Fast Ramen Noodle Upgrade

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I'll admit to still eating ramen noodles from time to time--you know the kind you ate in college because they cost .10?  Yeah, those ramen.  I have an upgrade for you today, and it won't take much more time than just tearing open the spice packet. I buy the carrot shreds at the store all the time to add to salads, but you could use the cheese grater to grate your own.  I prefer napa cabbage in this recipe, but I didn't have any on hand, so I sliced regular green cabbage super thin and it worked out great. I am super lazy when it comes to garlic and ginger--I buy it already chopped up in the squeeze bottles you find in the produce section.  Makes it easy to always have ingredients on a hand for a quick stir fry.

Serves 1 as a meal, but if you added some potstickers on the side (hello, Costco frozen ones are awesome), you could stretch this to two servings.  Easy to double.

Ingredients

1 package of ramen noodles (do not use spice packet)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. ginger, minced (I use the squeeze bottle from the produce section)

1/4 C. shredded carrot

1/2 C. thinly sliced cabbage (napa or green)

1 head baby bok choy, sliced crosswise (about 1 cup)

Sauce

1/2 Tbs each of dark soy sauce  and low sodium soy sauce (or just 1 total Tbs of whatever soy sauce you have)

1 Tbs sweet chili sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

Sriacha to taste (opt)-I like about 1/4 tsp

Garnish

Green onion

cilantro

sesame seeds

Start cooking your ramen noodles in boiling water.  Heat up a medium non-stick skillet with 1 Tbs vegetable oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and ginger to hot oil and stir for about 10 seconds until fragrant and then add the vegetables.  Saute for 3-5 minutes until veggies are soft but not soggy.  Add the cooked noodles (make sure to drain them first)) and add the sauce.  Heat for about 1 minute and garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro and sesame seeds if you like. 

Easy Roast Pork Sirloin Roast with sautéed Apples

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 I like a nice Sunday dinner--and with fall weather, warm comfort foods are just the best.  Pork sirloin roast is an inexpensive cut of meat (frequently on sale for $1 per pound in family packs).  I bought a pack with 3 roasts (one 1-pound and two 2-pound) and used my vacuum sealer to save the other two. With this cut of meat, you need to do a bit of prep and then cook it just right or else you end up with shoe leather--no good.  You could start this the day before or as soon as a couple hours before you cook it. 

Serves 4-5

15 minute prep

75-90 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

 2 pound pork sirloin roast

1 c. chicken stock

Marinade

1/4 c. Olive  oil

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1  tsp Dijon mustard

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (could also sub sage or rosemary)

2 tsp. kosher salt (or 1 tsp of table salt)

1 tsp. black pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large zipper bag and add the roast.  Seal and press around to coat  the roast in marinade.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  In a small or medium roast pan (could use a cast iron, small roaster or even a glass baking dish that you cover with foil) and add the roast and all the marinade and the chicken stock.  Place in the 450 degree oven uncovered for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, baste the roast with the cooking liquid and continue cooking covered at 250 degrees for 45-50 minutes (its about 25 minutes per pound), or until the internal temp gets to 145 degrees.   

There are some nice drippings to use as a pan sauce.  Let the roast rest, covered for about 10-15 minutes before serving. While the roast rests on the counter, prepare the apples. 

Sautéed Apples

2 small-medium apples, peeled and diced

1 Tbs. butter

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

In a medium non-stick skillet melt the butter and add the diced apples over medium heat.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until apples start to soften.  Add about 1 tsp of water and cover and let cook for about 1 minute.  Apples should be soft enough to press with the back of the spoon to mash slightly.  Add the cinnamon and brown sugar and cook another minute. 

Instant Pot Cafe Rio style chicken

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I love Cafe Rio.  There is one just about 1 mile from my house, which is awesome.  But I also like cooking at home and having leftovers.  And I love my Instant Pot.  There are lots of recipes out and about for Cafe Rio.  I make no claims to this being exactly like theirs-but its close enough for me for a substitute for when I don't want to stand in line or circle the parking lot looking for a space.

Chicken
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (I use thighs because they cook up better than white meat in the instant pot)
1 C. chicken broth
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried onion pieces
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp dried chili flakes/red pepper flakes

Put all ingredients in the Instant Pot.  Set for 6 minutes then let it natural release for 7 minutes. Shred the chicken (I take the steaming hot chicken and a couple tablespoons of the liquid and put it in my KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment on low--watch it carefully and it will shred.  Don't walk away, you'll end up with mush). 

