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Bowtie Lasagna

This looks very good...I was wasting time on Facebook and came across this post by the Pioneer Woman...

I tried her Penne with Chicken Thighs last night and it was fast and tasty (almost everyone liked it which is highly unusual in my house)...:)

I love her new show on the Food Network and so does Rose!  :)

 

Our Easter Dinner: Lamb Sans Mint

This recipe is from an ancient newsgroup circa 1988 before the internet was used as it is today.  The newsgroup was called all.gourmand.  :) 

Bill has made it almost every year for Easter since 1996.  May God bless you this Easter!  Alleluia, He is Risen!

From Steven McGeady (who posted his recipe on the newsgroup those many years ago):

Lamb Sans Mint

"I devised this recipe after being unable to find an appropriate recipe in the library.  It is always well-received, and it looks impressive far out of proportion to its difficulty.  Because it is simple and difficult to screw up, it is perfect as the centerpiece for a meal with a large group or with complex side dishes.  Serve with a hearty rice pilaf and a vegetable. "

Serves 4-6 (really more in our family).

1 leg of lamb, butterflied and trimmed

6 TBSP rosemary (we have used fresh and dried--either is fine)

4 TBSP freshly ground black pepper

6 TBSP green onions, chopped

4-5 cups burgundy wine

2 cups olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 TBSP oregano

1 TBSP thyme

1 cup onion, chopped (red or yellow)

Carefully trimming the fat from a butterflied leg of lamb, and finish the cut, as needed, so that the lamb lies flat in a butterfly shape.  A large butterflied leg of lamb should be no more than 2-3 inches thick.

Take a liberal amount of rosemary, crush it, and rub it into the lamb.  When crushing it, don't turn it into dust, just break it.  Sprinkle some black pepper on the cut side of the meat.  

Combine the remaining ingredients (wine, green onions, olive oil,, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, thyme and onion) into a marinade.

Place the lamb in a shallow dish or bowl, cover as much as possible with the marinade, and store in the fridge, covered, for 4-24 hours.  Turn at intervals to marinade evenly.

Grill over mesquite and charcoal on a grill with a tight-fitting lid, such as a Weber.  Cook on one side for 25 minutes, occasionally spooning leftover marinade onto the uncooked side, then turn and cook about 20 more minutes.  

Make a small cut in the thickest part of the lamb to check for doneness:  when the center is still pink, but not raw, take the lamb off and prepare to serve.  Remember that the lamb will continue to cook after you take it off the grill.

Serve the lamb cut-side down (pretty side up).  Garnish with uncooked green onions.

Notes:

Your butcher can butterfly a leg of lamb for you.  Tell him you will be cooking it flat, and not rolling it back up into a roast.  Ask him to be careful.

ETA:   Here is the lamb butterflied by dh on Easter Sunday last year at about 12:30 am.  :)  He has just finished rubbing in the fresh rosemary and spices.  It is about to go in the marinade.  I will post the "after" picture later after we finish ours for this year...

Old Fashioned Pound Cake

From my Kitchenaid Cookbook:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. butter, softened

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

6 eggs

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Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl.  Add butter, milk, vanilla an almond extract.  Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer.  Turn to Stir Speed (lowest speed) and mix about 1 minute.  Stop and scrape bowl.  Turn to Speed 6 (highest speed) and beat about 2 minutes.  Stop and scrape bowl.

Turn to Speed 2 (low) and add eggs, one at a time, mixing about 15 seconds after each addition.  Turn to Speed 4 (medium high) and beat about 30 seconds.  

Pour batter into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan (I use bundt pan).  Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  I begin checking at about 50 minutes--this is so much better if it's not overbaked.  :)  Cool completely on wire rack.  Remove cake from pan.  

Yield 16 servings.  

Mom's Homemade Scottish Shortbread

1 cup butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

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Soften butter.  Add salt, sugar and flour and mix with fork until dough forms.  Press into  9x9 or round 9 inch cake pan and prick about every 1/2 inch with fork.  Place in preheated oven (425) for about 25-35 minutes (until slightly brown).  Let cool and enjoy.

Janet's Kings Ranch Burgers

An old recipe from my friend, Janet, who is a naturally gifted cook, thus the recipe is a bit free-flowing, but I think I can make them...I still remember how lovely these tasted.  I made Janet scribble down her "recipe" at least 3 years ago...I am trying to transcribe recipes for my new binder...perhaps now I will make these yummy burgers.

