Disneyland with Kids: Sausage Lasagna

For a number of years, Thatboy and I used to visit Disneyland in January - you miss the holiday crowds, but still get to enjoy all the holiday decor.  Despite this fact, Thatboy was insistent that we had never seen Disney dressed up for the holidays.  And he really wanted to do that this year.  I did a little research and thought that if we went in November, before Thanksgiving, we could probably get the same "holiday decor without the holiday crowds" effect.  But timing wise, the most convenient weekend for us to go was Thatboy's birthday weekend.  I tried to plan around his birthday, but he decided it would actually be fun to spend his birthday at the parks, and so we did an extravagant birthday weekend.  We tried to follow the same rule of thumb as we had at Universal, and it ended up being a great trip.

Where to Stay

This is the first time we've actually stayed at Disneyland.  Usually we stay with Thatmom who lives close enough for us to easily go back and forth.  But because of Thatboy's birthday we decided to do it "right."  There are 3 hotels on property, and after looking at them all, Thatboy picked the Disneyland Hotel.  Mostly because the headboards light up to look like fireworks.  (I know how silly that sounds, but hey, you get what you want on your birthday).  The headboards also play "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes."

Staying on property has a number of really great benefits.  Everything is right there, making it ever so easy.  This is especially nice for getting to the park in the morning, and back at night.  Thatboy loved the convenience of that.  It also meant we could stay at the parks later than we usually do, since we didn't have to worry about driving home.  Guests of the hotel can also get early entry into the parks, which we didn't take advantage of, but would be nice during more crowded periods.

Disney does special deliveries to their hotels, which means if you are celebrating a birthday, like we were, you can have special treats waiting for your birthday celebrant.

The hotel also had a really great pool, which we took advantage of as soon as we got in.  And before we checked out on the last day.  

Where to Eat

• Breakfast - This is the first time we ever did breakfast in the parks, because usually we eat before we head over.  But then of course, we had to figure out when we wanted to do breakfast.  Eat first and then go to the park?  Take advantage of being their early and hit up some of the rides and then go to the park?  We ended up doing the latter.  Most of the rides in Fantasyland don't have fast-passes available, and the lines can get long, so we hit up a couple of them, and then grabbed breakfast at the Red Rose Taverne.  I would highly recommend this because there really was something for everyone.  Mickey Mouse pancakes for my youngest, eggs, bacon and eggs for my oldest, and stuffed french toast for my husband.  I will add there's no kids menu here, but the choices are still kid-friendly.

          We also grabbed breakfast at the coffee shop in the hotel on our last morning which is a great quick service option.  

• Lunch - Because we hit up the pool as soon as we checked in, we grabbed lunch on our first day at Tangaroa Terrace at the hotel  See?  Convenient.  There aren't a ton of kid-friendly items, but if your kids like cheeseburgers, they'll be happy.  And the grownup food like poke bowls and ramen is a nice change from typical theme park food.  

• Dinner - The quick service food is usually our go-to at Disneyland.  It's easy and they're everywhere, but we always try to get reservations for dinner places.  It's nice to be guaranteed a seat with no wait after being on your feet all day.  The first night, on Thatboy's birthday he chose Wine Country Trattoria for dinner.  We knew we wouldn't have to fight with the kids over pizza and pasta for dinner.  I had heard great things about their lasagna, but I was actually disappointed in it.  I was also disappointed in the "surprise cake" I had ordered for Thatboy...which, despite me mentioning it being a surprise moments earlier, multiple times, was announced by the hostess as she sat us.  

          The second night we had a much more enjoyable dinner at Cafe Orleans. It helps that Thatboy and I love creole food.  We had some amazing pomme frites to start, and then split the shrimp and grits and a three cheese monte cristo.  The kids?  They're always happy with macaroni and cheese.