My dressing recipe is still on target for Cafe Rio--but everytime it seems to get better. 

In the Magic Bullet blender
1/4 C. milk
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonaise (NOT Miracle Whip)
2 tsp ranch dressing powder (Winco sells in in the bulk section, so I keep a jar handy)
small chunk of onion (like 1 tsp or so)
small chunk of jalepeno (like 1/2" slice off the end)
handful of cilantro, stems and leaves--about 1/4 c
juice from 1/2 a lime

Make up your salad or burrito with lettuce, guac, sour cream, tortilla chip strips, rice, beans, cheese.  I buy the foil pans at the Dollar Tree when I'm feeling fancy...but most of the time I just make it up on a plate (or pie pan).

Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot

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I've been using my Instant Pot plenty this year.  It helps me get dinner done in under 30 minutes, which is important when you work all day and are hungry once you get home.

The recipe I found on SweetandSavoryMeals was a good start...but I took a look at the ingredient list and knew there was way more garlic and ginger than I would like and I wanted to make sure I had plenty of orange flavor, and a trick I learned from America's Test Kitchen is to use frozen orange juice concentrate.  No breading on this chicken; but with orange juice concentrate, no one can say this is "healthy" but it has less carbs and calories than a fried and sauced version. Chicken thighs cook up really nicely in the Instant Pot (more fat, less likely to dry out and get rubbery than chicken breasts).


Meat
2 lbs  boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons  vegetable oil

1 tsp ginger, minced (I used the kind in a jar/bottle)

2 tsp garlic, minced (again from the jar)

Sauce:

3/4 C. water

4 oz of frozen orange juice concentrate

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 C. soy sauce

1-3 tsp sriracha sauce (I use 1)

zest from one orange

Cornstarch slurry 

1Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

In a bowl, mix up all the sauce ingredients and set aside. Turn the Instant Pot to saute and cook the chicken with the oil for about 3-4 minutes until the outside is lightly browned.   Add the ginger and garlic and stir for about a minute.  Pour the sauce ingredients in and scrape up the bottom of the pot of any brown bits (flavor!) Set the pot for 3 minutes--yup just 3 minutes.  (If you've cut your chicken into small bites and browned the outside, it will be close to being fully cooked before you set the Instant Pot).  After it has cooked at pressure for 3 minutes, let the chicken natural release for 3-5 minutes.  Open it up and stir in the cornstarch slurry and turn pot back to saute and cook until bubbly and slightly thicker.  Serve over rice or with veggies. 

Sweet and Sour version:  Try pineapple juice instead of water/oj concentrate.  Increase the vinegar to 2 tablespoons.  After you've cooked it and are adding in the cornstarch slurry, toss in a can of pineapple chunks. 

Deviled Baked Pork Chops

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I was watching America's Test Kitchen and realized I had all the ingredients I needed for this meal already in my house.  It was easy, didn't use many dishes and I added roasted potatoes and green beans as a sheet pan meal.  Perfect!

I used the recipe from the TV show, but here's a site that had it posted.
3 Tbs. butter 3/4 c. Panko bread crumbs 1/4 c. Dijon mustard 2 tsp packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp dry mustard 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 4 3/4 to 1-inch thick pork chops Directions: Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Spray a baking rack or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray Melt butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add panko and stir crumbs are golden. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together dijon mustard, brown sugar, dry mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Dry meat surface with paper towels. Brush tops and sides with mustard mixture. Sprinkle just the tops with panko crumbs. Place on baking rack and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until temperature reaches 140 degrees. For great sides, add some baby red/white/yukon potatoes and fresh green beans (I steam them in the microwave first, the coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and add for the last 20-25 minutes of baking).

Peruvian Pan Roasted Chicken

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There's a restaurant in St. George, Utah called Viva Chicken that I really like.  Since its a 4 1/2 hour drive, I don't get there as often as I would like.  I looked around for some recipes that might be similar and I've done 3 different dishes.

This is a super easy version of the chicken. I like to buy the frozen, boneless, skinless chicken thighs from Costco (I love chicken breast too, but the thighs bake up so nice and moist).

I used this recipe for the marinade, but I just dumped it in a zipper bag with the chicken thighs for about an hour.  I pounded the thighs a bit before marinating so that they were an even thickness.

