red bean lasagna

for the record.... being unemployed was fun at first but now it is really starting to suck.  im bored, broke and about to pull my hair out.  i can only clean the house so much and its too damn hot to be outside actually do something productive.  im not a big tv watcher so i rarely turn it on during the day.  argh.  


sooooo... lasagna.  really simple and a little different.  it doesnt require too many ingredients either.


1 15 oz can of red beans, drained
1 clove garlic, minced (i used a little more)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained (i used diced tomatoes with onion and green pepper)

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cold milk
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (i didnt have this so i used a shredded mozzarella and provolone mix) its safe to say you will probably use an 8oz bag for the entire recipe.
• 6 no-boil lasagna noodles

1. preheat oven to 350.

2. heat a skillet with some olive oil and add garlic.  

3. mix in beans, tomatoes and green peppers.  cook for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally.

4. in another pan, melt butter and gradually add flour.

5. slowly add milk and then the cheese until slightly thickened.

6. in a 7x11 pan (you can use a 9x9 pan as well) lay 1/2 of the bean mixture on the bottom of the pan.  top with 3 of the lasagna noodles and then add another layer of bean mixture.  

7. before topping with the remaining noodles, sprinkle on some of the shredded cheese mixture that was used earlier.  

8. after topping with the remaining noodles, cover with sauce and add some more shredded cheese.  (you can never have too much cheese) :)

9. bake for 20 mins or until slightly browned.

so, to be honest... i havent tasted this yet.  instead of baking it, i put it in the freezer for later.  the day i decide to cook it though, i will let it thaw in the fridge first before putting in the oven.

comfort food

i dont know what my deal has been lately but ive been craving carbs!  i didnt exactly know what i wanted but i know i wanted to feel full.  so, while richard was playing with his toys (aka turntables) i decided to make something yummy and this is what came about....

i took this recipe and made my own little version of it.

ingredients:

12 ounce package dry gemelli (its pasta... use whatever you want)

small onion

1 pound fake sausage

1/2 cup white wine

1 15 ounce jar spaghetti sauce

6 ounce can of tomato paste

14.5 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes

shredded cheese... the more, the better :)

preheat oven to 400.  you will also need to start boiling water for the pasta and get that going.

chop up that onion.  i cant get enough of my nicer dicer.  it is the best thing i have in my kitchen right now... until i get my kitchenaid standing mixer.  dont worry nicer dicer, i will still love you equally.

you will need to brown the meat.  obviously, you dont have to use fake sausage but sausage is needed for this recipe.  so, for you meat lovers... go ahead and eat little wilbur.  anyway... once you start to cook the sausage, add the onion and cook until evenly brown.  (if you are using real meat, once the meat is finished cooking make sure to drain that nasty, greasy fat)  then add the wine, spaghetti sauce, fire roasted tomatoes and tomato paste.  simmer for about 10 minutes.  stir occasionally.  (are you jealous of my cast iron skillets?  its ok, you can be) :)

next toss pasta with the sausage mixture.  from this point, you can do what you like.  you can throw this is a greased 9x13 pan, cover it with cheese and bake it or you can layer it.  one layer pasta, one layer cheese, one layer pasta, one layer cheese... you get the point.  (layering is what i did)  

bake for about 20-25 minutes and then enjoy!!! :)

it was really really really good.... this recipe is very versatile and super easy to make.  you can add and take out whatever you want.  since it is just me and the boy, this dish lasted us all week.  well, i also make eggplant parmesan so between the 2 of those dishes we were set! :)

moms taco salad

when i was younger, my mom made this amazing taco salad.  as ghetto as it is, you are going to love it too.  if you dont, you suck and im telling my mom on you.  :)

ingredients:

doritos

1 pound meat (and as you all know, mine was fake)

taco seasoning

cheese... lots of it

i also put green peppers and onion in the "meat" while it was cooking but you dont have to.

first, smash up a bunch or doritos.  this is the fun part... and i had a lot of fun making it after a long day at work last week.  just beat the crap outta those chips!! :)  once you have done that, make a layer on the bottom of a greased, 9x13 pan.

next, take the taco "meat" and make a layer on top of the chips.  (obviously, you know how to make taco meat... cook the meat, add taco seasoning and shazam!!  taco meat!!)

