VEGETABLE LASAGNA...SETTING THE TABLE FOR SPRING

Easter Sunday preparations are underway. I adore planning the table setting and the Easter dinner which seems to celebrate the Spring season with arms open wide. To me, this brings the family such warm memories of Easter spent traveling back to Jackson and having Easter egg hunts in Mother and Daddy's beautiful back yard. The azaleas were in full bloom in various shades of pink and rose. It seems this year, everyone is having somewhat of an endless winter, doesn't it? Even Pensacola has been hammered with cold rain storms. I did finally get the Spring wreath on the door....LOVE IT! Now how perfect is that?

Now, let's turn our attention to some inspirational tablescapes! I think I need to take a shopping trip for more bunnies. You can never have too many, don't you agree?

 

Need some inspiration for an easy weeknight dinner? I find myself preparing more vegetable dishes these days! They are lighter and so, so good for you!

 

 

VEGGIE LASAGNA

3 ¼ cups Ricotta Cheese
1 ½ cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 boxes Frozen chopped spinach, drained
4 ½ cups chunky vegetable pasta sauce
1 box uncooked Lasagna noodles
2 ½ cups grated Gouda or Swiss cheese
⅛ tsp. Salt
⅛ tsp. pepper

 

Prepare a 13 x 9 x 2 Lasagna pan by spraying lightly with olive oil.
Set the pan aside until ready to use.
Gently blend the Ricotta and Parmesan cheese together, adding salt and pepper.
Now spread 1 cup of pasta sauce in Lasagna pan.
Place 3 Lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.
Spread 1 ¼ cups of Ricotta mixture on top of noodles in a light layer.
Place about ⅓ of spinach mixture on top of Ricotta mixture in spoonfuls.
Repeat the layers ending with 3 Lasagna noodles and the remaining sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using Aluminum foil cover the Lasagna and bake for about 30 minutes.
Then remove the foil and sprinkle the grated Gouda or Swiss cheese on top.
Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes more.

Our Family Dinner...... Italian Style!

Hmmm...how to prepare for Italian night at the Maine House? We are hosting a Tuscan- themed dinner at Estelle's and want to ensure it has all the ambiance of a night in Palermo!

Dinner will be followed by a showing of The Godfather...one of the best classic movies ever made, in our humble opinion! How can you not get up and waltz when Connie's wedding scene is played? Estelle's has chosen some great Italian dishes that are sure to please our dinner guests from the sides to the main dish of Joy Behar's lasagna....ending with a beautiful and light Panna Cotta! I hope these recipes will inspire you to host your own Italian themed dinner party! Buono Appetito!

For our veggie side, we are serving a bowl of marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers strips and black oil-cured olives, stirred together with a very light vinaigrette. This will help cut through the rich flavors of the lasagna.

A good wine to try with lasagna is the

Pasqua Montepulciano d'Abuzzo

Joy's Lasagna

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 cup Chopped Onion

2 Garlic Cloves

1 ½ Lbs. Sweet Italian Sausage (Out Of Casings)

1 Large 28oz Can Crushed Italian Tomatoes

1 6oz Can Tomato Paste

¼ cup Chopped Parsley

½ cup Chopped Basil Leaves

2 Tsp Sea Salt

¾ Tsp Pepper

½ Box Lasagna Noodles

1 Lb Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Extra Large Egg

1 Lb Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese For Sprinkling At End

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and position the oven rack in the middle. To make the meat sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and stir for one more minute. Then add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat. Breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fully cooked and no longer pink. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Soak lasagna noodles in hot tap water.
While the sauce is simmering, make the cheese filling In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of Parmesan, the beaten egg, chopped parsley, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
 Ladle one third of the meat sauce into a 9”x 12”x 2” casserole or baking pan. Spread the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add approximately half the pasta (in one layer, cover the sauce with the noodles), half the sliced mozzarella, half the cheese mixture, and one third of the sauce. Add another single layer of noodles, mozzarella, ricotta, and the remaining sauce Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of Parmesan.
 Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling.