• Snacks - While at Disney we mostly survive on snacks.  As long as we keep a steady stream of them, we can go for long periods of time between meals, even skipping lunch. We especially like to take advantage of the seasonal snacks, like the peppermint beignets, the hot chocolate beignets, and the Christmas tree soft serve.  That last one might be my new favorite - like a shamrock shake in soft serve form!  All mint no chocolate!  And there are always the old standbys like popcorn and dole whips.

California Adventure

Since we're driving distance from Disneyland, anytime we do two days, we start the first day off with California Adventure.  It needs much less time that Disneyland.   We split up here also, with Thatboy and Thatkid heading for Guardians of the Galaxy while Thatbaby and I rode some of the more tame rides. We met up for some family rides and dinner.  After dinner we split up again and the boys and I waited in the Toy Story line while Thatboy ran off to ride the Incredicoaster.  

We stayed to watch the World of Color show.  This was definitely for Thatboy and I.  The kids weren't super interested, or just tired.  It was late.  As a tip, we watched from the "back" of the show, so we could still see the fountains, just not the images projected on them.  It was beautiful and amazing and puts the Bellagio fountain show to shame.

Top (not so) Secret Tip: Let's talk about the Max Pass.  The Max Pass lets you access and get your Fast Passes right from the app on your phone.  More convenience.  But check the wait times before you purchase - we actually didn't need it either day we were there.  On top of that, we rarely use them at California Adventure.  The 2 rides here with the longest lines are Toy Story Mania and Radiator Springs Racers, so if you want to guarantee riding them, without waiting, it's worth it to get the Max Pass.  And Radiator Springs Racer always runs out of Fast Passes so get that one early.

Disneyland

My tip for Disneyland is, as mentioned before, hit up Fantasyland first.  This worked well for us also because it started Thatbaby off on the right foot.  There are still a fair number of rides that are too dark and scary for Thatbaby.

Jungle Cruise, Small World, and Pirates of the Carribean are all rides that have short wait times and lines that move quickly, so we save those for later in the day.  (caveat - Small World Holiday can have really long wait times, but during the rest of the year, it's an easy backup plan.)

Whenever we have some free time between Fast pass times, or dinner reservations, we let the kids run around Mickey's Toon Town.  It's a great place for them to burn off some energy.  

And wait times at night in Tomorrowland are much lower than during the rest of the day.

We got to stay for the holiday firework show this time and it was magical.  If you're going to do this, don't bother trying to get close to the castle.  Main Street is where you want to be.  Images that correlate with the music and fire works are projected on all the buildings and it was just magical.  Plus it "snowed"!

Galaxy's Edge

I'm putting this in it's own category, even though it's part of Disneyland.  Thatboy was really excited to be able to check out Galaxy's Edge while we were there.  

Galaxy's Edge opened earlier this summer and initially required a reservation to get in.  Now anyone can walk right in and explore, which is way easier!  There's not a ton there, although a new ride will be opening next month.  It reminds me a lot of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal - a total immersive experience.  Being there really is like being on another planet.  Every aspect is like a movie set.  It's filled with mostly shops, and a couple places to eat.   Instead of Butterbeer, the draw here is milk - in the blue and green variety.  Of course you need to do a taste test - our family was split pretty much down the middle on this one.

The one ride currently open is the Smugglers' Run where each member of your party is assigned a role in their attempt to shuttle goods on the Millennium Fountain.  There's no fast pass and the lines are long, but it was definitely worth it.  Everyone in the family had a great time.  For us, Thatbaby took a nap while the big boys got in line and when he woke up we joined them, so it worked out pretty well for us.

The food is quick/counter service except for Oga's Cantina, which is definitely more bar and less food.  Oga's does require reservations, so if it's on your list, make sure you get them ahead of time.  I was able to secure them just a couple weeks in advance. When we arrived for our reservation we still had to wait in line, but if you didn't have a reservation you couldn't even wait in line.  Inside continued the immersive experience with so much fun things to look at, from the droid DJ spinning music, to the power blacking out and needing to be restarted.  It's standing room only, which isn't the most fun with kids, but the non-alcoholic drinks are pretty fun for them.

