Something Old: Lasagna Rolls

Well look at that! It's Monday again. Seems to come to fast, and suddenly it's time to blog again!

Not that I ever really stop or wait for Monday to write here. In fact, I'm pretty proud of myself for getting ahead on recipe writing. Really, that is to say that Chase and I have stuck to our resolution of eating out no more than once a week. That means lots more cooking and plenty of new recipes to share. Plus, some kind of super-human motivation has taken over, and I've typed up more than 2 weeks of recipes. Good news for you and me!

Coming up this week: either Chicken Noodle Soup or Biscuits & Gravy. Vote in the comments!

(Don't worry if yours doesn't win. Both will go up soon!)

Anyway, to start your week is a recipe I originally found here. Chase and I made some modifications that are included in the recipe below. It's a bit of a time commitment (up to 1 hour plus bake time), but creates beautiful, delicious lasagna rolls that are great to share. I like to think of time-commitment recipes as great opportunities to cook and catch up with an old friend. So invite someone over and get a pot of noodles boiling!

Happy cooking!

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Lasagna Rolls January 19, 2010

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage, browned (if you can't find it ground, buy sausages and cut them out of their casing before browning)

or 3-4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup, plus 2 Tbsp, parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 ½ cup chopped fresh spinach

1 large egg, beaten

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce

wax paper

aluminum foil

Bechamel Sauce

2 ½ cup whole milk

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 ½ tsp flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

Directions

1.Begin cooking the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Depending on the size of your largest pot, you may have to cook the noodles in more than one batch. When the noodles are done, remove with tongs and set in a single layer on wax paper that has been laid out on a flat surface.

2. While the noodles are cooking, prepare the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes.

3. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until the sauce comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth (about 3 minutes).

4. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour the bechamel sauce in the bottom of a greased 13x9 pan. Set aside.

5. Combine sausage/prosciutto, ricotta, spinach, 1 cup parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside until noodles are done.

6. When the noodles are done cooking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

7. Spread about 3 Tbsp of the ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Leave about an inch on either end of the noodle to make rolling easier.

8. Once all the ricotta mixture is spread on the noodles, begin rolling the noodles. Place rolls in the bechamel sauce in the pan, with the closing end of the noodle down.

9. Spoon pasta sauce over the rolls, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 2 Tbsp of parmesan.

10. Cover the pan with foil (don't let the foil touch the tops of the rolls or you'll lose your cheese). Bake covered for about 20 minutes.

11. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden (about 15 minutes).

12. Let stand 5-10 minutes, then serve and enjoy.

Noodles laying flat on waxed paper and topped evenly with

ricotta mix. Don't forget to leave room at either end of the noodle!

Rolled and ready for more sauce and cheese.

Sauced and cheesed.

Golden brown and bubbly.

Happy cooking!

Something Extra: Cucumber Hummus

This Christmas, I got a food processor and one of the first things that Chase and I did with it was attempt to make hummus. The first attempts were satisfying enough (we certainly ate it all), but we couldn't quite get the texture right.

Finally, in a stroke of genius, Chase suggested we add cucumber to the mix. It worked! Granted, the flavor is a little untraditional, but it's absolutely delicious.

We also used peanut butter instead of tahini, a traditional ingredient that's about 10 dollars for a tiny jar. For us, the peanut butter substitution was great, but if you happen to have tahini or gobs of food money laying around, give tahini a try.

Have a great weekend and happy cooking!

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Cucumber Hummus

Ingredients

1 can chick peas

½ cucumber, peeled

1 Tbsp peanut butter

½ tsp basil

½ tsp oregano

1 clove garlic, chopped (brown in skillet first for a milder flavor)

approx. 1 Tbsp lemon juice

approx. ½ cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Toasted pita bread or pita chips

Directions

1. Add chickpeas, peanut butter, garlic, basil, and oregano to food processor. Blend until mixed.

2. With the food processor running, add about half of the olive oil into the processor through the tube and mix.

3. Add lemon juice and cucumber, cut into small chunks, into the food processor. Blend until the cucumber is processed and blended in.

4. With the food processor running, add the remaining olive oil into processor, until the mixture becomes smooth. Add a little more or less oil to get to your desired consistency.

5. Add salt, pepper, and additional lemon or spices to taste and blend.

6. Serve with toasted pita bread or pita chips.

Something New: Garlic & Ginger Pork Tenderloin

Hello again, food friends!

This week I got a special mission for the food blog. A friend was searching for a recipe and noticed that there were no pork tenderloin recipes on the blog. He asked if I had any good ones hiding off the blog, and since I didn't, I made it my goal to create a tenderloin recipe for today.

As you might have guessed by the title of today's post, I reached that goal! And it was quite tasty.

This recipe will require one special kitchen tool: a meat thermometer. If you don't have one, the good news is that they're only about 5 dollars at any grocery store.

If any of you have a recipe request, just let me know! I'd love to help you find a new recipe for your kitchen.

Happy cooking!

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Garlic & Ginger Pork Tenderloin

NOTE: This recipe requires time for marination, at least 6 hours and up to 24.

