Five Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

I have decided to start blogging again! I have been trying to find recipes that can be made and then portioned and frozen, as I work full-time as a cook and don't want to cook at home. Here is a recipe I found from Food Network's website which I modified. You can make your own tomato sauce or use whatever sauce you want. The feta cheese gives another flavor profile to the lasagna that is not normally seen, but is delicious.

Five Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:
12 dry lasagna noodles
1/4 cup olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 10 oz. box of frozen spinach
1 pound cottage cheese
4 oz. feta cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan and Romano blend
1 pound shredded mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 egg, beaten
4 cups tomato sauce -- whatever kind you want :)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the lasagna noodles for approximately 10 minutes until al dente. Drain the water and rinse the noodles. Set aside. Saute the garlic in the olive oil, then add spinach and cook until dry (only a few minutes -- don't burn the garlic). Cool. Mix all the cheeses, leaving 2 cups of mozzarella aside, nutmeg, cayenne, egg, and spinach mixture. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with a little bit of tomato sauce. Place 3 of the noodles in the bottom of the pan. Cover with 1/4 of the cheese mixture then 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. Repeat three more times. Then, sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella over the lasagna. Bake for 45 minutes.

If you want to freeze the lasagna to eat later, cool the lasagna completely, then cut into portions and wrap in foil. Place the foil into freezer bags and store in a place in the freezer where the lasagna will not be crushed. To reheat, defrost in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave.

Alternatively, you could prepare the entire lasagna and freeze the entire lasagna wrapped in foil. Defrost in the fridge and then bake as directed.

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are so amazingly good, and, if I hadn't made them, I never would have guessed they were vegan. I was looking for a recipe for blueberry muffins with no dairy, and I found this one. It is awesome.

Vegan Blueberry Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the sugar, almond milk, oil, and vinegar. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add blueberries. Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake at 375F for about 22 minutes. Cool in pan for a few minutes then eat or cool on cooling rack.

Sour Cherry Jam and Sour Cherry Pie

My neighbors have a sour cherry tree that hangs over into our yard, and they let us pick the cherries. So far this summer I have made 3 cherry pies and 21 jars of sour cherry jam. The jam recipe came from the packet inside a box of low sugar Sure-Jel (although you could use any other type of low sugar fruit pectin. For the pie, I use the same recipe for pie crust as in the post for pumpkin pie. For the cherry pie, use one recipe for the bottom crust and another recipe for the lattice. To make the lattice, roll out the crust as normal then cut the crust into strips and make a lattice (see pictures at bottom). Here are the recipes:

Sour Cherry Jam
5 cups very finely chopped sour cherries (make sure you pit them first)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 box low sugar needed Sure-Jel or other low sugar needed fruit pectin
1 cup water

Stir together sugar and fruit pectin in a large saucepan. Add 1 cup water and stir to dissolve. Heat over medium heat till mixture boils, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Add cherries and quickly stir together. Pour into jars, leaving some space at the top for expanding during freezing. Put the lids tightly on the jars and keep at room temperature for 24 hours. Store 1 jar in the fridge to eat right away and put the other jars in the freezer. Because this is a freezer jam recipe and the jars are not sealed with a canner, do not store at room temperature after the first 24 hours.

Sour Cherry Pie
2 recipes for pie crust
4 cups pitted sour cherries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Roll out one crust and use for bottom crust of pie. Stir together the cherries, sugar, and flour. Pour into crust. Sprinkle almond extract over filling. Roll out second crust. Cut into thin strips and use to make a lattice crust (see pictures). Bake at 425F for 35-45 minutes with foil covering the edges of the pie crust. Remove foil 15 minutes before done cooking. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes then enjoy :)

                                       To make the lattice, lay all the strips in one direction. Fold every other one back.

                               Continue doing this folding every other one back until the lattice is complete.

                                          The finished pie!

Pumpkin Pie and Butternut Squash Pie

Every year in the fall, I make pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkin. This may sound complicated, but it is really very simple. Last week, I wanted to make pumpkin pie, but it is obviously not pumpkin season. I decided I would buy butternut squash, cook it, and use it to make pie. I cooked the butternut squash the same way I cook pumpkin. First, I cut the butternut squash in half and scraped out the seeds. Then, I put the squash cut side up in a baking dish and baked it at 350F for about an hour until it was soft. Then, I took it out of the skin and pureed it in the food processor. One butternut squash turned out to be about 2 cups which is the amount needed to make pie. After that, I made two pies: one pumpkin pie using canned pumpkin and one butternut squash pie. I actually preferred the butternut squash pie because it is a little milder and sweeter than pumpkin pie. 