We ended up getting a fuzzy tauntaun (a peach drink with a numbing foam on top reminiscent of szechaun buttons), a jabba juice (orange pineapple juice with blueberry boba), a carbon freeze (lemon lime and strawberry juice with blueberry and green apple boba), and a Dagobah Slug Slinger (a margarita like drink with herbs and ginger).   And we all really enjoyed our drinks.  I definitely see us coming back!

This was definitely one of our most successful weekends at Disneyland, with the exception of Thatboy's birthday dinner.  It's an easy one to make up to him though.  Lasagna is not so hard to make.  Thatboy thinks it is, because TMIL convinced him it's an all day ordeal and so their family only ever has frozen lasagna from a box.  On the other hand, it's one of my easy go-to recipes for company since it serves a lot of people and it's really just about layering ingredients.  This is one of my fancier ones in that I make my own bechamel sauce for it, but that's a lot easier than it sounds.

Sausage Lasagna

1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

2 cups cream

salt and pepper

nutmeg

3 cups tomato meat sauce

1 lb lasagna noodles

1 lb ricotta cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the broiler and then broil the sausages for 8 minutes.  Let cool just until you're able to handle them, and then remove the casings.
2. While the sausages are broiling, make the bechamel: Add the flour and butter to a sauce pan on medium high heat; stir to combine, and keep stirring until it becomes paste-like and bubbly.
3. Slowly add in portions of the milk, stirring constantly while adding and between adding liquid
4. Once all milk has been added, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
5. Preheat the oven to 350.  Spread a layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish.  
6. Add a layer of the lasagna noodles, breaking to fit in the dish.
7. Top with a layer of sausage, ricotta cheese, and bechamel.
8. Repeat with another layer of noodles, sausage, ricotta, and bechamel.
9. Continue layering until all the ingredients are used up, ending with bechamel on top.  
10. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Short Rib Lasagna

I've mentioned before that Thatboy likes his lasagna with a little meat in it.  And I tend to get bored with throwing in ground beef or sausage.  This lasagna is a little time consuming, because you actually have to make short ribs first, but it's totally worth it if you have some time to kill on a weekend.

Short Rib Lasagna

1 1/2 lbs boneless beef short ribs

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 cup red wine

1 can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk 

1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese

 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded

lasagna noodles

1.  Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the short ribs and brown on all sides.  Remove from pot.
2. Reduce heat to medium and saute onions and carrots until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add 2 cloves of the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
5. Add the wine and bay leaf. Simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits.
6. Add the crushed tomatoes.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
7. Add the short ribs to the pot.  Cover and reduce het.  Simmer for 2 1/2 hours, turning ribs.
8. Remove the ribs, but keep the sauce (discarding the bay leaf).  Skim the fat off the top of the sauce.
9. When ribs cool, shred the meat.
10. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
11. Stir in the flour and cook until thick and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
12. Whisk in the milk.
13. Add the remaining garlic and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking while stirring for an additional 10 minutes.  Mix this sauce into the tomato sauce.
14. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a baking dish.  Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish.
15. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, then put another 3/4 cup of the sauce over the noodles.
16. Add 1/2 cup of meat over the sauce, then 1/4 cup of parmesean.
17. Repeat with noodles, sauce, meat, and parmesan 2 more times.  You will have 3 layers of meat and 4 layers of noodles by the end.
18. Spread the remaining sauce over all and then sprinkle with remaining parmesean and the mozzarella.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
19. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving.

Speaking of having some time to kill on a weekend, this past weekend we headed out to Temecula for a little R&R - wine tasting!  We packed up some fruit and cheese (and Pirate's Booty and grape juice for our youngest family member) and headed out to enjoy the day.

Thatbaby was perfectly happy to sit and enjoy his juice and booty while we ran through the whites, but when we got the reds he got a little antsy, wanting to run around and explore.  Luckily the grounds are very conducive to exploring.

We packed up our food and moved our tasting down to the fountains, bridge, and waterfall.  A large grassy (and deserted) area where Thatbaby could run around, toss the football, and spin to his heart's content.