To make a complete meal, I started with a glass baking dish and microwaved some baby red potatoes and fresh green beans (add 1/4 water and cover with plastic wrap) until they were tender, about 5-6 minutes.  Empty and left over water, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and put in a 400 degree oven.  If there's enough space in the vegetable pan, add the chicken--but if not, put the chicken in another parchment lined pan next to the vegetables and bake for about 15 minutes until cooked to 160 degree internal temp.


Another recipe I've tried from Viva Chicken is the stuffed avocado.  The fastest version is to buy the quinoa salad at Costco, balsamic glaze from Trader Joes and Sriacha mayo from the condiment aisle.  Pick a ripe avocado and cut it in half.  Spoon some quinoa salad into the hole, drizzle with balsamic and mayo.  If you want to add some chicken from the recipe above, it makes for a great lunch.

The last recipe I made was their chopped salad.  At the restaurant, they use the chicken, but I made it with leftover roast and it was delicious. Make a bed of lettuce (whatever kind you like) and top with avocado slices, corn (cut fresh off the cob is yummy, but thawed, frozen is fine), mango, crispy bacon, cilantro,  red cabbage, crunchy fried chickpeas (find them in the bulk bin at Winco) and use a cilantro ranch dressing (Costco sells one in the refrigerator section). 

Tomatillo Sauce and Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas

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Last Saturday was a gloomy day and I was cozy on the sofa watching PBS and came across Pati's Mexican Kitchen. I'd never seen it before, but everything sure looked great.  In particular was a green tomatillo sauce that she used on some tacos and as a side for dipping chips.

I love green sauce when I head out to Mexican restaurants--so I thought I'd try this one.  I made it on a Tuesday after work--it was super fast and easy to do on a work night.  I served it with tacos that night and the next night made up some chicken enchiladas!

Pati Jinich's Green Sauce

2 lbs tomatillos

1/4 c. white onion, rough chop

2 cloves garlic

1 Serrano (or jalapeño) pepper

1/2 bunch cilantro with stems

1 T. vegetable oil

salt to taste

Peel the husk off the tomatillos, rinse and  and place in a pot with the whole garlic and whole pepper.  Cover with water and bring to boil, cook about 8-10 minutes until tomatillos are soft. In your blender, blend about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, the tomatillos, garlic and pepper (if you think it will be too spicy, use just half the pepper).   Pulse until thick but not super smooth.  Add the onions and cilantro and puree again until its pretty smooth. 
 
Empty the cooking pot of any leftover cooking water  and heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and pour in the puree.  Simmer for about 20 minutes. If it seems a bit tart, try adding 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sugar.

I loved it so much, that the next day I made a triple batch of sauce and froze it to use in future recipes. I have a Latino grocery store near my house--and the ingredients there are usually super inexpensive (like I spent a total of about $4 for the triple batch ingredients).  If you've got a market like that, check it out!


My Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 cups green tomatillo sauce
6 corn or flour tortillas
1 pound cooked chicken, chopped (I used Costco rotisserie chicken)
1 can green chiles
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1 pound jack cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saute pan,  heat the oil over medium and then saute the onion until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Add the cumin and the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

In a mixing bowl, dump the chopped chicken, chiles, onion mix and about 1 cup of the shredded cheese and 1/2 cup of green sauce; stir to combine.

In an 8x8 baking dish, pour about 1/4 cup of the green sauce and spread over the bottom. Soften the tortillas (corn, a quick fry in oil or spray with oil and bake for a few minutes.  Flour, heat in the microwave for 15 seconds).  Fill each tortilla with the chicken mix.  Roll up and place seam side down into the dish.  Repeat.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.



Bake for about 30 minutes until bubbly (I sped things along by microwaving for about 3 minutes first, then adding the cheese on the top and finishing in the oven for 15 minutes).

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, chopped lettuce or tomatoes. 

Spicy Thai Noodles

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Do you love take out, but don't want to leave the house (or pay for the high cost of restaurant food?)  You gotta try these Thai-style spicy noodles.  I made this in about 35 minutes on a Monday after work.  I doubled the batch because I was taking dinner to a neighbor and her family.  A single batch was enough for 6 servings for me (but if you are feeding hungry teenagers, maybe only 4).  For the double batch ingredients (and the frozen potstickers) I spent around $20--not bad for about 12 servings of better-than-restaurant-quality food.

