Ham and Cheese Lasagna

We really like lasagna, and you can’t go wrong with traditional lasagna, but sometimes it’s nice to try something different. Tonight I decided to use up some left over ham and make a ham and cheese lasagna — turned out pretty good! The ingredients are approximate amounts as I failed to measure when I was cooking this up.

INGREDIENTS

• lasagna noodles (I used 3 per layer, 4 layers) – regular or oven ready are both okay
• 1 onion (I used a red onion), chopped finely
• 4-5 white or brown mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup ham, finely chopped
• flour
• butter
• milk
• nutmeg, salt, pepper
• 1-1/2 cup cottage cheese
• handful grated Parmesan
• 2 cups shredded mozza or swiss

INSTRUCTIONS

1. saute the ham, mushrooms and onions until onions are cooked through and set aside
2. in a different pan/skillet, combine melted butter and flour to make a paste (about 1/3 cup total “paste” is what I ended up with in my pot)
3. next, add milk to the flour paste and combine with whisk while sauce begins to thicken
4. add a pinch of nutmeg and the Parmesan cheese, plus some salt and pepper (approx 1 tsp) to the sauce and combine
5. after sauce is done (it should thicken to about a pureed soup consistency or so that it drips off the ladle but isn’t thin like a broth), put some of the sauce in the bottom of your dish, then put a layer of the noodles (boil noodles if needed)
6. next put more sauce and some cottage cheese and mozza over the noodles, then top with another layer of noodles
7. put 1/2 to 2/3 of the ham mixture on the noodles and top with another layer of noodles
8. put rest of cottage cheese, ham mixture, and a some sauce on top of these noodles and then add either another layer of noodles or top with rest of mozza (if you add another layer of noodles, top that final layer with the rest of the sauce and mozza
9. bake, covered by foil, in an oven at 375F for about 45 minutes, removing the foil after that time and letting the top brown for the next 10 minutes (approx) and then let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving

 

recipe by: r2bcluvs2cook

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Artichokes

I have NEVER roasted a chicken – in fact I’ve never cooked a whole chicken before, but I saw this recipe on the Rachel Ray show and it looked so good I had to give it a try. I have to say, I’m disappointed…I was expecting it to be a wonderful delight but it was ho hum… but that is probably due to me and not the recipe, although I do have one comment about the recipe – it calls for artichokes but doesn’t really tell how to handle them. If you’re like me and never cooked artichokes before, then please note that you MUST cook the chokes before you put them in this recipe and that you have to cut the top of the choke off, then the tips of the leaves before you cook it.  I followed the directions and found the artichokes were still very hard when the roasted chicken was ready – that is why I suggest you cook the artichokes prior to roasting with the chicken. The chicken however, was very moist and delicious.

Here’s the link to the recipe.

Soft Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

So I had some left-over pumpkin puree that I needed to use and I stumbled across this cookie recipe while hunting for some oatmeal recipes. I made these cookies last night and they turned out quite nice – they were soft and delicious – though a bit too chocolaty. Next time I won’t add as many chocolate chips (as what the recipe indicates).

Here’s the link to the recipe – I’ll definitely make these again – hubby loved them!!

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

I’m a big fan of oatmeal and since it’s generally healthy and good for breast feeding I’m trying to eat more of it… but this recipe is not really “healthy” due to all the sugar…but it does taste good! I’ll try to update it to be more healthy next time I make it (note I did add milled flaxseed to the recipe so that helps right?)

This is really tasty and easy – I like that the powdered mix can be stored and used when wanted in however much oatmeal you decide you want to eat. I will definitely make this recipe again though hopefully a bit healthier.

Here’s the recipe (serves 9):

Ingredients (9 servings)

• 1/2 cup non-dairy powdered coffee creamer
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For each batch of oatmeal (single serving)

• 2/3 cup quick-cooking oat
• 1/3-1/2 cup boiling water

Directions

1. Combine the first seven ingredients and mix well; store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months; this will make about 9 servings of oatmeal.
2. To prepare: Combine oats and 2 tablespoons of oatmeal mix; add enough boiling water until oatmeal is desired consistency.
3. sprinkle with additional brown sugar if desired.

 

 

Chinese Lemon Chicken

I LOVE lemon chicken… and have wanted to learn how to cook it for a long time. I ran across this recipe for Lemon Chicken a while ago but never had gotten around to buying the chicken and lemons at the same time…anyway I tried this recipe tonight – it was way easier than I expected and tasted pretty darn good! I still love the restaurant lemon chicken but this was great for an at home version. I’ll definitely make this again (though not often due to fat,etc not taste).

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 1/2lbs boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” cubes)
Marinade-
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
Batter-
2 large eggs
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch white pepper
oil (for frying)
Sauce-
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
3 slices of lemon (peeled)
2 tablespoons oil
yellow food coloring (optional)

Step 1: Place cut chicken breast pieces into a bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 2: To make the batter – beat 2 large eggs with ¼ cup of cornstarch, a pinch of white pepper and baking powder.  Coat the chicken with the batter.
Step 3: Heat deep fryer to 350 degrees and deep-fry in batches until chicken is fully cooked. Drain on paper towels and set aside. You can also cook the chicken using a wok if you don’t have a deep fryer.

Step 4: Now, to make the lemon sauce – combine 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and ¾ teaspoon salt (if using food coloring you can add it now). Mix until well combined and add 3 slices of lemon to the sauce mixture.
Step 5: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok and stir in the lemon sauce mixture and heat until well mixed and sauce becomes clear. Remove lemon slices and pour the sauce over the chicken and mix. Best served with rice and broccoli.