Lasagna and More!

I'm a bit slow with the pictures. Sorry about that.

Anyway, here's the lasagna (recipe from Taste of Home, minus cottage cheese), the pull-apart garlic knots (from Comfortable Food) and the Blueberry Dessert (modified from CentsLessDeals):

The table setting:

It was Valentine's day, so I went a little fancy. Cloth napkins, wine goblets for our water. Croutons and sunflower seeds for the salads. And a foil pan for the Lasagnas. Ha! I made 4 of them. We ate that one, I gave one to a friend of mine who was trying to balance being a full time student, her job, being a single parent, and battling a sinus infection (poor lady!) and stuck 2 in the freezer. So we have freezer meals for later. Yum.

That plate next to the lasagna is the Balsamic and Basil dipping oil from Tastefully Simple and was excellent to dip the bread in. This bread... Oh man, this bread:

  

 

Just looking at the picture makes me wish there was still some left over. There's just something about (successfully!) making bread from scratch that gives me an awesome sense of accomplishment.

Don't you just want to reach in and grab a piece? It was crispy cheese, and chewy cheese, and garlicy buttery yeasty goodness. And those little brown crumbles on the top? Parmesan. I was in heaven with this bread. So very proud of how it turned out.

And then there was this bit of yummy deliciousness:

I was smelling the sauce all day long.  I was so ready to eat this when it came out of the oven I had to smack my own hands when I went to pick at the cheese on top! I don't use any cottage cheese in my lasagna. I use the 15oz tub of ricotta, an egg, some milk and mix it with some grated parm. It's good stuff.

Then we had this for dessert, and I felt like I was going to pop. Next time I make this, I will modify the butter/sugar on the top... I think it was too much. I'll just brush it, instead of pour 1/2 stick melted butter and reduce the amount of sugar on top. It was still good, it was just *too* much.

The taste was still amazing, but the amount of butter on top all pooled in the middle and left the crescent dough still a bit raw. So a lesson for next time: brush, don't pour, the butter... and sprinkle the sugar. Also, I was supposed to add 2 tbsp of vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. I did not. I added 1/2 tsp of lemon extract and it was more than enough. I wanted lemon berry and I got it. :)

So that was Valentine's dinner. Yesterday I did my nails again, with the water marble method, so I could get a more uniform look on my hands. I think I'm getting better with this. I used a rainbow theme, and these were the results.

Right hand:

Left hand:

I think they came out well! I love that they are all different and I'm not getting bored with them quickly.

That's all for now. :)

~Mandy

What a Crazy Week!

Monday wasn't so bad, then the rain come on Tuesday, the ice came on Wednesday, the thaw came on Thursday, and the earthquake came on Friday. I live in South Carolina. Ice and earthquakes are not normally on the menu!

Now it's Saturday, and while hubby is at work, I'll be preparing our Valentine's day feast. :)

First though, pictures of the crazy ice:

Seriously, ice everywhere. If you want to see the rest of my "I like to point my camera at things and push the button " pictures they are here.

During the icy nasty mess, I saw a picture thing pop up on Facebook about dripping nail polish into water, and then making designs and having it stick to your nail. The comments called it water marbling, and so I searched Youtube, and found this awesome video about how to do it, and decided I want this chick to be my friend. She's so happy! Also, the nail art looked fun.

We ventured out to the store yesterday, so I picked up a few new colors (mine are old and had thickened, the polish needs to be thin enough to drip off the brush easily). And then last night I tried it on my own, with a bunch of different polishes to see if they'd work. This is what I came up with:

Left Hand

I don't know which one is my favorite! I really like the pink/black/white combo on the pinky, the blue/green on the thumb... and the pink/purple/white on the pointer seems good for Valentine's day!

Right Hand

And on this one? I don't know either! I like the pink/black/orange on the thumb, the red/white/blue on the pointer, and hubby is a big fan of the green/white/yellow on the middle finger, because he's a Green Bay Packer's fan. :)

Anyway, if I can do it, I think anyone can... And that was my first attempt. It took me about an hour, but there was some panic in the middle of that hour about the random earthquake that shook my apartment. (Seriously Mother Nature, what gives?)

And now for tonight's (ice-delayed) Valentine's Day feast!

My husband and I... We're not big on crazy celebrations. We prefer to celebrate at home. So on most of the romantic dates (Valentine's Day, anniversary, birthdays, etc), I tend to make a more time consuming meal (the effort is part of the gift!) and we have a 'dinner and movie' date at home, courtesy of my kitchen, and Netflix!

Our main dish will be my husband's favorite food, lasagna. I base my recipe off of one I found on Taste Of Home a while back, but I tend to fancy up a traditional pasta sauce in my own way, rather than from a recipe. I wing it every time, no joke! Also, I skip the cottage cheese, and just use a whole 15oz tub of ricotta with the parmesan and egg. Seems to work well, and I don't end up with leftover ricotta or cottage cheese in my fridge, because I rarely use them outside of lasagna. I also make it in several small foil pans, instead of one huge dish, so I can freeze a couple of them, and we can have lasagna later, without the fuss.

And with pasta, you have to have garlic bread right? So I'll be trying my hand at these Pull Apart Cheesy Garlic Knots from scratch! Wish me luck on that, I don't work with yeast very often, so that might be tough.