HERB GARLIC BREAD

1 stick butter (1/2 cup), at room temperature

2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt and extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf crusty baguette

Extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For the bread, stir together the butter, mashed garlic, and herbs in a small
bowl and season with salt and pepper. Tear open the loaf of bread lengthwise, spread the herb-garlic mixture over both halves and sprinkle with a little olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Estelle's Vanilla Panna Cotta

3 T. Water

1T. powdered Gelatin

4 C. Heavy cream

 1 t. good Vanilla

1/2 c. sugar

Fresh Raspberries 

Satin Chocolate Sauce

Satin Chocolate sauce

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 c. light corn syrup

1/3 c. hot water

In a small bowl, combine the water and Gelatin and let soak for about 10 minutes. (Do not stir.) Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the cream, the vanilla bean (if using real vanilla adds when at end) and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it simmers, turn off the heat and add the Gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve the Gelatin. If the Gelatin doesn't completely dissolve in 3 minutes, return the mixture to the heat and warm gently until dissolved. Pour the mixture into 6 to 8 ramekins or desert cups. Chill, uncovered, 2 hours.


Satin Chocolate Sauce: In the top of a double boiler, combine the 2 chocolates over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted, then whisk in the syrup and water without removing the double boiler from the heat. Whisk until smooth and shiny. The sauce can be made up to two hours before serving, refrigerated. To rewarm, stir over low heat or heat in microwave.

 

Mushroom Lasagna.....Eating for Health!

Summer is coming! I know it! It's time to begin our walking program and plan on summer food recipes. Now I know you are thinking that I seem to write about "big ole' fat southern food", and yes, that's pretty much the way I cook! These are food dishes I grew up with from our Grandmothers and Mothers! That's ok, because we do not dine on these recipes all of the time. We do try to eat healthy most days and summer foods are so darn beautiful and delicious, it would be impossible not to delight in the bounty of this season. Here are some smart tips on incorporating these particular foods in your menus for healthy family dining!

A Maine House Mosaic

Eat smart! Happily, there are a host of delicious foods designed by nature to turn up your fat-burning furnace, flatten your belly, and take a big bite out of your appetite.

Mmmm. Creamy and tangy Yogurt is loaded with calcium -- and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine.

 Eggs beat out carbs when it came to helping folks feel full longer and helping them beat back snack attacks later in the day.

 Pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber. All of these qualities together explain why adding pistachios to the diet helped dieters in a study curb their appetites and lose more weight.

Of all the foods rumored to boost weight loss, grapefruit is likely the most famous. And research confirms that this fruit's get-slim celebrity status is for real. One study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer.

Avocados! This green goddess of heavenly, creamy taste can help you whittle your waist. It's true! Researchers suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin -- a hormone that lets your brain know that you're full, so you stop eating.

If you want to try an easy and tasty calorie-cutting trick, then replace the meat in your favorite recipes with mushrooms. You'll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal, partly because you'll skip all the belly-padding saturated fat contained in meat.

Invest in a good Olive Oil!  Use it in salad dressings and marinades because it contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid -- which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you're full and makes you want to stop eating. It's heart healthy!

Ready to trade your belly bulge for a flat tummy? Then toss your refined grains into the garbage, and eat more whole grains instead. Research shows this one move can help whittle your middle. We're talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta.

Red Pepper! I love them! Add some heat to your meals and you'll boost not only the taste but also the effectiveness of your weight loss diet. A dash of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno or red peppers will do the trick. They all contain capsaicin -- the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day. A similar compound in sweet peppers may hinder fat storage, too.

 PORTOBELLO LASAGNA

Kosher salt

Good olive oil

3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles

4 cups whole milk

12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms

1 cup freshly ground Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.

Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

The Heart of an Italian Kitchen!

WINTER.... Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do - or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so. ~Stanley Crawford


Winter came down to our home one night... Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow, And we, we were children once again. ~Bill Morgan, Jr.

We try never to forget that the holidays are a time for sharing the comfort and joy of being together with family and friends and of celebrating by eating the foods that symbolize the true meaning of the holidays. Sometimes, these encounters are brief, other times they are more enduring – a quick trip to drop off home-baked cookies, or a holiday meal prepared for many.


