on the spot

A while back I bought a pack of whole wheat oven ready lasagne noodles on sale at Target, and haven't known what to use them for. I don't make lasagne too often since it's a pretty hefty meal, and I didn't want to mess with a classic. And since using whole wheat noodles means the meal is healthy, I thought I'd try to stick to a theme and make a healthier lasagne. And since I've been on a spinach kick, I decided that's where I was going to start. I made a simple bechamel sauce with the spinach and layered with leftover homemade pizza sauce I had in the freezer. And I shredded up a rotisserie chicken, and it was really good. You have to try it! Of course go ahead and use normal oven ready lasagne noodles if you cant find whole wheat ones. But just so you know, I didn't even notice a difference in texture. I was really pleased.

Creamy Spinach Lasagne
1-9x13 inch pan
1 pack whole wheat oven ready lasagne noodles
3 C 1 % milk (or feel free to use full fat or 2% just don't use skim!)
3 T flour
1/2 onion, minced
9 0z spinach leaves
1-1/2 C homemade pizza sauce or other tomato sauce
2 T butter
1/4 t or less of finely grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 C mozzarella cheese
1/2 C finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and cook the onions until soft and translucent but not browned. Add flour and whisk to combine. Cook the flour for about 30 seconds to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add milk, about 1/2 C at a time, whisking continuously until it's all encorporated and smooth. Stir in the nutmeg.
2. Add spinach and gently fold into the bechamel until all of the spinach is wilted.
3. In a 9x13 baking dish, put about 1/4 ~ 1/2 C red sauce in the bottom and place 3 noodles. Then Top with white sauce, mozzarella cheese, and about 1/3 C chicken. Place 3 more noodle sheets, top with red sauce. Repeat layers until you run out of noodles. Add the parmesan or pecorino romano cheese on top.
4. Cover and bake at 375° for 40 minutes, remove the foil and turn the broiler on and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and browned. Take out of the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
   

mmmmm

Last week we went to the Cheesecake Factory with our friends, Kerstin and Jared. And I've been dreaming in cheesecake for a week. And so has Kerstin. So we decided we needed to make our own. I have a recipe I'd been meaning to try from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook, that Blake gave me as a wedding gift. So, we decided it was worth the risk to try. And oh my gosh am I sure glad we made it. Seriously, it was incredible. My only complaint would be the crust. I thought it was a little too soft, not enough crunch, and maybe slightly too sweet. And I might even be so bold as to say it wouldn't hurt to have a whole vanilla bean in the the sour cream topping and the filling instead of 1/2 bean in each. But other than that, it really was pretty perfect.

Thanks to my amazing sister Lisa (yet again) for sending me some vanilla beans. I finally had something I feel was worthwhile enough to use my precious beans for.

Very Vanilla Cheesecake
from The Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook
Crust:
1-1/2 C graham cracker crumbs (from 10-5 x 2.5 inch graham crackers)
1/3 C sugar
4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
pinch of kosher salt

Filling:
4 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
1-1/2 t pure vanilla extract
contents of 1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 t kosher salt
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese at room temperature
1 C sugar

Topping:
3 C sour cream
1/2 C sugar
1 t vanilla extract
contents of 1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 t kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 9 inch spring form pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
2. To make the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Using your fingers, press the mixture evenly into the bottom and one third of the way u the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool, about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven to 325°.
3. To make the filling:Combine the eggs, vanilla extract, contents of 1/2 vanilla bean, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue beating until light and creamy, about 30 seconds. With the mixer running, slowly add the egg mixture in three additions, scraping the sides after each addition. Do not overbeat; it too much air is incorporated, the cheesecake will crack. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Put the pan on a baking sheet and bake until the cheesecake is just barely set in the center (it will still jiggle a little), 45~55 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, lightly beat the sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract, contents of 1/2 of a vanilla bean, and kosher salt about 1 minutse on low speed until incorporated. Remove cheesecake from the oven. Spread the topping over the cheesecake and bake for 5 minutes. Trasnfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight before serving.
   

quick breakfast

Last night we had a sinful dessert (you'll see in the next post) so I decided it was time for a healthy start to our day. So I made a simple frittata and had some whole grain toast on the side, and we were happy. What a great day.

