Giada's lasagna rolls

Sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

1 large egg, beaten to blend

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 cups marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking. Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

(photo courtesy of www.foodnetwork.com)

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables - Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

*This was super easy and really yummy. I just used regular mozzarella cheese instead of the smoked. I did find fontina cheese but I am sure you could use mozzarella for that too. I read some reviews that said they just used the italian blend of cheese for the whole thing. Whatever you would like.

Orange Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

This was a super easy recipe. I used fresh (not frozen) stir-fry vegetables from Trader Joes. They have them all cut up and packaged for you, it's so easy! (find them in the section with the lettuce and veggies). I also used Trader Joes stir fry sauce but you could substitute any brand stir fry sauce, or hoisin sauce is also great. Enjoy!

1 lb. chicken breast, cut up in chunks

1 bag of fresh stir fry veggies from Trader Joes (Or you could do all the work yourself and cut up broccoli, snow peas, peppers, bok choy, napa cabbage, carrots, etc.)

1/2 cup (estimate) orange juice

1/2 cup (estimate) Trader Joes stir fry sauce

Cashew pieces (I don't know how much I put in, just put as much as you like)

Jasmine rice cooked

Brown chicken breast in skillet with a little bit of olive oil. When almost done cooking, add stir fry veggies. Sautee together until chicken is cooked through (just a few minutes). Add orange juice and continue sauteeing the veggies until they are cooked all the way through. Add the stir fry sauce the last couple of minutes. Continue cooking until all heated through and veggies and chicken are cooked completely. Add cashews and stir together. Serve over cooked jasmine rice.

Sesame Peanut Noodles

*I found this recipe on the "cook yourself thin" website from the show on Lifetime. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be and has a lot of random ingredients. But if you are up for something adventurous it is definitely worth a try!

For the noodles:

8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons grated ginger

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 lime

1/2 cup hot water

For assembling:

1/2 bag store-bought coleslaw mix

1/2 cup red pepper

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 lime, squeezed

1/2 cup apple
1/2 cup jicama

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

2 scallions, julienne

1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts, for garnish

Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Lime wedges, for garnish

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta, and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and run under cold water.

2. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Add the dressing to the pasta and toss. Stir in the coleslaw mix, red pepper and cilantro. Squeeze a half of a lime over the mixture, and toss.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, toss and refrigerate for one hour. Garnish with peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges. Serve.

Southern Brisket

4-5 lb Brisket
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. onion salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. celery salt or seed

Mix together and rub into both sides of meat. Bake in a heavy closed-foil pan at 225 degrees for 8 hours or overnight. Pour most of the liquid off and reseal. Refrigerate until cold. Slice thin. Add 2 cups sauce and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Sauce
1 cup Russian dressing
1 cup sugar
1 cup BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is the best)

*I would suggest using an oven thermometer because I have ruined it once or twice due to an oven being too hot. Also make sure the foil is really tight. I use 2-3 sheets.

Crepes

4 eggs
2 c flour
1.5 c milk
1 c water
6 tbs melted butter

For sweeter crepes:
2 tbs vanilla
4 tbs sugar

Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl, (temper melted butter so it doesn't cook eggs before adding to mix) Whisk well. Rest in fridge for 20-30 minutes to let bubbles subside (I'm usually too lazy to do this, and haven't noticed a difference...but you probably should) Heat large frying pan to medium, and coat w/ cooking spray. Pour 1/2 c crepe batter in center of pan and swirl to coat. Cook until the crepe slips in pan when you give it a firm shake. (usually about 30-45 second) Slide spatula under crepe and slowly flip (crepes can easily tear at this point, so be careful) Let cook another 10-15 seconds to preferred doneness. Slide crepe out of pan to cool. COAT PAN W/ COOKING SPRAY AFTER EACH CREPE.


For me, this recipe make about a dozen large crepes. You may want to halve recipe.

Chicken Roll-ups

This is a great recipe that my mom always made for us growing up. It is easy and delicious!

- 2 packages crescent rolls
- 2-3 cups diced or shredded chicken
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
- 1 1/2 cans of milk (use the empty soup cans)

1. Mix together the diced chicken and cheese.
2. Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk. Pour just enough of soup mixture on bottom of 9x13 pan to cover the bottom.
3. Open the crescent rolls. Stretch each one out. Put a large spoonful of chicken mixture on the wide part of the crescent roll. Roll up and fold the ends over the middle. Place rolls in 9x13 pan.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
5. Warm up remainder of soup mixture and pour over baked roll-ups.
6. Enjoy!!