Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Deconstructed Lasagna

August 20, 2008 · Narrative

I’m a firm believer that everything is better with bacon.  And cheese.  And my friend Gwen says everything is better with bourbon.  Now, I’d like to add wine to the list.  I don’t particularly care for wine by itself, although I am a big fan of it in a mixed drink (hello Mom Juice!) and cooking with it.   Cooking with wine is a simple way to take a recipe to a whole ‘nother level.   It gives the dish a deeper flavor level, and in a lot of cases, the cook-all-day taste.

Enter Two Sauce Weeknight Lasagna Bowls.  Leave it to Rachael Ray to have a long name for a simple recipe.  I’m calling it Deconstructed Lasagna.  So there.  I happened to catch a recent episode of her 30 Minute Meals show on Food Network, and this was one of the dishes she made.  It has a lot of the components of traditional lasagna, without the extra time spent in the kitchen to make it.  Now we’re talking. 

In a nutshell, you make the white sauce and coat the pasta with it.  When serving it, you put a couple spoonfuls of the red meat sauce in the middle of the bowl.  By the time the bites get to your mouth, your tastebuds will think “lasagna.”  And with 30 minutes from start to finish (yes, that’s exactly how long it took me), that’s a pretty good trick.  And the wine?  Makes the sauce amazingly good.  Like almost moaning good, and that’s a great compliment for a 30 minute recipe.

Give this one a try the next time you’re craving lasagna.  It’s a tasteworthy reward for little effort.

With the herbs and spices in this one, I’m sending it to Kalyn’s Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted by Cooking 4 All Seasons this weekend.

Hungry for more lasagna recipes?
Elise at Simply Recipes goes classic with a reader’s version of lasagna.
Cooking with Amy goes with an eggplant version.
If you have basil to put to use, you may want to try Andrea’s Spinach and Basil Lasagna.
The Leftover Queen tries out a polenta version with fire-roasted tomatoes.

Two Sauce Weeknight Lasagna Bowls
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2008

Classic lasagna in my family is made by layering thin lasagna noodles, preferable egg pasta, with layers of bechamel or white sauce, and a light meat sauce. Here, curly short-cut pasta is topped with the white sauce and topped with a rich meat sauce for mixing in.

Salt
1 pound Campanelle pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, a couple of thick slices, chopped
3/4 pound ground beef pork and veal mix or ground beef
1/2 large carrot, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1 small to medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, 2 chopped or grated, 1 peeled
1/2 teaspoon allspice, a couple of pinches (I skipped)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Nutmeg, to taste (I skipped)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus some to pass at table
A handful fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Heat large pot of water to a boil, salt water and cook pasta to al dente. While pasta water comes to a boil, heat olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat, add pancetta and render 2 to 3 minutes then add meat and break up as it browns. When the meat has begun to caramelize and develops a nice brown color, 4 to 5 minutes, add carrot, onion, 2 cloves of garlic, allspice, salt and pepper and a bay leaf. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more to soften onions and carrots bits then stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in wine and cook out 1 minute then stir in stock and reduce heat to simmer.While red sauce cooks, cut remaining whole clove of garlic and rub the inside of a medium sauce pot with it. Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add in flour and whisk together a minute or so then whisk in milk and bring to a bubble, reduce heat then season sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg, thicken 8 to 10 minutes.Toss pasta with white sauce and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Serve pasta in individual bowls and top with a ladle of meat sauce in the middle of the bowl for mixing in. Garnish with parsley.

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Tommy V says

    August 20, 2008 at 11:52 pm

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm that looks good. I will have to try it.

    Reply
  2. Kristen says

    August 21, 2008 at 8:01 am

    I love the thought of this recipe. Such a great idea and much less time consuming!

    Reply
  3. Kris says

    August 21, 2008 at 8:11 am

    Just printed this out for a “Must try soon” dinner.

    Reply
  4. Patsy says

    August 21, 2008 at 8:18 am

    I love when one of her recipes really hits the table in 30 minutes! This one looks like a winner!

    Reply
  5. claire says

    August 21, 2008 at 10:58 am

    I have a recipe that was a favorite of mine when I was a kid. We called it “fake lasagna.” It looks very similar to this but uses cream cheese in the white sauce. It is SO good and very simple. I’ll have to pull out the recipe and send it to you.

    Reply
  6. Srivalli says

    August 21, 2008 at 11:18 am

    thanks for the lovely entry!

    Reply
  7. shannon says

    August 21, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    Yum! Looks great. I can’t wait to try it. The family all loves lasagna, but it is one thing I hate to make. Too much effort.

    Reply
  8. Aggie says

    August 23, 2008 at 9:38 pm

    I like this Deconstructed Lasagna! Looks delish!

    Thanks for visiting my blog! Hope you post your Gruyere and Ham pizza!! That sounds awesome!

    Reply
  9. Kim/hormone-colored days says

    August 24, 2008 at 10:32 am

    The last time I made lasagna, I had my husband cooke the noodles and he made too many. I also had extras of some of the other ingredients. So the next night, I simply heated them all up in a pot and told my boys it was “Lasagna Mix-up.” It didn’t look pretty, but it tasted like lasagna and everyone ate it up.

    Reply
  10. Susan says

    August 25, 2008 at 11:02 am

    I made my own version of this over the weekend and it was fabulous. I’ve renamed it Mock-sagna. :-P

    Reply
  11. Kalyn says

    August 30, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    Sorry I am so slow at catching up on the WHB entries. I had a very rough week going back to school! Sounds tasty. Sometimes RR really comes up with a good one.

    Reply
  12. George says

    May 8, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    It is true that everything is better with bacon and cheese. Only one thing is even better though – organic bacon and organic cheese.

    Reply

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Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.

Pinterest

Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!

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