head)
5 carrots
2 cups good mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Fit a food processor with the thickest slicing blade. Cut the cabbages into small wedges and place horizontally into the feed tube. Process in batches. Next, fit the food processor with the grating blade. Cut the carrots in half and place in the feed tube so they are lying on their sides. Process in batches and mix in a bowl with the grated cabbages.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, celery salt, salt, and pepper. Pour enough of the dressing over the grated vegetables to moisten them (I used all of it-I'm southern, we like things DRENCHED/swimming in sauces and gravy LOL). Serve cold or at room temperature.

Say: Grilled Cheese

There are a million ways to make grilled cheese grown up and still be that wonderful comfort food. Sometimes though, you want that memory of childhood to shine through. Sometimes you just want something quick, quirky or fun.

I think this grilled cheese is a nice blend of grown up, childhood and quick. It's fun and easy with a very adult taste and perfectly compliments the Tomato Soup.

Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
4 thin flakes of Parmesian Reggiano (about an inch square)
2 thin slices of Gruyere
1 tbs shredded mozzerella
1 tbs shredded cheddar
1 slice Kraft Deluxe American cheese
2 tbs butter
2 slices of bread

Directions:
Thinly spread butter on insides of both pieces of bread. Layer all of the cheese on. Close sandwich and gently spread butter on outsides of bread. Place in heated/greased sandwich maker or pannini press. Cook for approx. 4 minutes or until bread is toasty brown and cheese is melted.

Tomato Soup

It's that time of year, where us Southern gardeners start dreaming of that first fresh ripe tomato. We envision tomato sandwiches, tomato pies, thick slices of tomato topping creamed corn and biscuits. mmmmm. Before we get to the summer though we have to make a mad effort to finish out our stores of food that we have stingely guarded over the long dark winter. We ration ourselves out to make sure we have an array good quality ingredients to last till spring and somehow, we always have an abundance left and chide ourselves every year.

This year, I have ONE jar of canned tomatoes left. I've actually had to substitute using cans from the store, but I found one quart I had missed hiding behind a casserole dish in the pantry. So I decided to give a go at Home made Tomato Soup. I looked at several recipes but decided to wing it with a loose inspiration from Robert St. John's Deep South Staples.

I did not get mine perfectly smooth and tomato-y like Campbell's. So please don't try this if you are expecting a home made version of the classic condensed soup. This a is light tomato creamy flavor. Perfect for dipping a Grilled cheese!

*Don't yell at me. I promise I've been taking pictures, but I've been trying a new trick of typing up the drafts while items are cooking so that I don't get terribly behind in posts AND pictures. I'm still figuring out the time tables of better blogging practises while living!

Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 Quart Jar of canned tomatoes with juice
1 can diced tomatoes
4 tbs butter
1 vidalia onion
3 cloves garlic
1 large carrot
1 stick celery
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1 cup cream
1/2 stick butter

Directions:
Melt 4 tbs butter in sauce pan. Add finely chopped onion and garlic. Stir. Add finely chopped carrot and celery. (I use a mini food chopper and do each item seperately). Cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add chicken broth. Stir. Add all the tomatoes. Bring to a light boil then reduce to simmer for as long as possible to let the flavors blend. About an hour.

In a seperate sauce pan, melt the 1/2 stick butter. Add flour and cook until a smooth paste. Add cream and cook until blended. Add to tomato mixture. Pour entire mixture into a blender or food processer and pulse until tomatoes are well chopped and mixture is smooth.

Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce

Don't worry, this is not a variation of my Creamy pea Pasta. They are actually NOTHING alike. Last night I was planning on Asparagus and Goat Cheese Lemon Pasta. However, for the second time in a row, the asparagus I bought from a particular vendor at the Farmer's Market was molded inside the bunch. Given the fact that I do have a mold allergy, I have to throw the whole bunch away. (which last night was two bunches). That's $6.00 in the trash. I was highly pissed and scrambling for something to substitute for dinner. I pulled out one of Giada's recipes and let it inspire me to suit what I had on hand. It came out very well, though I believe next time I would prefer to saute off the onion's and garlic first. I will definately be making this again in the future. It's so easy and quick.

Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion
4 ounces Goat Cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:
Boil noodles in salted water till tender. Drain.

In a food processor, chop onion and garlic. Add spinach, salt and pepper and blend. Add Goat Cheese and mascarpone and pulse until mixed well. Pour mixture over hot noodles and mix until well blended. Top with Parmesan. This is a "dry" recipe. The "sauce" just coats the noodles but do not look for an actual sauce. You can add some pasta water to loosen the mixture up a little bit if needed.

Creamy Pea Pasta

Creamy Pea Pasta has become one of my go to recipes. Quick lunches, easy dinners, and easy to change up. I know I make this atleast once a week, most of the time just so I can have three or four lunches prepacked and ready to grab. Steve? Yea, he's not so keen on it though he does't complain if I add some meat to his portion.

The beauty of this recipe is that its a basic cheese pasta. You can add onions and garlic and spinach and bake it in the oven for extra pizzazz or just leave it as it is for a macaroni and cheese style dish. My favorite way is with the Peas ofcourse. I love that burst of sweet green flavor and it gets that serving of veggies in!

*Pic of basic pasta without peas*

Creamy Pea Pasta
Ingredients:
1/2 box of spaghetti noodles (or one small package)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 stick of butter
2 cups green peas (frozen but thawed)
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesian
1/8 cup gruyere grated
1/2 cup cheddar grated
and I love throwing in one or two small cubes (about 3 tbs) of Velveeta for the cream factor.
2 1/4 cups milk

Directions:
Boil noodles in heavily salted water till tender.

Melt butter in sauce pan. (add onions and garlic if doing so here and cook for a minute or two). Add flour and whisk until smooth. Pour in milk slowly and stir until smooth. When milk mixture is thick enough to coat spoon, turn off heat and add cheeses. Stir until well blended. Toss in peas (and spinach or whatever else you are using at this point) into cheese mixture. Toss mixture with noodles. Serve warm.

Simple, quick and delicious! Dress it up by throwing it in gratin dishes and sprinkly with bread crumbs and baking with a side of garlic bread and fresh salad or keep it simple for weekly lunches. YUM!
*Picture with Peas and Thawed Chopped Spinach*

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I've been seeing Sweet Potato Biscuits running around on Food Network and blogs since Thanksgiving. With a plethora of sweet potatoes in season, I thought this would be the perfect time to try some new recipes. Sweet Potato Biscuits to serve the zesty chicken burgers on. Sweet and bright flavors combined. It was worth a shot!

The one thing I wish I had done was roll the dough out on a floured board and cut biscuits out instead of scooping them out with a measuring cup. The ended up spreading out too much and looking lumpy but they stayed together perfectly and were a bright orange color.

Sweet Potato BiscuitsIngredients:
1 cup self rising flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp crisco
3/4 cup mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup whole milk

Directions:
Peel 2-3 sweet potatoes and cut into chuncks. Put in boiling salted water for about 30 minutes until tender. Place chuncks in food processor and blend until smooth. Measure out 3/4 cups.

Stir together all ingredients until dough is well blended and smooth.

Either roll onto floured board and cut out with biscuit cutter or glass. OR scoop with a 1/2 cup onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

*Note: I'm not sure where I got this recipe from. It is not referenced like most of mine. Since I didn't change the ingredients hardly at all and just changed the process some, please let me know if this is your recipe and I'll be happy to give credit!*

Spinach Lasagna

I’ve been in the mood for spinach lasagna and have seen several recipes surfing around Food Network and blogs of late. None of them were quite exactly what I was looking for. I did not want the sauce to mimic my chicken lasagna with its tangy cream cheese. I chose to go with a simplified cheese sauce made from a standard roux but mix it with a traditional lasagna stuffing. What was produced was EXCELLENT! A great base to any veggie lasagna and I can’t wait to make this again. It went too fast. So fast, I didn’t even get a chance to snap a picture before we dug in. This is one recipe that will definately be added to the rotation.

Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients:
¾ of a container of Ricotta (about 11-12 ounces)
¾ cup of cottage cheese
1 egg
1 large bag of frozen chopped spinach (two-three of the boxes)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
12 lasagna noodles (boiled till al dente in salted water)
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup flour
3 ¼ cups milk
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (3-4 ounces)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 ounces of fresh parmesan flaked

Directions:
In large mixing bowl, mix ricotta, cottage, egg, spinach and salt and pepper.

Melt butter in sauce pan and add onions for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add flour and stir until smooth and thick. (about 1 minute). Add milk and stir. Cook until sauce just coats the spoon. Add fresh mozzarella (lightly chopped into cubes) and parmesan. Stir until thick and mozzarella is just melting.

Add cheese sauce to spinach mixture and fold in until well mixed. Use a 9 x 13 pan and layer spinach sauce, then noodles, and repeat (about three times). Top with remaining sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until lasagna is bubbly and cheese crust is golden brown.

Eggplant Gratin

I'm sure I've said this many times before and will say it again: I rarely use a recipe exactly. I get inspiration from many sources but to suit either my pantry, my budget or my tastes I can look at a recipe and change it before I ever try it. I do try to give credit where credit is due though and I *barely* adapted this recipe from Ina Garten. (It's Ina, she rarely needs adapting ya'll, now how easy is that?)

It was a gooey soft eggplanty goodness. We have officially determined that my husband does not like nor appreciate eggplant though. Alas, I guess I will be making eggplant dishes for just me! (Oh darn, I have to eat all the eggplant by my lonesome, whatever shall I do? LOL)

Eggplant Gratin
Ingredients:
Good olive oil, for frying
1 large eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plus some freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can stewed tomatoes in juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Pour your can of tomatoes into a blender with a dash of salt and pepper, pulse until a fairly smooth thick sauce.

In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Layer half the Riccotta sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

Easy Vegetable Pot Pie

This is probably one of my new favorite recipes. The Hubby wasn't too happy because "Where's the meat?" but he survived. My sister enjoyed it and said it was light and a tad sweet. Apparently my mom enjoyed it as the leftover's I sent home didn't even make it to my Dad. LOL I'm going to make this again but with a homemade crust. As I was working on cleaning out our stores of food though, this is what came out of it and I have to say, for getting inspiration from an episode of Barefoot Contessa and running with what I had on hand, this dish was phenomenal. I love those "accidental" masterpieces! I think I could live off of this stuff and feel NO GUILT whatsoever! It's that good. Creamy sauce, sweet and savory vegetables and a flaky crust! YUMMMMMMM!

*and I know, I am WAY behind on my pictures. I promised I have pictures for 99% of the posts from the last three weeks...still on the camera*

Easy Vegetable Pot Pie
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 large Sweet Onion
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup flour
2 3/4 cups chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons half and half
5-6 Yukon gold Potatoes Diced
1 large Sweet potato skinned and diced
2 cups Frozen Green Peas
3-4 carrots, peeled and coined
2 yellow squash, diced
1 zuchini sliced lengthwise in strips and cut in chuncks 1/2 inch
1 box (2 shells) of Pillsbury Pie Crusts
One Egg

Directions:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

While sauce is going, cook the potatoes (Gold and Sweet) in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the carrots, zuchini and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, and green peas to the sauce and mix well.

Pour into a deep dish baker or individual stonewear dishes. Cover with pie crusts. (I had multiple dishes so needed both pie crusts). Whisk egg with a bit of water and brush over shells. Cut steam vents in center of shells and Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and pie is bubbly.