Lasagna

It is hard to believe that I have never posted this recipe.  When Jud and I married over 40 years ago, one of my friends gave me this recipe for my recipe box and I have been making it often.  It is one of the few recipes that I can make w/o a recipe.  There are many times that I cut corners with this recipe and just use a jar of marinara sauce.



Printable Version Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove of garlic
1- 6 ounce can tomato paste
1- #2 can of tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 pound mozorella cheese
Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (I used ricotta cheese this time, but I really prefer the cottage cheese)
2 teaspoons salt
Method:
Cook lasagna noodles according to package. Brown ground beef. Add onions and garlic. Drain greese and add tomato products, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Simmer 15 minutes. Layer as follows:
1. Meat mixture
2. Noodles
3. Mozorella cheese
4. Cottage cheese
Repeat ending with meat mixture. Top with grated cheddar cheese. Bake 350 degrees 30-35 minutes.

Crab Cakes

I did not make these as sliders like the recipe but Here is the link.
I will print how I made the recipe because I cut the recipe in 1/2 for the two of us.  It made 4 nice patties.






Printable Version Ingredients:
8 oz crab meat (get the best you can afford)
1/4 red bell pepper, small diced
2 scallions, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon, juiced
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 medium egg
1 teaspoon Worcstershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all crab cake ingredients. Mix ingredients with your hands. Shape into small patties and place on a plate and refrigerate until ready to cook. ( Can be made 1 day ahead). When ready to cook crab cakes, drizzle about 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, 4-5 minutes per side. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on the other side until golden brown, another 4 minutes.  I made tartar sauce to have with my crabcakes, but I'm sure the spicy mayo would be great.

Slow-Cooker German Potato Salad

This recipe was found in Eating
Well Magazine. Here is the recipe.
I cut this recipe in 1/2 for the two of us. The following, is how I made it.





Printable Version
Ingredients:
2 slices bacon
1/6 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds potatoes--I did not use fingerling potatoes.
1 cup diced celery
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 sprig of dill, chopped
Method:
1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool. Place in refrigerator until ready to use. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
2. Take the drippings off the heat and add the vinegar to the pan. Scrap up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Whisk mustard and flour in a small bowl, add the vinegar mixture and whisk until combined. Whisk in salt and pepper.
3. Combine potatoes, celery, onion and the dressing in a 5-6 quart crock pot. Stir until the vegetables are well coated. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
4. To serve, stir in the dill and bacon.

Caramelized Salmon

I found this wonderful recipe on Pinterest.com Here
As you can see by my picture, we like salmon. I ate this whole piece by myself. So easy and fast.






Printable Version Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt, pulsed gently in a food processor
a few dashes of freshly crushed black pepper
16 ounces salmon, cut into 4 pieces, with skin
olive oil
Method:
1. Combine the sugar, salt, and black pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip each filet into the mixture and coat the entire surface of the salmon with the sugar/salt mixture
2. Heat about 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the salmon, skin side down in the pan, and saute for about 5 minutes. If you're worried about the burnt sugar in the pan (or if there's too much oil/liquid) just drain it off or spoon it out of the pan. If there's a lot of oil splattering, turn the heat down. I would not recommend going higher than medium heat.
3. Flip each salmon filet (carefully! keep the skin on because it helps the filet hold together) and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Flip to the side and saute each of the sides for another 2-3 minutes, if the filet is thick enough.
4. Preheat the broiler to 450 degrees. Sprinkle the top of each salmon filet with a teaspoon or two of additional sugar/salt mixture. Transfer the pan from the stove top into the oven. Let the salmon broil for 5 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it is not burning. The sugar in the pan might look burnt, but that's okay as long as the tops of the salmon are looking golden brown. When the salmon is finished cooking, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes (that sugar gets HOT). Gently peel of the skin and discard before eating. If you leave it on it will stick to your plate and you will have to scrub to get off the sugar.
Note-If you're using regular table salt, start with just 1/2 tablespoon and add more salt as necessary. As you can see, I cut the sugar/salt recipe in 1/2.

Quick Chicken Braciole

Another recipe from Eating Well. You can find it Here , but you have to sign-up for their website.







Ingredients:
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
2- 8-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
4 thin sliced prosciutto
1 cup finely chopped chard leaves (without stems) I went to the grocery store, but they didn't have chard so I bought spinach
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
1. Add sauce to a large skillet, cover and place over medium heat to start warming.
2. Cut a horizontal slit along the long, thin edge of each chicken breast, cutting nearly through to the opposite side. Open each so it forms two flaps, hinged at the center. Cover with a large piece of plastic wrap and pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Layer 2 slices of prosciutto, 1/2 cup chard and 1/4 cup mozzarella on each breast. Starting from the long side, roll closed. Tie the ends with kitchen string and tuck them in to keep the filling from falling out. Sprinkle each roll with pepper
3. Add the rolls to the warm sauce; cover and simmer, turning occasionally until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the rolls registers 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Remove the string and slice the rolls crosswise. Serve with the sauce. I made some pasta to serve with it.

Chicken Club Wraps

Jud was at Starbucks working on a writing assignment and I decided to go to the library to look for a book and look at some magazines while there. I found this recipe Here.  I discovered that I could just type in the recipe title and find it online. Then I could print it out. Much better than taking my recipe cards and writing while at the library.  Who knew!  Well, I guess just about everyone probably knew. I'm a little slow. This is a keeper.  I added some basil to the recipe. I also didn't have Greek yogurt so I used light sour cream.

Printable Version Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed--Jud had grilled some chicken for Memorial Day and we had some left over, so I used that.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
3 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons minced onion--I used scallions
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
3 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
8 large leaves red or green leaf lettuce
4 - 10-inch flour tortillas
Method:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high
2. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Oil the grill rack. Grill the chicken, turning once or twice, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees F, 15-18 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk yogurt, vinegar, onion, oil, salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl along with tomato, avocado, and bacon; toss to combine.
4. To assemble the wraps, place 2 lettuce leaves on each tortilla and top with the chicken salad. Roll up like a burrito.

Fruit and Smore Cones

My daughter-in-law brought these for our Memorial Day celebration. We let each grandchild put what they wanted in their cone.  The one from Pinterest, had many more marshmallows on top and they melted to an awesome goodness.
You can find it Here







Ingredients:
strawberries
bananas
mini marshmallows
chocolate chips
waffle cones
Method:
Fill your waffle cone with the ingredients listed above. We did it in this order--chocolate chips, bananas, strawberries, marshmallows. Then we repeated the ingredients.  Wrap each filled waffle cone in foil and place on the grill for about 5-7 minutes with the lid closed.  Turn them often to prevent burning.