Friday, August 17, 2012

Sausage and Spinach Lasagna

SAUSAGE AND SPINACH LASAGNA

  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 oz sweet italian sausage, casting removed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten 
  • 15oz part skim ricotta cheese
  • 8 oz fresh baby spinach 
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350F. Light grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Cook noodles for 8-10 minutes, drain and set aside. In a large skillet with olive oil saute onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces.  Pour in jar of mariana sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes until sauce thicken, season with salt and pepper. If you have fresh basil on hand toss it in.  Meanwhile, in a large bow mix together ricotta, spinach, parmesan cheese and egg. Season with garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish top with 3 noodles, spinach mixture and sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and left over sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 45-50 minutes, remove foil and brown form an additional 10 minutes. Enjoy!



I love making lasagna, and I usually play around with the some the ingredients, sometimes I will use whole wheat lasagna noodles, turkey sausage or ground dark turkey(1.25 lbs) in place of the pork sausage. My favorite marinara sauce is Aunt Mary Ann's Sunday Marinara by La Famiglia Del Grosso. You can certainly use which ever sauce you have, or buy whatever is onsale. You could even make a sauce from scratch if you have the extra time. Make 9 servings.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Classic French Roasted Chicken




Hi my name is Jessica and I am a foodie. I love everything there is to know or learn about food. I'm not sure when exactly I became like this but I know I have always had a passion for food. My family members are also foodies, which helps. The purpose of this blog is to share some of my favorite recipes from my kitchen to yours. 
So take this journey with me it should be fun...

Ok, here we go recipe number one

CLASSIC FRENCH ROASTED CHICKEN

  • Olive Oil
  • 1 whole chicken (4-5lbs) at room temperature
  • 2 springs of fresh Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano
  • 1 large head of garlic, cut horizontally, unpeeled
  • 2/3 cup dry white wine (or chicken stock)
  • 6-8 baby potatoes, cut in half
  • 3 carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into thick chunks
  • 4 shallots, peeled and left whole or 1 large onion, peeled and 
  • 1 tbsp herbs de Provence  
  • salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 450F. Rub the inside of a dutch oven with oil. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Toss in half of the fresh herbs as well as half of the garlic into the cavity of the chicken. Put the chicken in the dutch oven, place the other half of the garlic and herbs in the pot. Pour in a few tbsp's of oil, wine or chicken stock around the chicken. Cover and slide the pot into the oven.  Roast, undisturbed for 45minutes.  After 45 minutes, toss in potatoes, carrots and shallots with enough oil to give them a shine.  Season with more salt and pepper.  Cover, roast undisturbed for another 45 minutes. Total roasting time is 90 minutes, so be sure you have enough time on your hands. Remove chicken from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes, covered. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil, be sure to remove the garlic inside the cavity, you will need it. 








Bring pot to the stove top and simmer on low. You should have enough liquid to make a sauce with the potatoes, carrots, shallots and garlic. Carefully squeeze out the roasted garlic into the sauce. If you need more liquid add some chicken stock. Adjust the seasoning. Finish with a tbsp of butter. Carve chicken and serve with the vegetables and sauce. I like to make a nice salad on the side for a complete meal.  This meal easily feeds up to 4 people. It's very inexpensive to make, it just takes time. So if you have some time on your hands this is an excellent meal to make. I usually make this for special occasions or on Sundays when I have a lot of time. Enjoy!




























Key Lime Colada


KEY LIME COLADA
I recently came back from Islamorada, Fl with a friend and we discovered this drink called Key Lime Colada. One sip and I was hooked!! I had to know how to make them so I could enjoy them at home. I found a great recipe that tastes just like the one we had at the Holiday Isle. 
Makes 2 drinks to share, or 1 big drink. Enjoy!

  • 1/3 cup KeKe Beach Key Lime Cream Liqueur
  • 1/3 cup Malibu Rum
  • Splash of Pina Colada Mix
  • Juice of 1 key lime
  • 2 cups ice
*optional: rim with graham cracker crumbs

Blend and serve!