Vegetable Lasagna

I had some friends come over to watch So You Think You Can Dance last night. If you don't watch the show you should, because there are some fierce dancers on it! And if you do watch the show...who do you want to win? I am rooting for Kayla...she has A-Mazing extensions and control, not to mention miles of personality!

Anyways, I made lasagna for dinner. I admit it. I was a lasagna virgin. I was nervous, but pushed through. It was worth it. Yum! I will be eating these leftovers happily for the next several days!

Vegetable Lasagna
Adapted from All Recipes

1 package whole wheat lasagna noodles
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper (I used red)
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup sliced zucchini
3/4 cup sliced carrot
Spinach
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar pasta sauce (I added basil, garlic, pepper and cayenne to my store-bought sauce)
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Cook the lasagna noodles according to directions on box. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large saucepan, cook and stir mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, carrot, garlic and oil. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 15 minutes.

Mix together ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella and eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread tomato sauce into the bottom of a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Layer 1/2 each, lasagna noodles, ricotta mix, spinach, sauce. Repeat layering and top with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.

Bake for about 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Like I said before, I am doing a major pantry clean out. How exciting! I just stuffed whatever add-ins I had left in these cookies. They turned out yummy. Definitely not a recipe I will make over and over again, but they were still good, and I am sure they would be good with anything you decided to throw in!

Our cookie jar is now overflowing...

Kitchen Sink Cookies
Martha Stewart

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee bits
1 cup unsweetened flake coconut
1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and blend until completely combined. Fold in the oats, chocolate chips, toffee bits, coconut and almonds. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes.

Oreo Mint Ice Cream

It's national ice cream month! Plus it's uber hot and humid here. Put the two together and you get lots of ice cream made by Sugar. I think my favorite kind of ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip. Spice hates anything minty, though, so I haven't made it since I got my ice cream maker. The time has come my little friends.

I got this Ben and Jerry's recipe for Oreo Mint from their Ice Cream and Desserts Book. I think I much prefer Mint Chocolate Chip to the Oreo's in this....although I'm not complaining! I did really like the mint base, though. Very creamy and delicious. And perfect after a long night of rehearsal!

Can I also say how frustrating it is trying to photograph ice cream during day light hours? I don't want to put it in a bowl in the morning just to photograph it before I leave the house, and then it is always dark when I get home at night! Grrr!

Oreo Mint
Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts Book

2/3 cup coarsely chopped oreos (I put in about 1 cup cause I likes da chocolate!)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
(and I added 10-15 drops of green food coloring for the loverly pale green color)

Place the cookies in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minutes more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend. Add the peppermint extract and food coloring and blend again.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

About 2 minutes before ice cream is done, add the chopped cookies and continue freezing until ready.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made two kinds of cookies this past weekend in attempts to get rid of some random stuff I had in my pantry. Actually, I don't really have a pantry. It's New York. I have a cabinet with food in it. ANYWAYS, these cookies were a HUGE hit in our apartment. Spice said the cherries were such a pleasant surprise when you took a bite and a house guest dared Spice that she couldn't eat just one. I think she lost the dare =)

Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup dried cherries
4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup toffee pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg and combine. Add the vanilla and combine. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the oats, cherries, chocolate and toffee. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.

Classic Whole Wheat Bread

Spice made whole wheat bread the other day from the recipe on the back of King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour.

The bread as great. I think it would be great sandwich bread because it could be sliced fairly thinly. We also enjoyed it with butter on it. Yum. Spice said that she put in all molasses, but next time she would do half molasses and half honey. I think you could make lots of changes like that to this bread, and it would still work out.

Classic Whole Wheat Bread

From King Arthur's Flour

1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup

3 1/2 cups wole wheat flour

1/4 cup nonfat dried milk

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough becomes smooth and supple. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow dough to rise, about 60 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and shape into an 8-inch log. Place log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after about 20 minutes.