Bakin: Words of wisdom, pt 1

"Jesus died for us so that we could have a heart."

Lasagna

So, I haven't blogged.... in a loooooooooooong time. My sister won't leave me alone about it.... sorry, I am a bit strapped for time, LoL!

Anyway, I will try and blog a bit more, Ok?

Here is a yummy recipe for Lasagna that I slaved away at today. It came out quite well and the family was pleased:

1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste
1/2 Cup of Water
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons fresh Basil leaves chopped
4 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
23 ounces of ricotta cheese.
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a large pot. Drain fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Add sugar, basil, parsley, salt, italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir, cover pot, and simmer 1 1/2 hour.
Soak noodles in hot water for 15 minutes.
Mix Ricotta, nutmeg, and egg until combined.
Build lasagna in 9×13 inch baking pan.
Spread 2 cups sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay 6 noodles on top of sauce. Spread 1/2 ricotta mix onto noodles. Sprinkle on half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Spread 2 cups sauce over cheese layers. Lay 6 more noodles. Spread remaining ricotta mix. Sprinkle remaining cheeses, reserving some for top. Put last layer of sauce on top and then sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 350F for 25 min. Remove foil, bake an additional 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest 15 min.

Busy busy busy!

Life is so busy with 3 boys, that I simply cannot find time to blog, or get much computer time in at all. Funny thing is that I cannot say that much of my "busyness" is all that interesting. Cleaning, cooking, nursing, breaking up fights, getting snacks and drinks for the boys, cleaning, breaking up fights, nursing, cleaning, breaking up fights.... on and on and on it goes in its uninteresting-ness. What to blog about, such a predicament!

Been reading... the one pleasure I actually find time to do, mostly while nursing. This series, titles "The Dragon Quartet" by Marjorie Kellogg is quite interesting so far. A series of 4 books: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. It lays the story of dragons and their dragon guides awakening and journeying to find "the summoner" who is calling them out of their sleep because of a great distress. One thing I have found quite interesting about the book series is the fact that in the first, you are set up in 913 German principalities, a lush fantasy story laid before you. And then book 2 launches you into 2013 African coast suffering great environmental devastation that is a clear sci-fi setting. Making the jump between the two styles, fantasy and sci-fi, took a bit to adjust into, but then really makes the story interesting. So far I have only read the first two, earth and water. Upon inspection of our book shelves, we found fire missing and I cannot continue with the story yet, which is frustrating as can be. The characters are stir-crazy in my head wanting to get out again and further their journey. I went to several bookstores and none of them had fire in stock, sigh. So I just ordered a used copy on ebay for $2 and will be anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Until then, I will continue cleaning, cooking, nursing, breaking up fights...

Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Unfortunately I cannot post a picture of my delish creation, but my camera broke on our latest vacation to the beach. Who knew sand could get inside the camera and break the lens? Darn windy beach....

Anyways, here is a personal creation that I made for dinner that was an instant hit!

2 cups dried black beans, rinsed
8 cups water
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
8 oz frozen corn, thawed
8 oz pico de gallo
generous handful fresh cilantro, chopped
corn tortillas
shredded cheese
torn lettuce of choice

Place beans, water, onion and bay leaf in a large pot. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
Remove from heat, drain and remove bay leaf.
Stir in corn, pico de gallo, and cilantro. Season with salt to taste.
Heat corn tortillas in heavy skillet over medium heat, about 15 seconds per side.
Fill with black bean and corn filling, top with cheese, lettuce, and any other taco toppings of choice.
Enjoy! =)

Eclectic Organization.

In my search for a more organized home, I have decided that I want to collect and fill my house with an eclectic array of antique knobs and hooks to hang things on for organizing different things. I am going to start scouring yard sales, antique shops, and goodwill stores. But for the time being, since i am bound to the house right now, I am scheming on the Internet and am sharing some cute little finds.

from The Little Red Door on Etsy

from madampickay on etsy

from theyearoftherabbit on etsy

Japanese Style Curry.

I love curry, it is one of my favorite foods. Japanese style curry rice, kare raisu, is my favorite. It is a bit more like European/English style stew with curry flavor, not like the Indian curries. In this weeks CSA box I got some wonderful Nantes Carrots, La Soda Red Potatoes, and a Georgia Boy Onion... so I decided tonight was a great night for some curry.



1 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 1/2 cups water

1 3.5oz box curry roux



Add a small amount of oil to a large pot over medium, add beef and potatoes. Brown beef and onions, about 5 minutes. Add water, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes, simmer 10 minutes. Break up curry roux block and add. Stir until melted, simmer 5 min. Serve over rice.



I often add different veggies I have on hand: celery, peas, bell peppers, etc. Good for using up root veggies. Yummy!

Romano Beans.

A lovely new addition to my vegetable box last week was Romano Beans. In the newsletter that comes with my box was a simple recipe that is absolutely delicious.

1 lb Romano beans, ends snapped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbs olive oil, dependent on personal preference
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the Romano beans until tender crisp, I did not note the cooking time on this. Toss with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Good alone or tossed into a nice summer salad.