Hamburger (1-2 lbs)

Onions/Mushroom--chop goodly amount to taste and use some of mixture to stuff in hamburgers (optional).

Brown hamburgers in deep-frying pan.  Toss in extra mushroom/onion.  Mix cream of mushroom soup with 1 cup of cream and some grated swiss cheese (optional).

Pour sauce over burgers and simmer covered 20 minutes.  If no swiss cheese in sauce, put slices on finished burgers.

Serve on buns or without.  Enjoy.

Baked Ziti with Sausage and Spinach

Baked Ziti with Sausage and Spinach

2 lbs. ground Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 T. garlic, minced
2 26-ounce jars prepared marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz. ziti pasta
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb. fresh spinach
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese


Cook sausage over medium-high heat.  Add the
onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the
marinara sauce and simmer for 10 minutes  Add salt and
pepper.

Cook pasta 10 minutes and drain well.  Spray
9x12 baking dish with cooking spray.  In large
bowl, mix pasta, sauce, mozzarella and spinach
well.  Pour in baking dish and sprinkle with 
Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or 
until casserole begins to bubble and cheese
is browned.

For meatless Fridays, you could just leave out the sausage!  :)

(serves 8)

Ruth's Bean Enchilada Soup

Bean Enchilada Soup

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can northern beans, rinsed

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed

1 can Basil and Garlic pasta sauce

1 can Enchilada sauce

Mix all ingredients in large stock pot. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. Top with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Ruth has a ton of wonderful meatless Lenten recipes.  

Meal and Recipe Planning

I have a very organized friend, who keeps her recipes in a three ring binder with page protectors to keep the recipes neat and clean while she cooks.  I can't tell you how often I plan to cook and spend way too long searching for the recipe or looking online for a comparable one to prepare.  I have most of my recipes marked in my favorite cookbooks but I don't have room to store all my cookbooks for easy reference.  This binder method will help me immensely--I will keep it close at hand in my kitchen and it will have our family favorite recipes at my fingertips.  

Of course, there will be a bit of work involved as I will need to copy/keyboard recipes from recipe cards, cookbooks and online sources.    I hope to get my big girls to keyboard recipes into the computer and then print them out and file them in my binder by type (appetizers, main courses, desserts, etc.).  

 Obviously, with Lent just a few days away, I have been thinking of more austere meals.  Holy Mother Church only requires the faithful to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent.  Fasting is only required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  Our family will be meatless one more day during Lent (Wednesdays).  

The recipes below are some of our "staple" meals.  I will attempt to link more as I have time.  This post was just started as a way to "think out loud."  Now, if I can just make it to Office Max to get my binder...;)

Meatless:

Potato Soup with Dill

Basil Pesto 

Cheese Enchiladas 

Bean Enchilada Soup

Brown Rice with Veggies

Frozen Cheese Ravioli with Marinara

Cuban Beans and Rice

Breakfast for Dinner (Pancakes or French Toast)

Spinach Lasagna

Baked Potatoes 

Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Salmon Patties 

Meat:

Hamburgers

Pork Ribs 

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce 

Roast Chicken 

Chopped BBQ on buns

Pot Roast

Beef Stew

Chicken and Dumplings

Pork Chops

Honey-Baked Ham

Molten Chocolate Cookies

Delicious!

Sixty Minute Cloverleaf Rolls

I make these for Thanksgiving every year.  They are easy enough to make more often and I need to remember to make them more often...:)

1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 packages of dry active yeast (6 3/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups warm water (105F – 115F)
5 – 6 cups all-purpose flour

In a small saucepan, stir milk, sugar, salt and butter together. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool until lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups flour to yeast mixture, and using a dough hook, mix on low speed for about 1 minute. With the mixer still going, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 1 1/2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl. Knead on low speed for about 2 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic – the dough will still be slightly sticky to the touch.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning it to grease the top. Cover the dough with a clean, dry dish towel, and let it rise in a warm place, free from draft, for about 15 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 24 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and place in a greased muffin pan. Using kitchen shears ,cut each ball in half, then in quarters, and replace in the muffin pan.Cover the muffin pan with the dish towel, and let the dough rise for about 15 minutes.

Bake at 425ºF for 12 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on wire racks.