Sometimes it's nice to get away as a family.  Even if you're not going all that far.

Cookie Monster: Spinach Lasagna Rolls

This is turning into a very cookie-centered holiday for Thatbaby.  Cookies in the morning, cookies in the evening, cookies at suppertime.

That may be a bit of an exaggeration.  It's not so much that Thatbaby eats cookies on a regular basis, but they are certainly more plentiful around the holidays!  There were the gingerbread cookies at Chanukah/Thanksgiving, the cookies at all the holiday parties we've been going to, cookie decorating at the race, and then came Little LO's cookie decorating party!

Thatbaby had a blast decorating the cookies.  He actually did better than I anticipated.  I thought he would be anxious to just eat the cookies, sans decoration.  I mean, this is the kid that asks to eat the unbaked cookie dough!  But he was very into the sprinkles ("red things"/"green things").  I couldn't quite convince him that the frosting would make the sprinkles stick better, but his cookies were very colorful for the short time they remained flat.

Although I'm not exactly sure that Child Protective Services has ever been called for an unhealthy amount of cookie consumption, I do want to assure you that Thatbaby is also eating from the non-cookie food groups.  His favorite right now are these lasagna rolls.  So much so that they have made it onto our meal plan 2 weeks in a row.  I'm a big fan of traditional lasagna, but I also like that these are self-contained.  It makes them very easy to pack into Thatbaby's lunches!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

8 lasagna noodles

2 cups ricotta

1 bunch of spinach

8oz mozzarella, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups marinara

1. Cook lasagna noodles per package instructions and place them on a flat surface.
2. Preheat oven to 350.  In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, 1/2 of the mozzarella and parmesan, egg and garlic in a bowl.
3. Spread the spinach and cheese mixture down the center of each lasagna noodle and roll up.
4. Place half of the marinara on the bottom of a baking dish and then place lasagna rolls on top, seam side down.
5. Cover the rolls with the remaining marinara, mozzarella, and parmesan.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

A Toddler Celebrity: Chicken Noodle Lasagna

When we were planning our trip to Palm Springs, I noticed that a very special friend would be visiting a town that was between Palm Springs and home.   Thatboy and I bought a couple of tickets and surprised Thatbaby with his first encounter with a real celebrity.

Thomas the Tank Engine was visiting Orange Empire Railway Museum and seemed like a great stop for our little train lover.  What's funny is, even without seeing a single Thomas episode, Thatbaby had been calling every train "Thomas" for a long time.  I have a feeling it was a daycare influence since they have Thomas trains there.

Thatmom got Thatbaby a Thomas book, and he received another for his birthday and both get read again and again.  We actually avoid the television show, because I don't like it.  I think the trains are mean and are always making awful faces, or as Thatbaby says when he sees them "Peeewww horse poo poo!"

But as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Thatbaby went crazy.  Thomas pulled out right in front of us on one of his trips and Thatbaby couldn't wait to see him, and ride him!

Thatbaby had been such a good sport that morning, letting Thatboy and I hit up the outlets, that we felt really good taking him to something that was so exciting for him.  We killed some time before our boarding time by taking some pictures with Thomas, and then it was time.  ALL ABOARD!

Once we got in our car, the Conductor came around and had all the kids "choo choo"ing.  Then he got a Jr. Engineer Certificate!

We rode around on Thomas for a bit, Thatbaby glued to the window.  And when we arrived back at the station we took advantage of the rest of the museum.  Like a ride on the caboose!

And we got to go inside a bunch of other trains, like a sleeper car, a mail car, and the inside of a steam engine.

Thatbaby also manage to finagle a ride in the caboose engine.  So we got to sit with the engineer as he drove the train.  Being so close to the engine made Thatbaby a little nervous, but Thatboy loved the experience.

