Homemade Lasagna from Scratch!

I've always wanted to make a lasagna from scratch. And by from scratch, I mean noodles, sauce, the whole darn thing, from scratch. And it ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be...although a bit time consuming. But let me tell you, it is worth it! Next time I make it, I'll make double maybe even triple, and freeze them for later use. Best lasagna I've ever had! 

For the sauce:

• 4oz pancetta, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bell pepper, diced (I used an orange bell)
• 1 to 2 pounds ground beef (I only used a pound, but felt it could have been a little meatier)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk

For the Bechamel Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 ¼ cup milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the pasta:

• 3 cups flour
• 4 eggs
• Water as needed

Additional items needed:

• Freshly grated mozzarella
• Fresh parsley or basil (if desired)
• Freshly grated Parmesan 

In a large pot, over medium heat, heat up 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil. The olive oil add the garlic. Let cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. To the garlic add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce and set on a low simmer and cook for 2-3 hours. This process can be done days in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use. Or even frozen. This meat sauce also tastes great on spaghetti, just FYI. :)

Make the pasta: in your stand up mixer fitted with the hook attachment: mix flour and eggs together, adding water until it comes together into a ball, should be slightly sticky but not stick to your fingers. But not overly dry! Knead for 5 minutes, or until soft and springy. On a floured surface, cut ball into 4 pieces, place each ball into a plastic bag and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. 

Once you're ready to assemble the lasagna, grease a 9x13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the Bechamel sauce: melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and nutmeg and whisk for 1 minute, until slightly browned. Add the milk in a slow and steady stream, while whisking. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add Parmesan.  Set aside to cool, slightly. 

Start assembling your lasagna: take one of your pasta balls and roll it out on a floured surface until it's as thin as you can get it. It should be thin enough that you can almost see your hand through the other side, but not too thin that it breaks. Cut into long strips. Put a small amount of the meat sauce on the bottom of your greased pan. Top with  one layer of lasagna noodles. Top noodles with ⅓ of the Bechamel sauce, ½ of the meat sauce, more noodles, another ⅓ of the Bechamel sauce, the rest of the meat sauce, more noodles, the rest of the Bechamel sauce, the mozzarella cheese (I used about 1 ½ cups), and some freshly grated Parmesan. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove cover and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until bubbly and brown. Let sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

Freezer Directions: layer lasagna ingredients in a freezer friendly 9x13 pan. Cover and freezer for up to 6 months. Bake as usual.

Tips:

The pasta ended up making quite a bit of pasta, and I just froze the left over balls that weren't used. Next time I need fresh pasta, I'll just thaw and roll out and use as needed. Maybe make some stuffed ravioli? 

The meat sauce recipe also makes a lot! I ended up freezing some of it for later use...

Taste your meat sauce while it's cooking. Mine was a little bland, so I added more salt. 

Slow-Cooked Chicken Curry w/ Coconut Rice

This is another family favorite. I usually do a little less curry than the recipe calls for, just so it's not too spicy for my kiddos. The best part is topping it! The topping possibilities are endless. 

• ½ onion, chopped
• ⅓ cup tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons curry
• ¾ cup water or chicken broth
• 2 pounds of chicken (I usually use thighs, but breasts work too)
• 1 ¼ cups jasmine rice, uncooked
• 1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk
• Toppings of your choice: chopped mangoes, pineapple, mandarin orange, almond slices, sunflower seeds, green onion, coconut, raisins, cranberries, cilantro, crispy rice noodles, etc...

To your slow cooker add the onion, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, curry and water or broth. Mix well. Add the chicken and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Make your coconut rice: bring coconut milk to low boil over low heat. Add rice and stir. Cover and let simmer on low for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Serve warm with chicken on top, topped with your favorite toppings.
Freezer directions: I usually double the recipe. Split the chicken between two gallon size freezer bags. Top the chicken with the chopped onion and then mix the tomato paste, ginger, garlic, curry and chicken broth and split up between the two bags. Write on the bags what it is and the date and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to cook just thaw and throw in the crock pot.

Potato Leek Soup w/ Bacon & Dill

This past week I received 3 very large leeks in my bountiful basket. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. This is one of our favorite soups. We usually top it with bacon, fried onions, and cheddar. But you can top it however you like.

