Saturday, March 31, 2012

Lasagna

This is a basic, back of the box lasagna that can be modified in many ways of your choosing.
Though I usually cook this with meat, today I didn't include it and didn't miss it either.

A good recipe to either make-ahead or double and freeze.  Always goes fast! :)




 

 



Ingredients:

10-12 lasagna noodles
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (and or cheddar or a mixture of cheeses of your liking)
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can (28 oz.) of diced tomatoes
Italian seasonings to taste (basil, oregano, parsley)

optional:
1 pound sausage and/or ground beef or turkey, cooked and drained
1 package spinach
1 can or fresh chopped mushrooms
1/2 of a red and/or green pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 350. 
In large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese and eggs (also spinach if using).  Mix well. 

In saucepan, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil, saute onions and garlic.  Add tomatoes and seasonings to taste.  I usually add about a half cup of the pasta water.  Add cooked ground meat if using.

In a greased 15x9 inch baking dish (or two smaller casserole dishes), spread 1 cup sauce.  Layer lasagna noodles over sauce.  Top with a layer of cheese mixture then a layer of sauce.  Repeat. 

(Note:  you could also roll them individually like this

Once the dish is filled, sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil.  Bake 40 minutes.  Uncover, bake an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  10-12 servings.



Saturday, March 3, 2012

King Ranch Chicken Casserole obtained from artistforpeace on redbubble.com
THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN ABOUT BABY….This is one of my easy, delicious, go to dishes. It's great for a family night in but it's also a great dish that you can take to a friend. Just have everything in the pan ready to go, and finish cooking it there!




Directions:
1.  Pre-bake or boil chicken breasts, when tender, shred or cube/dice and set aside.
2.  In a saucepan, mix together cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and tomatoes.  Add onions/peppers and seasonings, cook on medium-high until veggies are semi-softened, approx 8 minutes.
3.  Cut tortillas in half.  Spray or grease baking dish (one 9x13 pan or two smaller dishes).  To begin, place tortillas in bottom of pan, overlapping edges.
4.  Layer: tortillas, chicken, 1/2 of liquids, and then 1/2 of the cheese
5.  Repeat.
6.  Bake uncovered @350 degrees for about 1 hour
Tips:
~ Serve with avocado slices, sour cream and jalapenos ala cart for the ’’hotties’’
~ Serve with lemonaid, mojitos, margaritas?
~ This dish is always better the next evening…so save some (hide it!)
J Enjoy!

The King Ranch, located in south Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the world’s largest ranches (85% as large as Rhode Island).  It is the largest ranch in the United States.  The 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) ranch, founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of Kleberg County and much of Kenedy County, with portions extending into Brooks, Jim Wells, Nueces, and Willacy counties. The ranch does not consist of one single contiguous plot of land, but rather four large sections called divisions. Only two of the four divisions border each other, and that border is relatively short. The ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.(wiki)

* 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
* 2 cups chicken broth (1 can)
* 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
* 10 (approx) corn tortillias
* 3-4 large chicken breasts
* 1 large onion ~ chopped
* 1 med. green/red pepper ~ diced small
* Seasonings to taste (salt/pepper, bay leaf, garlic, basil, oregano, chili powder)
* 1 lg. pkg. shredded Mexican cheese (sometimes I use two packages of various cheeses)