Simple breakfast frittata
serves 2
4 eggs
3~4 T low-fat milk
one small handful of greens (I like spinach or parsley)
1/4 C finely grated pecorino romano cheese
canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat broiler. Using a fork, gently mix together the milk, eggs, salt, and pepper together.
2. In a small skillet, heat the oil to medium heat until shimmering. Add the eggs, and with a silicone spatula, pull in the sides once in a while. Add spinach and continue.
   
3. Once the eggs are set on the bottom but will runny on top, sprinkle the cheese and place the skillet under the broiler for 3~5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned and bubbly.
4. Pull out of the oven and let rest for a couple of minutes. Release from the skillet and cut into wedges to serve.
   

discovery

Have you discovered Rachel's Yogurt? Love it. You have to try it. I found an ad for it on someone's blog, and I was hooked. I was so sad that the grapefruit lychee flavor was sold out today at Target. Can't wait to try that one. But I had plum honey lavendar today, and it was amazing. Perfect end to my dinner.

regular dinner

This is one of our favorite dinners so I'm surprised I've never posted it before. It's really simple and it's a nice change from the usual pasta, rice, potatoes, or bread for the side. The flavors remind me of Chicken Marsala from Buca Di Beppo. Mmmm.

Braised Chicken with mushrooms and creamy polenta
serves 4
braised chicken and mushrooms
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz each)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 T olive oil
1 lb white button mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 C dry white wine
1 C reduce-sodium chicken broth
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken; cook until lightly broned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the hot skillet. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and 1/2 t salt. Cover; cook over medium heat until the mushrooms release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid. Cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Pour the wine into the skillet; cook, stirring, until evaporated, 1 minutes. Add the stock and 3 T of parsley; cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover; simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the cutlets and and polenta topped with mushrooms and a drizzle of cooking liquid. Garnish with additional fresh parsley.

soft polenta
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
3/4 C yellow cornmeal or polenta (not quick-cooking)
1/4 C finely grated cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Pecorino Romano, or Cheddar)
1 T butter
2 C milk (you can also make it with 4 C water and omit the milk, if you want)

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 C water, 2 C milk, 1-1/4 t salt, and 1/8 t pepper to a boil over high heat. Whisking constantly, very gradually add the cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking until snooth before adding more.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low; simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the cheese and butter until smooth. Serve immediately.
   

Sunday Dinner

For dinner tonight I decided to make something new. And since chicken and asparagus were both on sale at Meijer this week, I decided to do something with them. I searched through my cookbooks and found a recipe for "garlic marinated chicken" that had grilled chicken, asparagus, and potatoes. I already had some rosemary balsamic vinaigrette that I had made earlier in the week, so I decided to use that as the marinade instead. I added 1 head of garlic (I know what you're thinking, but I was in the mood for GARLIC, and it was really good, I promise), minced, and it was perfect. And the whole meal took me about 20~25 minutes, excluding marinating time. And the potatoes were perfectly the crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, the asparagus was nice and tender but not overcooked, and the chicken was not tough at all! I kept having to check to make sure it was cooked all the way through because it was so tender. And don't worry, it was totally cooked through. Anyway, you have to try this out at home. Most ingredients are really affordable, and the rest were on sale. But you can replace the fresh rosemary for dried (just use about 1/4 t instead of the 1T), and you can totally use a cheaper vegetable like broccoli instead of the asparagus. Like I said, I was just lucky because it was on sale. And feel free to use yukon gold or russet potatoes instead of the baby potatoes. Just make sure and cut them into bite-sized pieces so they will cook quickly.

Garlic Marinated Chicken Dinner
Serve 2~4 (depending on how hungry you are;))

and that is, in fact, steam rising from the potatoes. mmmmmmmm.

2 medium sized chicken breasts, cut into 2 equal pieces horizontally, and pounded flat to make them even and thin.
1 lb aparagus
1 lb small red potatoes

coarse salt
pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
olive oil

Rosemary garlic vinaigrette:

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt,
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a deep dish, place the chicken breasts , trying not to overlap them. Pour in about 1/2 C of the vinaigrette over them, turn them over to coat. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cut the potatoes in half, or if they are small ones leave them whole. Place them in a 9x13 baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper, and toss to coat. Place them in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
3. Snap the bottom off of the asparagus and peel the skin off of the last inch or so. Cut on the bias every 1.5~2 inches. Toss with salt, pepper, olive oil, and minced garlic. Place on a cookie sheet and place in the oven with the potatoes during the last 10 minutes.
4. On a large skillet heated to medium high, pour about 1 T oil. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken breasts on the skillet after shaking off the excess marinade. Don't move them around. Once the bottom is browned, flip them over and cook through (but don't over cook them).
5. Arrange them all on a large platter and let everyone serve themselves.
   

new treat

Lately I've been looking for a new idea for my etsy shop . It seems that only one item was selling well. And people who buy through etsy seem to like unique ideas, so I had to come up with something that was easy for me to make and something nobody else sells.

