Saturday, February 14, 2009

Veggie Lasagna


I really don't care for red sauce lasagna, but of course I will eat it along with any other Italian food I make or can get my hands on. This vegetable lasagna recipe I have tried several different ways and think this is the best over all. We are having this with Caesar salad and homemade cheese bread. Soo good on a cold winter's day, did I tell you winter is back on Beaty's Creek? Yep, showed up last night for a few days. I would love to have snow but I hate cold with no snow, it is the kid in me I guess. Nothing says winter fun like doing donuts in the snow in a Ford pick-up truck. Good times I tell you. Now on to the recipe.

Needed:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
6 cups of whole milk

Melt butter and add flour. Stir constantly until golden brown, now add 6 cups of milk slowly all while stirring. When it thickens up a little remove from heat.

2 packages frozen of spinach-thawed and squeeze all the moisture out
1 package frozen green peas-thawed
5 carrots-peeled and sliced into thin coins
salt and pepper to taste
6 cloves garlic-minced
1 large container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 pounds mozzarella cheese-shredded
1 pound Parmesan cheese-shredded
2 eggs
1 package lasagna noodles-boiled

Mix together all of the veggies with garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese together until creamy.

Mix ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese together. Mix well.

Pour enough milk sauce to coat bottom of a very deep 9x13 pan. You will layer in this order;
Noodles
Sauce
Veggies
Cheese Mixture
Mozzarella cheese
Noodles
Sauce
Veggies
Mozzarella Cheese
Noodles
Sauce

Bake at 400' covered for 45 minutes, remove cover and bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes and serve.

Better Than Sex Cake


I will not go as far to say this cake is "better than sex" but it is pretty darn good. When Raven was little she would ask for this cake by name, not so good when you are at a Kindermusik class. If you don't have someone to celebrate Valentines Day with, this cake will do for a stand in. Bake this cake and it will make you think of spring even if you have a high of 20° today.

Needed:
1 yellow cake-baked according to directions on box
1 large box of cooked vanilla pudding-cooking according to box instructions
1 can crushed pineapple
1 cup of white sugar
1 small container of Cool Whip
1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

Place pineapple in a small saucepan with sugar. Boil until pineapple thickens a little and sugar dissolves. Poke a few holes in baked cake and pour pineapple over cake. Now pour the vanilla pudding over cake. Place in fridge overnight. Just before serving cake spread Cool Whip on top evenly and sprinkle coconut over top. This cake gets better with age.