It was a great way to end our trip, but it made for a very long day.  We got home in time for dinner, bed, and right back up for work/school the next day.  Which meant we were all a little tired last week.  It's hard to come right back from a vacation and jump into the regular work week.  Usually that means at least one of us ends up sick.   This trip, we somehow lucked out.  Just in case, last week I made us one of your stereotypical "sick" foods - chicken noodle soup.  But since we weren't sick, I made it with a twist, chicken noodle lasagna!  All the comfort of chicken noodle soup, including the same ingredients.  Lasagna noodles take the place of egg noodles, chicken, and the same sort of soup vegetables you're used to seeing.  All that's missing is the broth!  But you won't miss it.

Chicken Noodle Lasagna

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 chicken breast

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

16 oz ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can tomato sauce

6 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup parmesean, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat.  Season chicken with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano.  Cook 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Once chicken cools, dice.
2. Combine ricotta, eggs and some salt and pepper.  Set aside.
3. Heat remaining olive oil in the pan.  Add the onions, garlic, celery, peppers, and carrots and saute for 3 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Pour just enough tomato sauce to coat the bottom of an 8x8 pan.  Place 2 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.
6. Top the noodles with half of the ricotta, half of the chicken, and half of the veggies.
7. Put 1/3 of cheese on top of the veggies and 1/3 of the sauce on top of cheese.
8. Repeat with 2 noodles, remaining ricotta, chicken and veggies, and half of the remaining sauce and cheese.
9. Top the final layer with 2 more noodles, remaining sauce, and cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
10. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.

Putting the Pizza in Pasta: Pizza Lasagna

Pizza night is a weekly occurrence in our home.  And I try to spice it up a bit with variety.  Spinach pizza, radish pizza, cheese pizza.  But Thatboy's favorite kind of pizza is a meaty pizza - with sausage and pepperoni.

Really, there's no much difference between a pizza and a lasagna.  One has a crust, the other has noodles.  But both are a conglomeration of cheese, sauce, and whatever other ingredients you care to throw in there.

Sausage in a lasagna isn't really anything new, but I wanted to give this one a pizza-y twist, so I added pepperoni to it.  This was apparently one of the smartest things I've ever done, at least according to the males in my home.  Thatbaby devoured this lasagna for dinner two nights and for lunch one afternoon. Thatboy couldn't wait to get his hands on the leftovers.  I could tell he had been thinking about it all morning when we got back from the pool and he remarked "I know what I'm having for lunch!"

Pizza Lasagna

3/4 lb ground sausage

2 cups of your favorite marinara

no-boil lasagna sheets

16 oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

6 oz pepperoni, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Brown the ground sausage. 
2. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour some of the marinara in an 8x8 dish, enough to cover the bottom.  Place 2 of the lasagna noodles over this sauce.
4. Place half of the sausage on top of the noodles, then half of the ricotta.
5. Place 1/3 of the mozzarella over the ricotta and half of the pepperoni over the mozzarella.
6. Top with 1/3 of the sauce, then another layer of the noodles.  Repeat with remaining sausage, ricotta, 1/2 of the remaining mozzarella, pepperoni and 1/2 of the remaining sauce.
7. Top with noodles, remaining sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.
8. Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes.

Shopping Scores: Bolognese Lasagna

Today is Thatniece's 13th birthday.  13!  I remember the day she was born.  Thatboy and I had just started dating.  He didn't have a computer so he asked if he could borrow mine to look at pictures of his new niece.  I remember her little pink cheeks and her dark head of hair.

In the Jewish religion, 13 is a pretty big birthday.  I know it's not as big a deal for Catholics, but I still wanted to get Thatniece something REALLY special for her 13th birthday.  Something to mark her transition from child to young woman.  Something that she would have for years to come, the way I still have some special gifts from my 13th birthday.

So on Saturday, Thatboy and I went and picked her up her very first designer purse!  Something every woman should have.

Even though I'm a bit of a Kate Spade addict, we went with a classic Coach purse.  In leather, since I still have some leather coach purses from when I was young, and Thatmom still has leather coach purses from when she was young.  So I know they'll stand the test of time.