I suddenly remembered one of my favorite lotions from bath & body works, "coconut lime verbena" and decided I needed to try something along those lines. All of my other cookies were very rich flavors and I needed something bright for the upcoming Spring. So here is the recipe for my new coconut lime tea cookies. Super easy to make, and really tasty. Just don't burn the coconut when you toast it. I actually had mine come up in flames once ... suuuuuuuper scary.

Coconut Lime Tea Cookies
makes 2.5 dozen 1 inch cookies1-1/2 C toasted sweetened coconut flakes
2~3 T fresh sweetened coconut flakes
2/3 C granulated sugar
zest of 3 limes
juice of 3 limes
2-1/4 C flour
3/4 C (1/5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 t kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.
2. With the whisk attachment in place, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add lime juice and zest and whisk until combined.
   
3. Add 1 C flour along with the salt and once that is encorporated, switch to the paddle attachment and slowly add the coconut flakes and the rest of the flour.
4. For each cookie, take about 1 T of dough and form into a ball in your hand and place it on the baking sheet. Take a pinch of the fresh sweetened coconut flakes and press them into the middle of the ball of cookie dough. Press down with two flat fingers. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
5. Bake at 325° for 19 minutes or until the coconut flakes on top barely start to brown. Let them cool completely. Store them in an airtight container.
   

happy memories

When I was a kid, there was a restaurant up the street from our house that I always looked forward to going to. From what I remember it was a steak house, and I love steak so that's all I ever ordered there. But my mom always got the amazing Korean dish, bi bim bop. And every time she got it and would give me a taste, I felt defeated in knowing that yet again she won the best dish of the night award. Well, in the last few years I've gone to several different Korean restaurants and never had bi bim bop that was quite as good as what I remember. And last week my sister made it for her family and said it was fairly easy, so I decided it was time that I create it for myself. It was going to be my new "I need to perfect this recipe" project. I went from website to website, looking up different recipes, and what I realized was that everyone has their own way of making it. So I kind of just did things my own way, just made sure it was very Korean.

And oh my gosh I am so glad I did! It was perfect. I'm sure I can still improve on it, but I was sure satisfied. It was as good as I remember, and it was actually really easy. So please try to this at home. You won't be disappointed.

Bi Bim Bop
serves 2
Just a note: usually this dish is served with a fried egg on top, which I LOVE, but if you aren't a hug fan or runny fried eggs, you can scramble and egg or make a simple scrambled egg pancake and slice it really thin, like I did for Blake's (below).2 eggs
1/2 lb steak, sliced very thin
1/2 lb bean sprouts
1 carrot, grated lengthwise
1/2 english cucumber, grated lengthwise
4 oz baby spinach
1 scallion
soy sauce
sesame oil
1 tsp granulated sugar
Korean barbecue sauce*
toasted sesame seeds

2 servings of white rice

1. Marinate the steak in the Korean barbecue sauce for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, blanch the bean sprouts, drain, and place in a bowl. Add 1 t soy sauce, 2 t sesame oil, 1 t granulated sugar, and 2 t sesame seeds (those are very flexible measurement. Feel free to do it to taste). Toss to combine, and set aside.
3. Boil the spinach until barely wilted, drain, and place in a bowl. Add 1 t soy sauce, 1 t sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Toss to combine, and set aside.
4. In a large frying pan heated to medium-high, place the beef after shaking off excess sauce. Cook though, about 4~5 minutes. Don't over cook or it'll be tough. Place in a bowl and toss with sesame seeds.
5. Fry the eggs, over-easy or to desired doneness.
6. In each bowl, place the rice. Place each vegetable on top of the rice, side by side, in a wedge pattern in a circle. Place the beef in one section also. Top with the egg. (if you're serving the egg scrambled, I think it looks better with the beef on top, but that's just preference)