• ½ pound of bacon, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 leeks, chopped thin
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• ½ cup white wine, I used a cooking sherry
• 1 (32oz) box chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil and the chopped bacon. Cook until bacon is crispy. 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon. Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate. To the bacon grease and the diced onions. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the leeks and potatoes. Add the wine and let simmer until reduced by half. About 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and salt and pepper. Let simmer on low until potatoes are soft. About 30 minutes. Add the dill and blend the soup, either with an immersion blender or in batches in your blender (carefully, it's hot!). Add heavy cream and serve hot topped with fresh dill and bacon. 

Freezer Directions: cook through and let cool before putting in freezer friendly storage containers. 

Vegetarian option: skip bacon and add extra olive oil or butter to cook onions in. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. 

Southwest Chile Stew

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion
• 1 small can tomato soup
• 1 large can of chopped green chilies
• 1 small can chopped tomatoes (or 1 cup chopped fresh)
• 2 cups (or more) pinto beans
• 1 small can of black beans
• 1-2 cups of beef broth
• 1 small can of mexicorn (corn with bell peppers)

Brown meat with onions. To a big bowl add the meat mixture along with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.
Freezer directions: before adding it to the pot to cook separate the soup into two gallon size freezer bags. Freeze up to 6 months. Thaw and cook.

Italian Meatloaf

½ onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tomato, diced
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 eggs
¾ cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons Parmesan
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Saute onions in 1 Tbsp butter until tender. Add garlic, saute until fragrant; add tomato and italian seasoning, saute 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool. Mix egg, 1/3 cup tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add ground meat, bread crumbs, black pepper, parmesan and sautéed mixture. Add in 1 cup mozzarella. In a large, greased roasting pan form the meat into a loaf.  Bake at 400 about 40-45 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. Let cool. Then cover with remaining sauce and ½ cup mozzarella. Cover and freeze. To reheat, keep covered and bake at 350 degrees 40-45 minutes or 70-85 minutes if frozen.

Adapted from: http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2011/04/italian-meatloaf.html

Chicken Marsala

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• salt & pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 Tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded

Pound the chicken to 1/2 inch thickness, or cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Pat chicken breasts dry and dip in flour, which you've placed in a shallow bowl. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Place floured chicken in single layer in frying pan and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and gook another 4 minutes or until the meat feels firm when pressed with finger. Transfer chicken to plate and keep warm. Continue cooking the remaining  chicken. Return skillet to low and add the bacon, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pan. Cook until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate. To skillet, add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high, saute until mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and shallot and saute for another minute. Add tomato paste and cook until paste begins to brown, about another minute. Add the Marsala and chicken stock, and increase heat to high. Scrape browned bits from pan bottom. , and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the butter until melted and blended. Add chicken breasts to an oven safe pan and top with marsala sauce. Top with bacon and 1 cup of mozzarella. Broil about 3 inches under broil on low, for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. Serve.

Freezer directions: Before you broil, place your chicken in a freezer safe container and top with marsala sauce, bacon and mozzarella. Freeze up to 6 months. When ready to heat just thaw and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is heated through and mozzarella has melted. 

Recipe adapted from:

http://tideandthyme.com/chicken-marsala-2/

My Favorite Pizza Dough

• 2 packages (about 5 teaspoons) of active dry yeast
• 2 ¼ cups warm water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 5 cups flour
• 1 Tablespoon salt

In the bowl of your stand-up mixer. Add the warm water to the yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes Add the sugar, oil, salt and flour. Mix with dough hook on low until everything comes together, adding flour in ½ cup increments, as needed until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl and is no longer sticky. Knead for 8-10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size. About 60-90 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. If you're using a pizza stone, place in the oven while you are preheating. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal balls. Take one ball and place in the center of the parchment paper and roll out until it's about a quart inch thick (if you're having problems with the dough stretching, let it sit for a few minutes and then come back to it). Poke the dough all over with a fork or your finger tips. This helps the crust to not to bubble up. Cover with toppings of your choice and bake for 10-15 minutes. Repeat with remaining crusts or freeze balls of dough for later use. 

Recipe slightly adapted from: Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking.

Pear, Gargonzola & Proscuitto 

 Bruschetta Pizza

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

If my wallet, and waist, could afford it; I would eat this brisket every single day for the rest of my life. It's THAT good. It takes a lot of time and prep to make it, but trust me, it's totally worth it.