Pie Crust
1 1/3 cups flour, all purpose
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
3-4 Tablespoons water 


Combine the flour and salt. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it forms medium clumps. Add the butter and cut into flour until there are only small clumps left. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes or so. Roll the dough out until about 2 inches wider than the pie plate. Transfer to the pie plate using the rolling pin. Trim the edges and fold under. Use your fingers to make a decorative edge.


Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Pie
2 cups pumpkin or butternut squash
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 slightly beaten eggs


Combine all ingredients and beat until combined using a whisk. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350F and bake for about 45 minutes (maybe a little longer) until the center is set. Put in the fridge until cold. Serve with whipped cream.

Dark Chocolate Pudding

Hi Everyone!
The other day I was inspired to make very chocolatey pudding so I just made this recipe on the spot. I knew the ingredients for chocolate pudding, but not the ratios of starch to milk so I just guessed. I wanted to make the recipe taste like it was pure chocolate so I added melted chocolate chips to the pudding. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! 
                                                                                   -Elizabeth :)


Dark Chocolate Pudding
3 cups milk (preferably 2% or whole milk)
1/2 Tablespoon instant coffee powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted


Stir together the coffee powder, cocoa powder, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add the milk and stir to combine. Heat over medium-low, stirring very often so the mixture doesn't burn, until the pudding thickens. Remove from heat and stir in melted chocolate chips. Put the pudding in the fridge until cold. Enjoy :)

Braided Bread

Hi everyone!

I really wanted to make fruit-filled braided bread today, so I found this recipe online. I would have recorded myself making this recipe, but my family took the camera on vacation with them. I made two different kinds of filling (4 loaves): apple and blueberry cream cheese. Both are amazing, but I think I like the blueberry one best. 
The bread may look hard to make, but it is really quite simple. If you make it, you will love it. The bread would be amazing with other types of filling, such as raspberry or cherry. Enjoy :)
                                                                                                                -Elizabeth :)


Bread
This recipe is made in two parts. First you make a sponge, then you add the rest of the ingredients and finish the dough.


Sponge
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cup warm milk (105-115 degrees)
2 cups all-purpose flour


Combine yeast, sugar, and flour. Add milk and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.


Dough
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2- 3 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces


Add eggs, salt, sugar, and 1 cup of the flour to the sponge. Add the butter a few pieces at a time while mixing. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is kneadable but still soft. Knead for 5 minutes by hand or using a mixer with a dough hook. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours until double. Punch dough down. Divide into two pieces and roll each into a rectangle. Put filling in the middle third (lengthwise) of the dough. Cut the outer thirds of the dough diagonally into tabs about 1 inch apart. Fold each tab over the filling so they overlap and form a braid pattern. Fold ends under and place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes. Brush with egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk). Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. 


For blueberry cream cheese bread: Spread dough with cream cheese filling, then add blueberry filling on top.
For apple filled bread: Spread dough with apple filling. 


Cream Cheese Filling
3/4 cup cream cheese
2 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 T egg wash 


Mix all ingredients until smooth.


Blueberry Filling
2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh (I used frozen, because that's what I had)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 T lemon juice


Combine all ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring so the filling does not stick to the bottom of the pan.


Apple Filling
2 cups apples, sliced thin (I used 1 granny smith and 1 gala)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon butter


Combine all ingredients and heat until the mixture thickens and is gooey.

Lemon White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Hi Everyone!
At the assisted living center where I work, we get this lemon white chocolate cookie dough. I really love those cookies so I decided to see if I could make them at home. I modified my basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, substituting white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet, adding coconut, lemon extract, lemon zest, and a little lemon juice. Here's the recipe.
                                                                                                                       -Elizabeth :)


Lemon White Chocolate Coconut Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons lemon extract
zest of 3 lemons
about 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (you don't want too much or the cookie dough will be too wet)
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag of white chocolate chips
about 1 cup shredded coconut


1. Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in egg, lemon extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir till just combined.
2. Stir in white chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375F. Take off cookie sheet to cool.