Ingredients

1 pound of linguine noodles (or any long noodles)

2 T. olive oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 cups zucchini, chopped

1 package mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced (I buy the pre-minced kind)

2 eggs, beaten

Sauce

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 T. sriacha sauce

3 T. brown sugar

2 1/2  T. fresh ginger, minced

Garnish

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 C. cilantro leaves, rough chop

1/4 C. peanuts, chopped 

 

In a large pot, boil the water and get the noodles cooking.  In a large non-stick skillet, heat the pan and fry the eggs.  Scramble them and dump them out onto a plate and wipe out the pan.  Heat the olive oil and toss in the red pepper flakes, zucchini and mushrooms.  Saute  on medium until veggies are tender but not mushy (probably around 5 minutes).  While the veggies are cooking, in a bowl or glass measuring cup mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, sriacha, brown sugar and ginger.  

When the noodles are done, drain and put back in the hot pot.  Dump in the cooked veggies along with the sauce.  Stir it all up.  Serve and garnish with the green onions, cilantro and peanuts.  

This dish is vegetarian, but you could easily add in chicken or shrimp (or leftover steak).  You could also squeeze some fresh lime on top.  I cooked up some frozen potstickers to go along with the noodles.  I also recommend  mango sticky rice for dessert!

Garlic Shrimp with Lime Cilantro Butter Sauce

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My mom made us this dinner and it was a perfect summer meal.  So quick and tasty.  I've made it several times since.  The recipe was modified from this recipe.  Since mom has a great crop of cilantro growing in the backyard, it made sense to use it (plus, we love the stuff).

You need about 10 minutes from start to finish if you use some ready made ingredients like the peeled shrimp from Costco and the jar of minced garlic.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 pound raw shrimp (shelled and tails off)
1 teaspoon of minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup real butter
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

8 oz spaghetti noodles


Boil the water and get the pasta cooking.  Once the pasta is boiling away, heat up a large saute pan. Add the butter, garlic, cayenne, salt and shrimp.  Cook on medium heat until shrimp turn pink (about 2 minutes per side).  Remove pan from heat and just before serving, add the fresh lime juice and cilantro and stir. Drain the noodles and add them to the butter and shrimp and toss.  Serve with some tasty bread and possibly a caprese salad.

Taste of Mexico

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I like Mexican food.  I like easy dinners.  So when BzzAgent sent me some new products to try that combined both of those things I was game.  Smith's Marketplace is having a Taste of Mexico festival for the month of June.  I decided to give the ready-made Barbacoa a try.




The meat is already cooked, all I had to do was microwave it for about 3 minutes, then open and shred it with a couple of forks.  The meat was not spicy-hot, but had lots of flavor and was moist. I added my own tortillas, cilantro and lime juice and served up corn on the cob on the side. 



Speaking of lime juice, I used this nifty Everyday Living citrus squeezer.  Cut the lime in half and put it in and squeeze out all the limey goodness.  Easy!  The squeezer would work with lemons or maybe even some small oranges.

Dinner prep took me less than 10 minutes from the time I opened the package until it was on the table.  Not bad for a weeknight dinner.  It made 6 servings, which I'd say is enough for two adults and two small kids or two hungry adults (I ate two and that was about right for me).

There are pork and chicken varieties too that are already cooked and look for the pre-seasoned fajita meat that you cook yourself. 


*I received Kroger products to try at no cost from BzzAgent, but was not paid for my review.  My opinions are all my own.

Fish Tacos with mango salsa and cilantro dressing

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I love the Hispanic grocery store near my house!  It always has great deals on produce to make tasty dishes, such as last night's dinner...fish tacos.  I forgot to take any pretty pictures of along the way, so you get a picture of my lunchtime leftovers (which were the envy of the breakroom).

Fish tacos are like regular tacos, you put whatever YOU want on them--but I think last night's combo was a winner. Makes enough salsa/dressing for about 8-9 tacos.

Ingredients

Fish, any type you like, cooked the way you like it (tilapia, halibut, broiled, deep fried...whatever)
Tortillas (I used flour)
Shredded cabbage
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Mango salsa
Cilantro dressing

Mango Salsa
1 ripe mango, diced (about 1 c.)
1/4 of a red onion, diced finely (about 1/4 c.)
1/2 jalapeno without the seeds, diced finely
juice of 1 lime
Cilantro, chopped (I probably had about 1/4 c.)