We also swung by Banana Republic to pick up some more polos for Thatboy who wears them on casual Fridays in his office.  And while there, I couldn't resist picking up some summer bottoms for me.  After all - they were on sale.

Like a pair of bright pink shorts for $5.99.

And linen sailor pants for $8.99.  I love linen pants in the summer.

These cropped pants were a little more expensive at $24.99, but I live in these during the summer.  I think I get a new pair every year because I wear them so much.

And in celebration of Thatniece's birthday, a truly celebratory dish - lasagna!  This is one of those labor intensive types of lasagna - maybe more than I'm used to, but it is totally worth it. I rarely make lasagna with bechamel, even though I think it's the more traditional route, but every time I do I'm reminded how much I love it.  I went with Val's suggestion to include spinach, which is a brilliant idea.  I love the extra green and it always helps to get some extra veggies in.  I made this with the chicken meat sauce I had, but any bolognese should work.

 Bolognese Lasagna (From A Canadian Foodie)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

2 cups cream

salt and pepper

nutmeg

olive oil

Fresh pasta sheets

3 cups Bolognese

1 bunch of spinach, sliced

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Add the flour and butter to a sauce pan on medium high heat; stir to combine, and keep stirring until it becomes paste-like and bubbly.
2. Slowly add in portions of the milk, stirring constantly while adding and between adding liquid
3. Once all milk has been added, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
4. Cover the bottom of a casserole pan with a thin layer of olive oil
5. Cover the bottom of the pan with pasta sheets.
6. Arrange 1/2 cup of the bolognese over the pasta; repeat until there are 4 layers of pasta and 3 layers of the bolognese
7.  Place the spinach on top of the last pasta layer and top with 1/2 cup of the bechamel sauce.
8. Continue layering the pasta and bolognese for another 3 layers of pasta and 2 layers of bolognese.
9. Top with remaining béchamel sauce, cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
10. Uncover and sprinkle top with the shredded mozzarella.  Return to oven and bake, uncovered for 20 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.  Let rest for 20-30 minutes.

Stop to smell the flowers: Turkey Lasagna

One of our favorite springtime rituals is a trip to The Flower Fields. This is the first year we've been able to bring Thatbaby with us and we were sure he would enjoy it.

We were right.

I'm not quite sure he was as enthralled by the beauty of the rows upon rows of colorful blooms, but he sure liked crawling up the dirt hills to sit on.  And throwing the dirt.

He loved running up and down the rows of flowers.

He loved smelling the blooms.

And goofing around with his parents.

 

He enjoyed the sweet pea maze, even if we did get lost and he got tired and wanted to be carried.

So all in all, I would say it was a successful trip for all involved.

I love going to The Flower Fields and I know Thatboy feels the same way.  I'm hoping our love has already started to be instilled in Thatbaby, but I guess only time will tell.  Flowers are interesting in that they're so beautiful, but temporal.  The ranunculus featured at the Fields are only there from March to May.  Being there reminds you to take the opportunity to appreciate the fleeting beauty all around us.

Food is similar to flowers.  Because when you make something, you put your time and love into the dish, and its beauty is also gone shortly after.  Take this lasagna, layer upon layer, gone in a single meal. But really, can you blame anyone for devouring it?  Like flowers, you just need to enjoy it while you can, taking time to appreciate its beauty.

Turkey Lasagna

•  2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 16 oz fresh ricotta
• 1 egg
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 package lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat.  Add spinach and cook until wilted.  Remove from pan.
2. Brown turkey in same pan as the spinach.
3. Combine the egg, ricotta cheese, 1/4 of the mozzarella, salt and pepper in a bowl.
4. Pour the juice from one of the cans of tomatoes in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
5. Place one layer of noodles over the tomato juice.
6. Spread half the cheese mixture over the noodle.  
7. Add half the turkey and spinach over the cheese.
8. Add one of the cans of tomatoes and half of the remaining mozzarella.
9. Add another layer of noodles, cheese, turkey spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella.
10. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.
11. Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes.