* If you can't get Korean Barbecue sauce, here's the recipe:

4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rice wine,
1 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame seed
black pepper to taste

snack love

Even if you think you don't like tomatoes or pumpkins, you have to try these. They are nothing like you've ever tasted before. AMAZING.
You can get them at Asian Food Grocer . Come on, you know you want to.

fun activity

One of my Young Women at church came up with a really fun idea for an activity and I had to share. We made pizza box cookies. I baked 12 pizza sized shortbread cookies, and we went to town with decorating them. We wrapped the pizza boxes with Valentine-y wrapping paper (I wrapped the inside), and gave them to people we love. I made mine for Blake.
Those are the remains from a few big bites we took last night:)

Pizza sized shortbread cookies
makes four 9" cookies

ingredients:
4 cups flour
1-1/2 C butter (3 sticks), softened
1-1/3 C granulated sugar, plus some for sprinkling on top
1 t vanilla extract, optional

materials:
2~4 (9") cake pans
glass tumbler with flat bottom
kitchenaid stand mixer

1. Preheat oven to 350° with rack in middle position.
2. In the bowl of the kitchenaid stand mixer with the paddle attachment affixed, beat butter and sugar until properly creamed, scraping down the sides periodically. Add vanilla extract and incorporate.
3. One C at a time, add the first 3 C of flour until well mixed.
4. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add the last C of flour. Scrape down the sides and bottom often, and continue to mix until mostly mixed.
5. Using your hands, kneed the dough either in the bowl or on a very lightly floured surface until most flour-ey lumps are gone. This will be a fairly crumbly dough. Make the dough into one big ball and with a sharp knife, cut into 4 equal pieces.
6. Take one quarter of the dough and place it into a cake pan. Press with our fingers until you have a fairly even layer on the bottom of the pan, touching all sides. With the glass tumbler, roll out or press down the dough with the bottom of the tumbler to make the layer more even. Cover the top evenly with 2 t of sugar. Do the same with the second cake pan, and place them both in the oven.
7. Bake for 35~45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and even. (If you only have 2 cake pans, do the second batch once the first batch is completely cooled) Once cooled, using your whole hand, put a little pressure on the cookie, twist it to loosen it from the pan, and flip upside down. It should come out easily.

This cookie can be enjoyed without frosting because it's very sweet on it's own. But feel free to frost it:) If you want them to be traditional shortbread cookies, score the dough into 8 wedges before baking and once cooled, break them along the scoring.

Per Lori's Request

My dear friend Lori Mower asked for the waffle recipe, so here it is:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar

Combine wet ingredients, and then stir in the dry ingredients until well incorporated.

Saturday Brunch again

We've been waiting to buy the perfect waffle iron, but as we were walking through Target they had a cheapie one for $7.99, and since Blake LOVES waffles, I thought it was worth it as a stand-in until we get a better one. And they were fantastic waffles. Thanks for the recipe, Lisa!

Just in case you were wondering

What do they mean by "great for recipes"? I could understand writing "great for cooking" or "melts smooth" on the packaging, but "great for recipes"? Isn't anything that goes into any kind of food considered part of a recipe? The word I'm thinking of might be "ingredient". So I guess I could also say that chocolate chips go great in recipes as well. That and all-purpose flour, sugar, butter.

Sorry, was that too critical? It was too hard to resist.

Makeover

Tonight I was visiting a friend who just had a baby, and I had to leave to work with the Youth at church early this evening, so it was a night for a really quick meal. So I grabbed some leftover creamy tomato sauce and added some chicken broth for the best creamy tomato soup ever. Then, I made a few simple little crostini panini, and it was complete.

Creamy Tomato Soup and Mini Cheddar Panini
Serves 2

1 C creamy tomato sauce
1~2 C low-sodium chicken broth

12 thin slices of day-old baguette
thin sliced sharp cheddar

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken broth and creamy tomato soup over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until warmed through. Add a couple tablespoons of heavy cream if needed.
2. Sandwich the cheese in between the bread slices (don't worry about the holes, it makes for great crusty burnt cheese) and drizzle outsides of sandwiches with olive oil. Grill on a panini press or in a skillet until cheese is melted and bread is nicely browned.
3. Serve soup with mini cheese panini on the side while hot.