Mix it all together--add more or less of any of the ingredients that you like.

Cilantro Dressing (kinda like Cafe Rio)
Warning...I just added stuff as I went and eyeballed everything, so....my next batch may vary a bit, but it was TASTY

1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sour cream
1/3 bunch of cilantro, washed...stems and all
1 T. of diced red onion
1/2 jalapeno without the seeds
2-3 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. ranch dressing mix (powdered)
juice of 1 lime
dash of cumin
dash of garlic powder


Puree everything until smooth (my Magic Bullet is great for this).  I added milk until the dressing was the consistency I wanted.  I used less ranch mix to begin with and added a bit more as I went (I didn't want it too "ranchy").  For the "dash" I just did a small shake from the spice jar...again, less at first, more later if you want more. 

Now to the good part...

Assemble your tacos with fish, shredded cabbage, cilantro, salsa and dressing.  Squeeze some fresh lime on it.  Keep eating until it is GONE (which won't take too long).

Freezer Meals for a New Mom

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I am so excited for this weekend!  I get to go and see my new niece who is 3 weeks old.  Of course my plan is to just cuddle her the whole time, but I thought I could probably be of some help to my sister-in-law by bringing a cooler full of freezer meals.  I spent a few nights getting these all put together (if I had a whole day I could have done one of those cook-for-a-month-in-a-day things, but I only had evenings after work).  I made dishes that I know our family has always enjoyed and that would be really easy for them to prepare.  Many of the pins and blogs and recipe books about freezer meals had "mostly ready" meals where you had to stir fry the meat or cook side dishes, but I wanted things that were pretty much self contained.

I stopped at Dollar Tree and found packages of foil containers (4 for $1)--I thought I had enough rectangle ones, but oh well, lasagna in a round pan will taste just fine.   I ended up with 5 entrees, each making two pans...10 meals ready to go!  (Its just my brother and his wife needing the meals, so if you are making things for larger families, you could just use larger pans and end up with 5 meals, or double things up).



Enchiladas
16-20 Corn tortillas
1 1/2 lb. Shredded cooked chicken
1 small onion, diced and sauted

1/2 tsp cumin  
2 cans green enchilada sauce
8 oz. Shredded mexican cheese mix


Dice the onions and saute until soft and add cumin.   In a bowl, add the chicken, onion, half the cheese and about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce.  Clean out pan and heat some oil and lightly fry the tortillas (keep warm in paper towels while filling).   In the bottom of the baking pan spread some sauce. Fill each with about 1/4 cup of filling. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down in the pan.   Once the pan is full, pour sauce all over making sure all the tortillas are covered.    Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake from frozen:  350 for about 40-60 minutes.



Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
1 c. quick oats
1 sm. onion, finely diced
1 egg
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp each salt and pepper


Mix everything up in a bowl and place in a small loaf pan or disposable pan.   You can top the meatloaf with your favorite bbq sauce before baking, or make your own sauce by mixing ketchup and brown sugar. Freeze raw meatloaf (you'll get a better result than cooking and then freezing). When ready to cook:  Thaw in fridge overnight, then bake for 50 minutes at 450.  Serve with the twice baked potatoes. Or toss a couple baking potatoes into the oven about 15 minutes before you add the meatloaf to the oven. 
 

Twice Baked Potatoes
4 russet potatoes
milk
butter
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese

Bake the potatoes at 350 for about 60-80 minutes (depends on how big the potato) until tender.  While still hot, use a paper towel or pot holder to hold the potato while you cut it in half and scoop the potato into a bowl.  Add butter and milk and whip the potatoes with a mixer.  Refill the potato shells and top with a thin slice of cheddar cheese.  Cool, then freeze in a zipper bag.  To bake from frozen:  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  

 


Chicken Pot Pie
I used the America's Test Kitchen recipe (free sign up with your email address)
When ready to cook, put frozen pie in 400 degree oven for 40 minutes and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

chicken
celery
onion
carrots
chicken broth
frozen peas
flour
butter
prepared pie crust (I used the Betty Crocker mix)
 
 

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
1 lb chicken, cut into pieces
1 each red, green, yellow pepper, cut into same size pieces as chicken
1 onion, cut into pieces
2 carrots, sliced in rounds
3 mushrooms, sliced
2 T. green Thai curry mix (I buy a bottle of seasoning at Ross or TJ Maxx)
1 can coconut milk

Toss the chicken with the curry powder mix.  Put the chicken in the bottom of a zipper bag then pile up the veggies.  Freeze.  When ready to cook:  Thaw in fridge, toss in crock pot with a can of coconut milk for 4 hours on  high.  Serve over rice (I pre cooked rice and put it in a zipper bag too--thaw in fridge, reheat in microwave with a bit of extra water added).