What makes us happy at the holidays is to visit old friends and make new ones. We love the reassurance of the rituals of eating and drinking at the holidays. We find ourselves engaging with new friends in conversations reflecting what they most love about the holidays. We listen to their memories and join them in their preparations for these special days. We love to share the dishes they serve at the holidays, and we are eager to be introduced to foods and recipes.


We realize that the holidays are a time to talk and laugh and pay tribute to those who are no longer here. Holiday gatherings are a time to do a gentle interrogation of the elders to hear their stories and to cook and bake once again the food that both nourished and fulfilled them.


More than ever, at the holidays, we realize that every day is a gift and provides us with a chance to try dishes in kitchens that are new and unfamiliar. It is the baking and cooking together that we relish.

There is something universal about cooking or baking in a kitchen. We use the same elements, fire and water. We work with the harvest of the earth, and the air is permeated with the aroma of what we plan to serve.

Sheila's Heirloom Lasagna
TOMATO SAUCE:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced onion (about 1 large onion)
2 red peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup water
1 pound ground beef
6 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casing removed (about 4 links)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, quartered and cored
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar


RICOTTA-PESTO LAYER:
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
4 cups whole milk ricotta
5 tablespoons prepared pesto
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts


MEATBALL LAYER:
8 ounces ground beef
3 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (about 2 links)
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons panko (Japanese) bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
2 tablespoons grated onion
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil


ASSEMBLY:


4 sheets fresh pasta to fit a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or 1 (16-ounce) package dry lasagna noodles
12 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)


To make the tomato sauce: Put a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion, peppers, celery, and carrot, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute more. Add the water, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for another 5 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated. This will bring out the natural sugars of the vegetables.


Spray a large Dutch oven with cooking spray and put it over medium-low heat. Spoon the vegetables into the Dutch oven. To the skillet, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Add the ground beef and sausage, breaking it up with the wooden spoon, and cook until no pink remains. Do not let the meat mixture crisp or burn. Empty it into the Dutch oven and pour over the crushed tomatoes, quartered tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, oregano, and vinegar. Cover and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon so that the sauce does not catch. Remove the cover and simmer for an additional 1/2 hour or until the sauce is thickened. The sauce will continue to thicken when taken off the heat. Remove the bay leaves and carefully transfer the sauce into containers. Allow the sauce to cool and refrigerate or freeze until needed. This recipe yields about 10 cups sauce.


For the ricotta-pesto layer: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add the Parmesan, ricotta, pesto, black pepper, and nutmeg. Process until combined. Add the eggs and pulse until combined. Remove blade from the processor and fold in the pine nuts. Place the cheese mixture into a container and refrigerate until ready to use. Let it come to room temperature before assembling the Lasagna. This recipe yields about 5 1/2 cups cheese filling.


For the meatballs: In a large bowl, add the ground beef, sausage, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, cheese, onion, salt, pepper, parsley, egg, and chicken broth. Wearing disposable gloves, mix everything together well and form into tiny meatballs about 1-inch in diameter. Do not overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Roll the meatballs in the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs and set aside.


In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Do not overcrowd the meatballs in the pan. When the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches, until they are browned and a bit crunchy on the outside, about 4 to 6 minutes. The meatballs do not need to be completely cooked through, they will finish cooking in the lasagna. Drain the meatballs on a paper towel-lined plate. Let them cool and place them in containers, and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the lasagna. This recipe yields about 35 to 38 meatballs.