after the taco "meat" layer, throw on a bunch of cheese.  the more, the merrier.  repeat these layers until you can layer no more.  then add more cheese... 

i love cheese.  i dont know if you all knew that or not :)

then, during all of this tedious work, you get someone awesome to do their part.  *que richard*  my lovely stepped up and made cocktails... even though he doesnt blog, he does his fair share :)

ta da!!  of course i ate it before i took a picture of it... when food is calling my name, i dont hesitate to answer.  :)  

just bake this sucker for 15-20 mins at 375 and you are good to go.  add whatever you like on top.  i put lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa and of course, more cheese.  richard did all of the above minus onion plus sour cream.  it was yummy in the tummy!

Veggie Pot Pie, hold on to your hats, this one's my own creation

Veggie Pot Pie

You've probably noticed, that's not a picture of pot pie. My camera was having a bad day and the rest of the picture aren't this pretty. This is a gorgeous flower from my very own front garden. It has made my apartment smell so fresh and clean, I almost hate to leave it.

Now on to the food. I was sitting at my kitchen table, staring upon a mound of potatoes. Potatoes of every shape, size, color, and dirtiness that you could imagine. I knew I wanted to create a good Sunday 'Mom' meal, those meals that always made me cringe when I was younger. I opted for pot pie. After searching through websites and cookbooks, I gave up and attempted it on my own. While it's not quite perfect, it is worth sharing and asking for your suggestions. It definitely needs some more spice and TLC, but I was nursing a pretty bad vodka hangover, Megan's fault.

The veggies (part 1)

2 cups diced potatoes (straight from the ground to my table, I'm liking this CSA)

1 cup diced carrots (again, still covered in fresh dirt)

1 cup diced green beans (these came from Abbey's (my sister) garden)

2 cloves fresh garlic diced to your liking

1 small onion

Once chopped, drizzle the veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper and saute until slightly browned. This is where I made the first mistake (I might suggest to cook the potatoes for just a little bit prior to sauteing, but once reheated, they were perfect).

Place cooked veggies in a well greased pie dish of your liking.

The gravy (part 2)

2 cups veggie stock (homemade, I'll post this recipe, or your favorite store brand)

2 tbs butter

2 tbs flour

In one pan bring your vegetable stock to a slow simmer. In a second pan melt your butter and flour, whisking to create a rouge. Once to your liking, slowly add the vegetable stock. Once combined, add to your veggies, and mix well.

At this point, I added some additional spices. A pinch each of salt, pepper, thyme, sage, and parsley. I probably should have added 2 or 3 pinches to kick it up a bit.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (do this sooner if you have an electric stove.

The biscuit crust (part 3)

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tbs unsalted butter

3/4 cup soy milk

Combine the dry ingredients, add the butter and fork until you get that corn meal texture. Add the soy milk and mix well, knead in bowl 3-5 minutes.

This is where I got lazy and just plopped the dough onto the veggie/gravy mixture. It worked well.

Heat in oven about 30 minutes. Watch the biscuits to ensure they don't burn. I was hesitant to post this upon first taste, but I must admit, it's one of my favorite lunch box meals I've had this year. It needs some work, but it's not to shabby if I do say so myself.

slow cooker chili

i recently went home to surprise my mom on her birthday and acquired a few new cooking goodies.  (i also forgot my camera there so youll have to deal with the camera phone pictures)  one of the things i was very excited about was the slow cooker aka crock pot! :)  the day i returned to louisville, i was in the kitchen cooking.  this was the result...

mmmmmm.... chili :)  i made the concoction that night and put it in the refrigerator.  the next morning i turned it on low and let it cook all day while i was at work.  i was so excited to come home and walk into my apartment!!  the wait was torture but it was worth it...

ingredients:

(basically a little bit of this and a little bit of that)

28-ish ounces of diced tomatoes

(i used one can of diced tomatoes with onions and chilies in them and one can of fire roasted diced tomatoes)

1 can black beans

1 can of dark red kidney beans  

(drain both cans)

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

(the green peppers were ginormous!!!)

i got to use my nicer dicer.  i love this product... like, a lot!  amanda makes fun of me for it but i think its amazing and use it as much as possible!!

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano 

i think thats it.  you can add more of anything or add less.  you can also add other things like carrots and celery but i dont really like those in my chili.  

enjoy :)