 

Lasagna (makes 2-3 small casseroles)
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. basil (dry)
2 small cans crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
1/2 c. apple juice
1 tsp each salt and pepper
3 c. cottage cheese or ricotta
2 eggs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
2 T. parsley flakes
1 tsp salt and pepper
No-cook lasagna noodles (but I place them in a pan of hot tap water to soften)
1 lb Mozzarella, shredded

Cook the meat in a large pot.  Drain any excess fat.  Add the garlic and cook for about one minute.  Add tomatoes, paste, basil, apple juice, salt and pepper to the meat.

In a bowl, make the cheese mixture:  Cottage cheese (small curd), parmesan, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper.  Mix it well.

To make the casserole:  Put a bit of sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Layer noodle, then a layer of meat sauce, then a layer of cheese mixture, then shredded mozzarella.  Repeat the layers, ending with shredded mozzarella.

I chose to bake the lasagnas, then cool then freeze.  When ready to cook:  Bake for about 1 hour at 350 on a cookie sheet to catch any spillover.

Peach Pie
I had a few peaches from a neighbor's tree, so I made a single crust pie using the same technique I've done with freezer pies before.

4 C. peaches
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. instant tapioca
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. butter
prepared pie crust (I used just a top crust that I made with a Betty Crocker mix)

Mix it all together and put in a 8" pan, dot with butter and place the crust on the top. Freeze.  When ready to bake, do not defrost, just bake from frozen at 350 for about 1 hour (may need to wrap some foil around the edges to keep the crust from getting too brown). 

Artisan Bread-Easier than you think!

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This recipe is tasty! I was sitting next to a friend at choir rehearsal who was describing this super easy and tasty bread recipe and I knew I had to try it out. Apparently the recipe first showed up in the NY Times from Mark Bittman, but I found this version at Steamy Kitchen.

First, I had to hit the store because I did not have bread flour or instant yeast. This recipe is super easy, but it is not super fast. You have to start the dough the night before and you need to have a couple hours of raising time the day that you want to bake it. You don't need a fancy mixer, but you should have an enamel cast iron baking dish with a lid that can handle oven temps of 450 degrees.


Ingredients

3 C. bread flour (I used King Arthur)
1/4 t. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt (table)
1 1/2 C. warm water


In a med/large bowl add all the dry ingredients and stir. Add the water and stir it up until you get a messy lump of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set on the counter overnight.




The next day the bowl will have a light and fluffy dough. I laid out a dish towel and sprinkled it generously with flour and then dumped the contents of the bowl onto the towel. I used the edges of the towel to form the dough into a ball, then wrapped the cloth around it to let it rise for a couple hours.




As instructed by the Steamy Kitchen, the last 30 minutes of raising, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees with the baking dish inside the oven. I dumped the dough from the towel onto a piece of parchment paper and slipped it into the pot. Put the lid on the pot and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take the lid off and bake for another 10-15 minutes until it is a beautiful golden color. Remove it from the pot and let it cool on a wire rack.  NOTE:  After seeing America's Test Kitchen do this bread too, they didn't pre-heat the pot and it seemed to work fine.  Last time I did the bread, after I shaped the dough into a ball, I placed it on the parchment and right into my cast iron pot to rise and put it in the 450 degree oven when it was ready.  Seemed fine.  I also had a cold house that day, so I put the pot in the powder room with a space heater...it made it rise nice and fast).




I bundled up this gorgeous loaf of bread up with some homemade strawberry jam and a dishtowel that I imprinted with the Citrasolve method and took it as a gift to some good friends. When she served it at dinner, everyone wanted to know which bakery I had stopped at to pick it up! One friend immediately wanted to know how to make it because it reminded her of the kind of bread her husband loves from Portugal. So, it was a hit! Try it out, you will not be sorry :)