And for dessert, I'm going back to the "yummy stuff between crescent rolls" easy option after all the work I'll be putting into the meal. The only sub I'll make to this recipe is the pie filling used. Instead of cherry, I'm using blueberry, because it's my husband's favorite.

I'll probably throw together a quick salad to go with it, so I can use my fancy hand painted bamboo salad bowl and utensils that my mother in law got for me for Christmas!

I'll take pics and post them in a follow up post.

Happy Saturday! :)
~Mandy

Chilidog Bake

Do you ever just get a craving for something awful for you? I did yesterday, and it was chili-dogs. But I didn't have any buns on hand, so I decided to get a little bit creative.

I've seen multiple dessert recipes that call for putting yummy filling between two layers of crescent rolls (Like this Cherry Cream Cheese Bake from CentsLessDeals), and that's what I decided to do for this. It's insanely easy, and really not healthy, but sometimes those types of dinners are exactly what you need. It's not good for my physical health, but totally uplifting to my mental health.

Anyhoo. This recipe is so easy. You need:

1 tube crescent rolls
4 bun length hot dogs (or 5 regular hot dogs)
1 15 oz can chili (no beans)
1/2c shredded cheddar cheese (or more if you'd like)
1/4c diced onion (or however much your taste buds prefer)
Olive oil, butter, or egg wash (to brush the top)

and... probably a roll of antacid tablets for later :P

Heat oven to 375*F

Put half the tube of rolls in the bottom of an 8x8 dish (4 triangles) so they cover the bottom, and bake them at 375* for 8 minutes, or so. They don't need to be completely done, but this way you don't end up with the bottom layer still doughy when the rest of it is done.

While that's going, chop your hot dogs into 1/2" pieces, and you can probably dice your onion here, too. When the bottom layer comes out of the oven, spread the hot dogs over the top:

Then top it with the can of chili:

Then top it with cheese and onions:

Then put the other half of the crescent rolls over the top and pinch the seams together, and brush with olive oil, melted butter, or egg mixed with a little water (I used olive oil):

Then bake at 375*F for about 20-25 mins (my oven always takes a little longer, so check at 20 mins), until heated through and the crescent roll dough is golden.

Then, dig in and enjoy! :)

It's not healthy, so have a salad with it, and some fruit for dessert, it'll alleviate (some of) the guilt!

I'm sure you could healthy this up a bit in various ways, using turkey dogs, reduced fat crescent rolls, making your own chili (or using vegetarian/reduced sodium chili), skipping the cheese, etc.

You could probably also use a can of biscuits, too. Not that that would make it any healthier, but it would be a slightly different taste, and thicker breading.

If you want to a larger dish (more than 4 servings), just double the ingredients and bake in a 9x13 dish.

Enjoy!
~Mandy

Rain day blahs.

I haven't done much "real" cooking the last few days. I did try the chocolate flavor of the Pillsbury Funfetti Donut bites... They were pretty good, and seem like they'd be fun to modify in different ways. Because of the large meals I made through the week, we've been eating leftovers to get the fridge ready for this week. Tonight I'm making spaghetti. Easy peasy.

Last night, I did make my sausage and potatoes, but I cheated and used the microwave for a lot of it.

(To make potatoes in the microwave, use a glass dish with glass lid, chunk up the potatoes, add a couple tablespoons of water, dot with butter, and sprinkle with seasonings... then microwave on high for 8 mins or so, until they are the desired firmness.)

I microwaved the potatoes with butter and Tastefully Simple's Rustic Seasoning. Then browned them in the skillet to add a little crust, and added the sausage. If you don't have the Rustic Seasoning, You can just substitute rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. It came out tasty, if not very pretty.

I did update the "about me" section, added a blog roll, and added a tab to my Tastefully Simple page... And hubs and I went to the vet to get medicine for our sick cat (bladder infection) and we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things for food this week (and spray cheese for the cat's pills). So there's that? But it's gloomy and rainy and I'm sleepy so I don't really feel like doing all that much today. So instead of home made sauce on the spaghetti, it'll be doctored up store brand, and instead of home made garlic bread, it'll be freezer stuff.

Also, spray cheese does not work for my cat and pills. She does not like it. So now I have a can of spray cheese. Good thing I have some crackers. We'll have some classy snacks this week.

~Mandy

Happy Sunday!

No food posting today. Just a life posting.

It's Groundhog's Day, and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter! Which, according to the calendar, seems about right. I enjoy the seasons as they are, honestly. I want cold in the winter, and hot in the summer, and everything in between for fall and spring. There are things to enjoy with each page of the calendar! Winter means lots of squashes to cook with, and warm fuzzy blankets, and fleece! Crock pot meals, holiday celebrations, and on and on. Then it will be spring, and I will love it, too. Except for the pollen.

Also, it's Super Bowl Sunday. It's a wonderful day to enjoy with friends and family, even if football isn't your sport. Watch the commercials, pick a team to cheer for, and be silly. I plan to!

Yesterday I stuck a pork shoulder in the oven to share with the folks we'll be gathering with to watch the game. It came out perfectly! Slid cleanly off the bone, and the meat just fell apart. The rub I used gives it a slightly sweet flavor because it was brown sugar based, but I'm leaving any type of barbecue sauce off of the meat, and allowing folks to bring their own. It's sitting in the crock pot right now, warming up. Can't wait to dig in!

I'm looking forward to the loud and crazy fun, and all the food people made to bring, and just being with friends.

Today is going to be a great day! :)

~Mandy