Lasagna

Norm's Lasagna

Bechamel

1 C. heavy cream

1 C. chicken stock

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

Melt butter, stir in flour.  Add heated chicken broth a little at a time.  Add heated cream, whisking often, bring to boil and let thicken.  Set  aside.

Meat filling

1 med. onion,chopped

3 cl. garlic, minced

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

3T. fresh chopped italian parsley

3 T. fresh chopped oregano

1 1/2 lb. mild or sweet Italian sausage

1 1/2 C. grated Pecorino Romano cheese

salt and pepper

Oil for frying

saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.  Add meats and cook until done but not browned.  Stir in cheese, parsley and oregano.  Set aside

Cheese filling

1 1/3 C. fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 C. fresh chopped basil

1 1/2 -2 packages fresh mozzarella

16 oz. whole milk ricotta

Marinara pasta sauce

Package shredded mozzarella

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Preheat oven to 400.  Put some marinara on bottom of lasagna pan.  Put 4 lasagna noodles on bottom, overlapping each one.  Add half the meat mixture, 1/2 the bechamel, 1/3 the parmesan, 1/2 the basil, 1/3 the ricotta and 1/3 the marinara

Make second layer like the first and top with last 4 noodles.  Top with last of the sauce, and last of the ricotta.  Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Turn oven up to 450.  Remove foil add shredded mozzarella and cook until browned and bubbling, about 15 minutes.  Broil a couple minutes at the end if needed for browning. 

Let set 20 minutes, cut and serve. 

Ribs & Kraut

Boneless Country Sparerib and Sauerkraut,

6 to 7 lbs. "Country Style" pork ribs or boneless pork

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

3 lbs. can sauerkraut or deli plastic bag style

1 1/2 c. chopped apples (yellow delicious or Granny Smith are best)

3/4 c. chopped onion

2 tsp. ground clove

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. dark molasses

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

Preheat broiler, dust with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt and brown all sides of ribs (in a deep dutch oven or casserole), reduce oven to 350 degrees.

Drain sauerkraut. Place on top of browned ribs. Mix spices, apples, onion, sugar and molasses and place on top of sauerkraut and ribs. Pour chicken broth on top. Cover and bake 2 hours. Serve topped with sour cream.

Salad is seeds. nuts, raisins and cabbage

Stuffed Pork Chops

Charlie and Cassie are going to a BBQ this evening so I had dinner alone.  This is what I had.

CHERRY & MUSHROOM-STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Printed from COOKS.COM

2 tbsp. canola oil, divided

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup dried sweetened cherries, chopped

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

4 boneless pork loin chops, 1-inch thick

1 tsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup cherry juice

In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Add celery, onions, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Stir in cherries, thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Cut deep pocket in side of each pork chop. Fill with 1/4 of cherry mix. Skewer pockets closed with toothpicks. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tbsp. oil. Add pork chops, brown over medium heat for 8 minutes per side or until no longer pink.

Remove chops from skillet. Pour off fat. Add flour to skillet, cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Stir in chicken broth and juice. Scrape brown bits from skillet, cook 1 minute more to thicken sauce slightly.

Return chops to skillet. Turn to coat evenly. Spoon remaining sauce over chops before serving.

Rice was made in a rice cooker using home made chicken broth instead of water and a packet of Sazon Goya

Beans was a three bean salad (Green Giant) 

Jerk Chicken, marinated asparagus, marinated green beans and salad

Grilled Jerk Chicken with Mango Cilantro Salsa

(recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay)

Prep Time:24 hr 0 minInactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 scallion, coarsely chopped

1 large Scotch bonnet pepper, stem and seeds removed

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

4 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in

4 drumsticks, skin on

To prepare the jerk chicken:

Directions

Puree all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor until almost smooth. Piece the chicken with a fork to make tiny holes. Place the chicken in a large shallow baking dish and rub the marinade into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, depending on how intense you want the flavor to be. Preheat grill. Grill chicken on each side for 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked through.

MANGO-CILANTRO RELISH

(recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay)

2 mangoes, peeled and diced

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the mangoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and orange juice in a bowl and gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Marinated Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus spears

2 T Water

1/4 C. seasoned rice vinegar

2 T. chopped fresh ginger

1tsp. dark sesame oil

2 tsp. bresh squeezed lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon, divided

Remove tough ends from asparagus

Place stalks in glass pie plate with water, cover with paper towel and nuke 3 minutes.

Plunge asparagus into cold water.

Reservine 1/2 of the lemon zest, place remaining ingredients  in zip top bag along with asparagus and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  Drain & discard marinate, serve cold, garnish with remaining lemon zest.

Green Bean with Dill Salad

1 lb. Green Beans, stem end trimmed

½ c. Red Onion, cut in thin slivers

2-3 Garlic cloves, smashed just to break and peeled 

½ c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 T. Fresh Dill, chopped

¼ t. Salt

¼ t. Freshly ground black pepper

3-4 T. Lemon Juice (one lemon)

Blanch beans in lightly salted boiling water just until tender crisp (3-4 minutes). Immediately cool in ice bath and then drain well and pat dry. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic cloves, dill and salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine and coat the beans. 

Allow to sit at room temperature for 30-45 min. to allow garlic to perfume the oil, stir once or twice. Just before serving, remove the garlic and add the lemon juice, tossing to coat; correct seasonings to taste. 

Serve at room temperature.

Salad was very thin slices of cucumber, carrot and radish with lime juice, olive oil and salt dressing.

Out Back Honey Mustard Chicken

Also had an avocado half with balsamic vinegar. 

Honey Mustard Marinade (Divided):

1 c. Grey Poupon Dijon mustard

1 c. honey

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

Chicken:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 c. sliced mushrooms (10/12 mushrooms?)

2 Tbsp. butter

salt and pepper

paprika

8 slices bacon, cooked

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Use an electric mixer to combine the mustard, honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whip the mixture for about 30 seconds. Pour about HALF of the marinade over the chicken breasts and marinate them, covered, in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Chill the remaining marinade until later. After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat an ovenproof frying pan large enough to hold all four breasts and 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. (If you don't have an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the chicken to a baking dish).

Sear the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove pan from heat but keep chicken in the pan. As the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan saute the mushrooms in the butter. Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the reserved honey mustard marinade (not the portion that the chicken soaked in) being sure to save a little extra that you can serve on the side later with the dish.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, crosswise on each chicken breast. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese evenly onto each breast followed by 1/4 cup of Cheddar.

Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.

German Chocolate cake

I got the recipe from a professional baker

German Chocolate CakeIngredients: 

1 package (4 ounces) German sweet chocolate1/2 cup water

4oz. semi sweet chocolate

o 1 cup butter, softened

o 2 cups sugar

o 4 eggs, separated

o 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

o 2-1/2 cups cake flour

o 1 teaspoon baking soda

o 1/2 teaspoon salt

o 1 cup buttermilk

o FROSTING:

o 1 cup sugar

o 1 cup evaporated milk

o 1/2 cup butter

o 3 egg yolks, beaten

o 1-1/3 cups flaked coconut

o 1 cup chopped pecans

o 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

o ICING:

o 1/2 teaspoon shortening

o 1 square (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate

Directions: 

Line three greased 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper and set aside. In small saucepan, melt chocolate with water over low heat; cool. 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. 

In a small bowl and with clean beaters, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into the creamed mixture; fold in remaining whites. 

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. 

For frosting, in a small saucepan, heat the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla extract. Cool until thick enough to spread. Spread a third of the frosting over each cake layer and stack the layers. Melt chocolate with shortening, stirring until smooth; drizzle down sides of cake.