To assemble the lasagna: If using the fresh pasta sheets, fill a baking pan large enough to accommodate the pasta sheets with boiling water. Fill a second large pan with cold water. Immerse one pasta sheet at a time into the boiling water for 45 seconds. Remove the pasta sheet with the handle of a wooden spoon and immerse the pasta sheet immediately in cold water for 45 seconds. Remove the pasta from the cold water, shake off the excess water, and stack between layers of plastic wrap. If you are using the dry noodles, prepare according to package directions, drain, and rinse in cold water. Stack the pasta between layers of plastic wrap.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, shiny-side up, and coat with cooking spray.
Spread 3 cups of the prepared tomato sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Place a layer of the cooked pasta on top. Spread 2 1/2-cups of the ricotta-pesto mixture over the pasta and top with 6 slices provolone cheese, overlapping them.
Place another layer of pasta on top of the provolone. Spread 2 1/2-cups of the tomato sauce on top of pasta. Set the meatballs in one layer into the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2-cup Parmesan cheese.
Place another layer of pasta on top of the meatball layer. Spread 3-cups of the ricotta-pesto mixture on top of pasta. Sprinkle 1/2-cup Parmesan on top.
Place the last layer of pasta over the ricotta-pesto layer. Spread 3-cups tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2-cup Parmesan. Place the remaining 6 slices provolone cheese over the Parmesan, overlapping the slices.
Spray the dull side of a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the lasagna with cooking spray so the cheese won't stick to the foil. Cover the lasagna, sprayed-side down, and put the lasagna on the prepared baking sheet. Put the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake the lasagna for another 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the lasagna starts to bubble. Replace the foil if the cheese starts to brown too quickly. A thermometer placed in the center of the lasagna should read 165 to 170 degrees F when done. Remove the lasagna from the oven and place on rack to cool. Let rest for 20 minutes, if serving immediately.


If serving another day, when the lasagna is completely cool, place a sheet of paper towel on the surface, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. To serve, remove the plastic and paper towel and cover with foil. Heat the lasagna in a preheated 350 degree F oven, until warmed through.
Serve the lasagna with any leftover tomato sauce and meatballs

The Mori's Rosa Marina Salad
1 lb.Rosa Marina (if you cannot find Rosa Marina, Orzo is a good substitute)
2 cans crushed pineapple
1 large can mandarin oranges
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs,beaten well
2 T. flour


Boil rosa marina first and set aside. Boil last 3 ingredients in pan with juices from the fruit until semi-thick. Pour over cooked pasta. Refrigerate 4 or 5 hrs. stirring 2 or 3 times to keep from clumping. Add fruit and one container of whipped topping before serving. We also chop up about 1/2 jar of cherries (tart or maraschino) and add with whipped topping. (it does tend to clump, but when you add the whip cream and fruit, you can separate it a little better). Beautiful topped with dark tart cherries!

"How bittersweet it is, on winter's night,

To listen, by the sputtering, smoking fire,

As distant memories, through the fog-dimmed light,

Rise, to the muffled chime of churchbell choir."

- Charles Baudelaire, The Cracked Bell

Comfort Lasagna on a Winter Night!

Escape to a place where time together means more. The Maine House kitchen! It's warm, cozy, the fire has been lit and the comfort food is in the oven. Ready for your visit! Nothing colors a winter evening as brightly as the smiles of the children and grandbabies....

Estelle's Sausage and Ravioli Lasagna
1/2 lb. ground Italian Sausage
1 (24 oz) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
1 (6 oz) package of baby spinach, washed completely
1/2 cup refrigerated pesto sauce
1 (25 oz) package frozen cheese-filled ravioli (frozen)
1 cup shredded Italian six-cheese blend


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook Italian sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well. Stir pasta sauce into sausage. Chop fresh spinach and toss with pesto in a bowl. Spoon 1/3 of sausage mixture into a lightly greased 11x7 baking dish, Top with half of spinach mixture. Arrange half of ravioli in a single layer across spinach mixture. Repeat layers once and top with remaining sausage and sauce mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5-8 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. We serve with fresh Italian salad and hot, crusty sourdough bread!

Fresh Italian Salad
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/2 cup olive oil
1 head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
4 Belgian endives, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
1 cup (lightly packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves, torn into bite-size pieces

Blend the lemon juice, lemon peel, honey, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil.
Toss the lettuce, endive, olives, parsley, and basil in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Season the salad with more salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

“Happy, happy Christmas,

that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days,

 recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth,

and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!”

Charles Dickens