Ingredients

1 ½ lb pork tenderloin

1 ½ cups beef broth or stock

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

½ cup chopped onion

3 Tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

¼-½ tsp pepper

aluminum foil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar into beef broth and stir until dissolved. Then stir in garlic, ginger, onion, salt and pepper.

2. Place pork loin in a gallon-size bag. Pour the marinade mixture into the bag.

3. Press the air out of the bag and seal securely. Place in the fridge to marinate for 6-24 hours.

4. About an hour before you're ready to eat, heat a large skillet to medium-high and coat with cooking spray.

5. Remove the loin from the marinade and sear in the skillet, about 3-4 minutes per side. This is not to cook the loin through, just to brown on some extra flavor.

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

7. Place the loin in a baking pan (any size your loin fits in) and pour the marinade into the pan.

8. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Your loin may take longer to cook, depending on thickness.

9. Remove the loin from the oven and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Allow the roast to sit covered for an additional 10 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

10. Serve the pork loin sliced and topped with extra marinade.

Ginger, onion and garlic chopped for the marinade.

All together in the bag, heading for the fridge for marination.

Putting a pretty brown sear onto the loin.

Pork loin and marinade ready for slicing and serving.

Happy cooking!

Something Old: Beirocks

Welcome to another Monday, food friends! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Today's recipe comes from my mom's kitchen. Like any recipe that requires dough to rise, and constructing individual pockets of food, this recipe takes a little time. It's totally worth it, though! Best for a lazy Sunday afternoon or making with your best friend. Heck, you could go all out and have a beirock making party! I bet those suckers would get constructed quickly.

Plus, one recipe makes 36 beirocks! Plenty to go around.

Anyway, Chase and I made these together about a year ago, as you'll see in the story below. Why we haven't made these since then, I don't know. If it weren't for my new recipe mission for this week (pork tenderloin!), I'm pretty sure we'd be making these.

Happy cooking to you!

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Beirocks February 22, 2010

Last weekend I finally got the chance to cook in the same kitchen as Chase again. Hooray for Valentine’s Day! Because this recipe takes a little bit of construction, we decided it would be more fun to make together than apart.

I love this beirock recipe, the one I grew up with. We didn’t get it very often because it took some time to prepare. However, half of the 2 hour prep time is letting the dough rise, which is great time for homework/reading/board games/etc. Plus this a great recipe to freeze leftovers for later, so if you do make a batch, know that the work will be worthwhile now and weeks from now (if you can wait that long!)

NOTE: This recipe requires about 2 hours of preparation, including time for the dough to rise.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 package Rhodes frozen dinner rolls (36 count)

1 small green cabbage

2 Tbsp chopped onion

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp celery seed

1 egg white

1 tsp water

sesame seeds

Directions

1. Right before you begin cooking, remove the dinner rolls from the freezer. Place spaced out on a cookie sheet(s) to thaw. Cover the rolls with a damp paper towel while thawing.

2. Brown ground beef and drain excess fat.

3. While the beef is browning, core the cabbage. Grate about 1 ½ cups with a cheese grater, using the 1 centimeter sized grating face. (Finely chopping would work if you don't have a cheese grater, but it will take longer).

4. Add grated cabbage and chopped onion to the browned meat in skillet. Cover and cook on medium-low until the cabbage is translucent but not mushy (5-10 minutes).

5. Take the skillet off the burner and uncover. Let cool for about 30 minutes.

6. After the mixture is cooled, stir in salt, pepper and celery seed. Add mozzarella and mix.

7. One at a time, stretch the dinner rolls to 3-4 inch rounds. Add a heaping tablespoon of the beef and cabbage mix to the middle of the roll. Pinch closed (see photos below).

8. Place rolls about 1 inch apart, pinched side down, on cookie sheets that have been greased of covered with parchment paper.

9. Cover the rolls again with the damp towels. Set aside to rise for 45 minutes to an hour.

10. After the rise time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

11. Beat the egg white with 1 tsp water. Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg white mix and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

12. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with mustard and enjoy.

To construct, start by gently stretching the dinner rolls to flat 3-4 inch rounds.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of the beef and cabbage mix to the center of the roll.

Stretch and pinch opposite sides closed.

Pinch again.

Pinch the rest of the openings closed.

Place pinched side down on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg and

sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cooked to golden brown and ready for eating. Try them dipped in mustard!

Happy cooking!

Something New: Tuna Casserole

Welcome to the second half of the week!

After a long day, it's never a bad time for a simple casserole. This is one of those casseroles. It takes about 7 minutes to prep (including noodle boiling). Then when it's baking unattended, you can enjoy a little R&R. Just what the gods of comfy couches and getting-lost-in-the-internet ordered.

Happy casserole cooking! You deserve it.

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Tuna Casserole

Ingredients

2 cans tuna, drained

1 cup shell noodles, cooked

1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 oz)

½ cup Cheez Whiz

½ tsp dry oregano

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup bread crumbs (plain or Italian)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large casserole dish, mix together tuna, noodles, mushroom soup, Cheez Whiz and oregano.

3. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the casserole. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of the parmesan (this will keep the parm from browning too quickly).

4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

5. Serve and enjoy.