#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Recipe: Hearty and Easy Lasagna

March 22, 2011 · Narrative

Money ShotI love a good splatter on a casserole dish. It’s when you know that good comfort food awaits.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not a very good Italian.  I need to represent my heritage a little better, because truth be told, I don’t cook a lot of Italian food.  Sure, nearly every holiday starts with our traditional Antipasto, and we have pasta a couple times a month, but platters of ziti, stuffed shells and lasagna are not always simmering from my stove-top.  Nor is cook-all-day sauce.  I should work on that.  So many dishes, so little time.

Last Friday night, Nick and I had some one on one time, and a friend was kind enough to stay at the house to watch Madeline.  In exchange, I offered to make them whatever she wanted for dinner, and lasagna was requested first.  And then stuffed shells.  And then my friend couldn’t decide.  I said I would surprise her and ended up going with lasagna.  I can’t remember the last time I made it, or even had it.  Nick went through a phase a few years ago when he wanted it every time I turned around.  And then he wanted nothing more to do with it.

In the grand scheme of things, lasagna has always seemed like one of those things that you don’t really need a recipe for.  Layer noodles, sauce, meat, cheese, repeat.  The recipe below is how I usually make our lasagna, but think of it as a guideline.  Sometimes I add sausage to the meat portion of it.  Sometimes I add different kinds of cheese.  But the recipe remains the constant framework for how the dish comes together.  I always add the spinach in with the cheese.  The kids can see it (I am SO not a fan of disguising vegetables) and will eat it just fine.  I get a little more green vegetables in their little bellies and it’s such a small dose of it, they don’t complain.  Winner, winner, lasagna dinner.

Creamy and Delicious

Now to catch up on a few programming notes.  If you’re looking for more recipes, do pop on over to Betty Crocker’s web site and check out my newest additions over there:

  • Banana Walnut Pancakes, one of Nick’s favorites.  Gosh, I do love that photo.  Nothing like a little dripping maple syrup to start your day off right.
  • Three-Cheese Vegetable Quiche.  I lived on this for a week – best lunch ever.  I wanted to make something quiche-like, but more vegetables and less egg.  This was the result.
  • Carmelized Shallot Sausage Con Queso.  You think the picture looks good?  Wait ’till you taste the queso.  Melted cheese is a weakness for me, and after a few bites of this queso, I had to give the rest of it away.  Pronto.  The temptation was far too great.
  • Double Cheese Chicken Fingers.  Baked.  Not fried.  Love that.

And lastly, a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be a co-host for a Virtual Cooking Class sponsored by The Motherhood and Con Agra.  If you missed the class, you might want to check out the transcript from it.  The one hour went by crazyfast, but it was packed with all sorts of excellent ideas for desserts, sinful and otherwise.

Project 365
March 22, 2011, Photo #79

Pink Lemonade NecklaceThree compliments today on the maiden voyage of this new necklace I bought recently. From an online store. Owned and run by a 15-year-old. Totally feeling like an underachiever now, but still loving the necklace.

Hearty and Easy Lasagna
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef (I use 93% lean)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1-1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 ounces ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 package frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
1 package oven-ready lasagna noodles (you will need 9 noodles)
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion until it is translucent.  Remove onion from pan and set aside.  Cook beef in the same pan until brown. Drain. Add onion back to pan with beef, and add in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, about five minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.

While sauce is simmering, in a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, Parmesan and egg until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.  Spread 1-1/2 cup of the tomato/beef sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish, using more or less, but enough to make sure the bottom of the dish is covered.   Cover the sauce with three lasagna noodles, laying them side by side.

Cover with one cup of sauce.  Top the sauce with half of the mozzarella.  Add another set of noodles, sauce and then top with the ricotta mixture.  Top with another three noodles and the remaining sauce.  Bake for thirty minutes.  Remove from oven and add remaining mozzarella and bake another 15 minutes, until bubbly.

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: Betty Crocker, Chicken Fingers, Con Agra, lasagna, Queso, quiche, The Motherhood, Vegetable Tart

Comments

  1. cathy says

    March 22, 2011 at 8:01 pm

    I checked out the quiche recipe – how much gorgonzola? it’s not in the ingredient list…

    Reply
  2. Cate says

    March 22, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    Good catch. Just dropped my editors a note to include the omission. It should be have included 1-2 Tablespoons Gorgonzola, crumbled.

    Reply
  3. Casey says

    March 22, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    Love that necklace! Super cute.

    Lasagna looks good. I need some “bulk” food recipes for many visitors coming in the next couple of months. 4 families this week alone!

    Reply
  4. Joanne says

    March 23, 2011 at 6:17 am

    My parents are always on the verge of disowning me when I tell them my favorite food is curry and not pasta. I do love pasta. I just love curry more. So yeah, sometimes I feel like a bad Italian also. :P

    Lasagna is absolutely one of my favorite dishes! I love how once you make it a few times, it becomes muscle memory. So good.

    Reply
  5. Kris #40 says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:56 am

    Great recipes!

    Cute necklace! We should have crafting night to duplicate it – have the instructions for it.

    Check out this necklace –
    http://littlemissmomma.blogspot.com/2010/12/pom-pom-bib-necklace-tutorial-lmm.html

    Was never able to duplicate that ribbon bracelet – can’t figure out how to fold the ribbon – I keep trying every so often because the ribbon is on my counter. I needed to see it in person.

    Reply
  6. Ramona says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:22 am

    Lasagna is a favorite of mine. Hubby won’t touch it.

    I like the necklace. Glad you and Nick got some one on one time.

    Reply
  7. Meg says

    March 24, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    Ooh, I could definitely tuck into some lasagna right now! Great comfort food. Your recipe sounds great!

    And I love that necklace — so unique! Turquoise is rapidly becoming an obsession of mine.

    Reply

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

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