Getting it out of my system

I am nothing if not predictable.  Every year around this time you'll find a full week of posts where I complain, loudly and frequently, about my religious enforced diet.  A week where I bemoan the lack of grains in my life.

And like any terrible/immature writer - I can't help but over-foreshadow.  Which means this week you get to hear me fore-bitch about how next week I will be rice/pasta/bread free.  2 weeks of bitching!  Double the fun!

I'm really going whole hog this week.  I'm trying to make sure I get my fill of everything I'll be deprived of next week.  Not just get my fill, but maybe get over-full.  So much so that I'll look forward to the lack of carbs.  (For the record, this has never happened in the past, but a girl can always dream right?)

With my latest lasagna obsession, I felt like I should try to get one in before the holiday begins.  Thatboy didn't like this one as much as the meaty lasagna - but it's important that he gets his vegetables in too.  Even though I can (and will) get my fill of vegetables next week, I still used this lasagna as a way to clear out my vegetable drawer.  Since Passover is a chance to clear out the cupboard and fridge anyway, I thought I'd get a fresh start with everything.

 

Pre-Passover Lasagna

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cups marinara sauce
3 Tbsp red wine
8 oz fresh ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg white
1/4 cup cooked spinach, chopped

1/4 cup cooked zucchini, chopped

1/4 cup cooked carrots, shredded

1/4 cup cooked mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesean cheese

8 lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 375.  In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until brown.  
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.
3. Add 1 cup of the marinara sauce, the tomatoes and red wine.  Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Stirring occasionally.
4. Combine the egg white, ricotta, half of the parmesean, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and the chopped veggies.
5. Spread 1/2 cup of the un-meat-ed marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.  
6. Place 2 lasagna noodles over the marinara sauce.
7. Top the noodles with 1/2 of the cheese mixture, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and half of the meat sauce.
8. Place 2 noodles over the meat sauce.
9. Top the noodles with half of the remaining cheese and 1/2 cup of the un-meat-ed marinara.
10. Place 2 noodles over the marinara sauce.
11. Top the noodles with the remaining cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and the rest of the meat sauce. 
12. Place 2 noodles over the  meat sauce and top with the remaining un-meat-ed marinara.
13. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesean.  Cover and bake 50 minutes.
14. Uncover, cook for 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and brown.

When Soup's Not Enough

That lasagna soup really did a number on me.  I can't remember the last time I was so obsessed with a new recipe.  And so after making it, all I could think of was lasagna.  All the time.

It was like the soup had flicked on a switch in my head.  A switch that couldn't be flicked off.  Or at least, not without valiant effort.

Have you ever had a song verse stuck in your head?  Over and over again it plays.  And I've found the best way to get rid of it is to sing the full song out loud.  I personally tend to do this in the shower since it brings all sorts of unwanted attention in the supermarket.  I thought I would try the same technique with lasagna.  Maybe if I made an actual (non soup) version, I could get this thought unstuck.

And so I began.  Thatboy is partial to meat in his lasagnas.  Because of the brilliant sausage in the soup, I knew I wanted to use that in my lasagna - with some ground beef thrown in too of course.  Layering tomato sauce, cheese, and noodles was almost cathartic.  Like putting together pieces of a puzzle.  I knew it was going to come together in the end. 

It was smart of me to make a meat-lasagna.  It's been a while since I've done that.  The last one I made was chicken based, and while it was good, this one is far superior.  Thatboy has declared it his new favorite lasagna.  See - the way to a man's heart is definitely red meat.  As for me?  The song is still there, but at least it's died down to a hum.

Super Meaty Lasagna

1/2 pound Italian sausage

6 ounces ground beef

1/4 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

marinara sauce

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

6 lasagna noodles

1/2 pound ricotta cheese

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until browned. 
2. Stir in marinara sauce. Heat through.
3.  In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg yolk, parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Spread 3/4 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. 
5.  Arrange 2 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella. Spoon 3/4 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese. 
6. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake 25 minutes.
7. Uncover foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.