• 2 cans beef consomme
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons liquid smoke
• 10 lbs beef brisket

Combine everything but the beef in a very large roasting pan (I try to buy disposable for easier clean up). Put the brisket in the marinade, fat side up. Cover tightly with foil and marinate in fridge for 24-48 hours. When ready to cook, place covered pan in preheated 300 degree oven for 40 minutes per pound.

I've also cut the brisket in half, after marinading, placed half with some of the marinade in a freezer bag and frozen it for later. Then put the other half in my slow cooker and cooked for 10-12 hours on low, or even over night. 

Then just shred it and serve it on a tortilla, on a bun or just how it is.

SO GOOD!

Thank you Pioneer Woman for this amazing recipe:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/brisket_baby/

Herb Crusted Chicken with a Creamy Basil Tomato Sauce

Words cannot describe the deliciousness of this recipe! You'll just have to make it yourself and taste! It was even great the next day for leftovers. We enjoyed ours with some Garlic Mashed Potatoes & an Italian Salad. Mmmmm!

• 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin or cut thinly.
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup Progresso Garlic & Herb Bread Crumbs
• 4 teaspoons Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper Seasoning
• 3 to 6 Tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 can of diced tomatoes, drained or about 1 cup of diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thinly
• dash of pepper and salt

Place the bread crumbs and the roasted garlic and bell pepper seasoning in a shallow bowl, and mix until blended. Place milk in a separate shallow bowl. In a skillet heat 4 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Dip the chicken in the milk first and then coat in the bread crumb mixture. Fry, until cooked through, about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, adding more butter as needed. Remove chicken and keep warm. In the same skillet, add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to loosen the browned parts from the pan. Stir in cream and tomatoes; bring to a boil and stir for one more minute. Reduce heat to low and add parmesan, basil and salt and pepper. Stir sauce and cook until heated through and thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve chicken warm with sauce poured on top. If desired, top with grated Parmesan.
Freezer Directions: follow directions through to right before you top chicken with sauce. Instead, let chicken cool completely and then place in freezer friendly bag. Let sauce cool compteletely and add to a freezer friendly container. When ready to eat: thaw chicken and sauce. Place chicken on greased cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until heated through. Heat sauce on stovetop, or in microwave, until heated through. Top chicken with heated sauce.

Recipe slightly adapted from:

http://hopeandjohnbasher.blogspot.com/2012/05/herb-crusted-chicken-in-basil-cream.html

Salisbury Steaks

This is one of my family's favorite dinners. We love to eat it with mashed potatoes but you could serve it on some egg noodles or pasta as well. 

• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon grill seasoning, I use the montreal grill seasoning from McCormick
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large egg
• 8 ounce package of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 1/2 cups beef broth

Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and brown, about 6-8 minutes.  Put the cooked onion in a large bowl. Add to the onion: the beef, bread crumbs, grill seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and the egg. Mix to combine everything well and from the mixture make 5 patties. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over medium high heat. Cook the patties until they are well browned, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove steak and place on a paper towel lined plate and keep somewhere warm. Still over medium high heat cook the mushrooms in the drippings from the steaks for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Add the beef patties back to the gravy, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and the steaks are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Freezer directions: Cook through to the end of the recipe and let the steaks cool. Then place steaks w/ gravy in a freezer friendly container and freeze for up to 6 months. When you are ready to eat, just pop out of the freezer, thaw and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until the steaks are heated through and the gravy is boiling. 

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/salisbury-steak-with-brown-gravy-recipe/index.html

Slow Cooked Cranberry Orange Pork Roast

This is one of my favorite slow cooker meals. It may sound like weird ingredients but it's so tasty and so easy! And usually I'm not a big fan of pork, but this dish is fantastic. I've used a pork roast and a pork loin for this recipe. The loin came out a little more tender and moist then the roast, so I'd suggest getting a loin if you can.

• 1 (3lb) pork roast or loin
• 1 (16oz) can of cranberry sauce
• ⅓ cup of French salad dressing
• 1 orange sliced
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 onion, sliced

Mix together the french dressing with the cranberry sauce and orange juice. Place the roast in the slow cooker and top with the sauce, onions and oranges. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Shred pork with two forks or cut into thick slices. Serve with the juices from the slow cooker.

Recipe slightly adapted from:

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/16465/slow-cooker-cranberry-pork/?evt19=1