Spinach Lasagna With Italian Sausage

This uses the same cheese filling that is in the spinach rolls.  Make sure that the spinach is wrung dry between two towels to try get out as much liquid as possible. 

 

Sauce:
1 pd. Italian sausage
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. olive oil
3 (15oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
6 oz cans tomato paste
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 bay leaf

Cheese Filling:
16 oz container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
20-oz package frozen spinach, drained well
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Other:
4 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
cooked lasagna noodles

To prepare sauce:
Heat olive oil in skillet and sauté onions, and garlic until softened. Add Italian sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces. Once cooked, add tomatoes, tomato paste and sauce, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, bay leaf. Simmer on low until thick. Season with salt and pepper.

 

To prepare filling:

Add ricotta cheese, cooked drained spinach, eggs, basil, pepper, and Parmesan in bowl and mix well.

Assembly:

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sauce in bottom of 13 X 9 baking dish. Cover with noodles. Cover noodles with half of the cheese mixture. Spread evenly with about 1 cup of sauce. Top with 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat one more time. Add another layer of noodles and top with 1/4 cup extra Parmesan cheese and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees covered with foil for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown.

Chicken with bacon and garlic

The chicken in this recipe is ‘oh so tender’.  Whenever you are cutting the chicken breast into slices, make you that you are cutting across the grain for the most tender cuts.  As a time and mess saver, place the flour, salt and pepper in a large Ziploc baggie and shake to coat.  So much easier than coating each individual piece. 

 



½ C. flour

3 Chicken breast, sliced

2 C. Chicken stock

1 C. Dry Sherry

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Bacon slices, chopped

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

5 Garlic Cloves, sliced thin

2 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge in flour.  Cook bacon in skillet.  Remove and chop.  Add oil to skillet.  In batches, brown chicken on both sides.  Remove to a plate.  Saute garlic until golden brown.  Add stock, sherry and parsley.  Bring to simmer.  Return chicken to pan.  Simmer uncovered until thickened.  Serve over rice, noodles or in a sandwich.  Top with chopped bacon. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Pre-made seasoning can be so expensive.  And if your like me, when you get the craving for something with a Mexican flavor, you don't have those little packets.  We have been making this spice blend for so long, I can't remember when the last time was that I bought those little packets.  This is good for tacos, burritos, rice, etc.

 



½ C. Chili powder

2 Tbsp. Oregano, dried

2 Tbsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Mix all ingredients well. 

Ground turkey taquitos

These are not rolled as tightly as traditional taquitos nor fried in oil.  With the ground turkey instead of beef it's a little healthier than what you might normally make.  Chipotle peppers would mix in nicely if you like their flavor.  I love it, my husband doesn't.  If you do not want to make the taquitos, try topping the mixture over rice.     

 



Ingredients

2 Tbsp. + plus more Olive oil

1 C. yellow onion, chopped

1 C. bell pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt

1 lb ground turkey

2 Tbsp chili powder or taco seasoning

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 C. frozen corn

Mexican blend cheese

Corn tortillas

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Salsa

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add onions and bell pepper and cook until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 -3 minutes.  Add the ground turkey in the pan, season with salt and chili powder.  Cook the turkey, stirring until it is browned and cooked through, breaking into small pieces.  Add the corn.  Cook until heated through.  Remove from heat.  Stir in fresh chopped cilantro.  Lightly brush tortillas with oil.  Spoon 2 – 3 Tbsp. of turkey into corn tortillas.  Top with cheese.  Roll up sides and secure with toothpicks.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 20 – 25 minutes.  Serve with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

Spinach Rolls

Use your favorite spaghetti sauce with these rolls, whether it's homemade or store bought.  This makes alot of rolls, so it's perfect as an appetizer or as a buffet style entree.  We have made them for occasions like a Superbowl Party where everyone can help themselves.  Adjust all seasonings to taste.  Leftovers taste wonderful the next day, so plan to take some to work for lunch.

 

Cheese Filling:

16 oz container ricotta cheese

2 eggs

20-oz package frozen spinach, drained well

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Other:

1 cups mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 C. Spaghetti sauce
cooked lasagna noodles

Add ricotta cheese, cooked drained spinach, eggs, basil, pepper, and Parmesan in bowl and mix well.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sauce in bottom of 13 X 9 baking dish.
On workspace, lay one noodle flat. Spread noodle with a couple of tablespoons of the cheese mixture, spreading to 1/2 inch of far edge.  Roll up and place in baking dish seam side down.  Repeat.  Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.  Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees covered with foil for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown.

Cuban Bean Soup

This is a very comforting soup and a great way to use up left over ham.  This is what we usually end up doing with our leftover spiral or picnic ham. If you prefer, you can do away with the ham hocks all together and add 1 C. diced ham from the leftovers instead.  Flavor the onions when you sauté them with bacon grease to add the depth of flavor you would get from the hocks.  It tends to have enough salt from the ham and does not need to have any more added to it.

 

1Lg. Onion, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
60 Oz. Canned Black beans, drained and rinsed
28 Oz. Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Cumin
½ tsp. Oregano
2 Ham Hocks
Boiled Egg, peeled and chopped

Mix onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and pepper. Top with ham hocks. Cook until light golden, adding some grease if necessary. Add broth and beans. Cook until thick and beans are tender. Remove hocks and cool slightly. Shred meat from hocks. Return to pot. Add lemon juice. Top with chopped egg, or top with sour cream.

Mexican Beef

This recipe can be made into many different dishes.  We usually eat the beef in tacos and then with the leftovers have enchiladas or quesadillas.   The beef is also excellent as a topping for nachos.  The chipotles can be overwhelming, so vary the amount depending on your taste.  This dish is also excellent using chicken instead of the beef, just adjust your cooking times down.

 

3 Pd. Beef chuck roast, trimmed
14 Oz. Tomatoes, Diced
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chipotle chilies in Adobe Sauce, minced


Cut beef into 4 pieces. Rub beef with the dry spices. In a crockpot, add the tomatoes and chipotles. Mix well. Add beef to crockpot, along with any remaining spices. Spoon some of the tomatoes on top of beef. Cook on high for 8 – 10 hours until beef is tender. Remove beef to a platter and shred. Return beef to sauce and mix well.