Cold Weather Food
Oh Dear.
Good Grief.
My weather has already started changing.
Poo. I hate that.
I want to run behind summer shouting over the roar of the car motor "Don't move! Don't leave me! I love you" and Summer slowly dwindles in the distance waving her bright sunny arm all the while.
I hate that smell. You know the smell. You walk outside in the early morning or late night and you can smell fall, and sometimes even winter. Blah.
The only good thing about it getting colder is you get to eat hotter food. Heavier food. Mmmmm......
Shepards Pie
Chicken and Dumplings
Stews and Soups
Casseroles
And Lasagne.
With Lusciuos, Buttery, Garlic Bread!
I like to make it the night before so I can throw it in the oven when I get home and in about a hour and a half I have dinner with no work!
Here's the stuff for a Big Ass Lasagne
1 lb Ground beef
1/2 lb Sweet Eye-talian Sausage (or whatever floats your boat, sausage-wise that is)
2 cans o'sauce of your choice
1 yegg
1 bag O'Shredded Monster-ella
Fresh Parm. About 1/2 cup
1 big ass container of Riccotta
**************NOTE*******************
Do Not Use Skim Milk Riccotta. You are just cheating youself. If you use Cottage
Cheese you should be shot. Why would you ruin your food intentionally????
When you can answer that you cottage cheese users and I can talk.
Noodlies. Use regular ones and I'll teach you how to use em just like those fancy schmancy oven ready ones. I use about 3 per layer.
An Onion, diced
Garlic to Taste
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper
A drizzle o'Earl. Doesn't matter what kind really.
First, get your big noodle pot and fill it with hot ass water and toss your noodles in to soak. No heat or boiling nesessary. A possible water change is though. You want them pretty flexy and pliable, but not boiled soft.
As your noodlies soak, fry up your onions and garlic for 3 or 4 minutes, the toss in your beef and snausage. Make sure to mash with a fork the whole time. Snausage can turn into a lump. Once cooked drain in a collander.
Place your pan back on the stove and pour in a container of sauce, refill the container 1/4 with water and pour in. Toss in your drained meat.
Huh. hahaha..... HA. I said Drained Meat. I make myself laugh like a 12 year old boy.
Stir it around then pour in your other can o'sauce reserving 1/4 in the can. Stir again.
Dump your ricotta into a mixing bowl, salt, pepper, garlic powder and your yegg. Stir until well combined.
Now! YOU ARE READY TO CREAAAAAAATTTTTTEEEEEE!
Drizzle about 2 TBS of Earl into your casserole and smear it around with a paper towel. Make sure to get the sides. DISCARD TOWEL. Duh.
Toss is the reserved sauce and shake dish until evenly distributed on the bottom o'pan.
Layer in 3 noodles and top with Riccotta mix. I find using a rubber scraper to smear the cheese mix on the noodles. It takes some finness, them noodles are slippery bastards.
Sprinkle with Monster-ella and layer with more noodlies. Then add in your super awesome meat sauce. Make sure it's covered pretty well. Dust with your parm. Ok. Pour it all in. Add more monster-ella and noodles.
Now. This is a personal choice. I like to add more sauce and dollop the rest of the riccotta mix on. You could certainly change that and do Riccotta first then top with sauce.
Either way I like to cover it in foil and refridgerate it over night before I bake it. Let everything get all smooshy together and friendly like.
When I get home from work the next day I get a cookie sheet out and put the lasagne on it.
Pop it in the overn and let it warm up with your oven. I cook at 350 for about an hour and a half. That last half hour I pull the foil off and top with Monsterella.
Drool and do the hungryhungry dance.
Make the Garlic bread.
Your stuff:
1/2 Loaf Crust Eye-talian or French bread. Preferably, fresh.
1 Whole Stick o'Buttah
3 TBS of chopped garlic. I like the jarred crap.
1 teaspoon Garlic powder. Oh yes. You want it.
1 tsp Salt and a little fresh cracked pepper. 3 or 4 twists on the cracker.
More Monster-ella
Leave your buttah out to soften. Nice and smooshy. Don't microwave it if you can help it. I'm convinced it does something to the butter, seperates it somehow.
Toss your garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper into the butter and smear it around until well combined.
Cut your bread in half and smear the garlic goodness on there. Mmmmmmm.... pop it in the oven to toast up.
Go back and sit in your chair and cry becausse you houe smells wonderful.
Start checking after 10 minutes and pull the lasgane out of the oven to let it rest. Just like meat.
Once the bread browns a wee bit, about 15 minutes pop it out and cover the top in monster-ella and back in the oven.
OMG OMG. Wait. Find something to do. Bite your nails. Work out.
As soom as the cheese has melted and browned up just a touch pull it out and you can eat.
Finally.
It's awesome.
In your mouth. NOMNOMNOM.
Good Grief.
My weather has already started changing.
Poo. I hate that.
I want to run behind summer shouting over the roar of the car motor "Don't move! Don't leave me! I love you" and Summer slowly dwindles in the distance waving her bright sunny arm all the while.
I hate that smell. You know the smell. You walk outside in the early morning or late night and you can smell fall, and sometimes even winter. Blah.
The only good thing about it getting colder is you get to eat hotter food. Heavier food. Mmmmm......
Shepards Pie
Chicken and Dumplings
Stews and Soups
Casseroles
And Lasagne.
With Lusciuos, Buttery, Garlic Bread!
I like to make it the night before so I can throw it in the oven when I get home and in about a hour and a half I have dinner with no work!
Here's the stuff for a Big Ass Lasagne
1 lb Ground beef
1/2 lb Sweet Eye-talian Sausage (or whatever floats your boat, sausage-wise that is)
2 cans o'sauce of your choice
1 yegg
1 bag O'Shredded Monster-ella
Fresh Parm. About 1/2 cup
1 big ass container of Riccotta
**************NOTE*******************
Do Not Use Skim Milk Riccotta. You are just cheating youself. If you use Cottage
Cheese you should be shot. Why would you ruin your food intentionally????
When you can answer that you cottage cheese users and I can talk.
Noodlies. Use regular ones and I'll teach you how to use em just like those fancy schmancy oven ready ones. I use about 3 per layer.
An Onion, diced
Garlic to Taste
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper
A drizzle o'Earl. Doesn't matter what kind really.
First, get your big noodle pot and fill it with hot ass water and toss your noodles in to soak. No heat or boiling nesessary. A possible water change is though. You want them pretty flexy and pliable, but not boiled soft.
As your noodlies soak, fry up your onions and garlic for 3 or 4 minutes, the toss in your beef and snausage. Make sure to mash with a fork the whole time. Snausage can turn into a lump. Once cooked drain in a collander.
Place your pan back on the stove and pour in a container of sauce, refill the container 1/4 with water and pour in. Toss in your drained meat.
Huh. hahaha..... HA. I said Drained Meat. I make myself laugh like a 12 year old boy.
Stir it around then pour in your other can o'sauce reserving 1/4 in the can. Stir again.
Dump your ricotta into a mixing bowl, salt, pepper, garlic powder and your yegg. Stir until well combined.
Now! YOU ARE READY TO CREAAAAAAATTTTTTEEEEEE!
Drizzle about 2 TBS of Earl into your casserole and smear it around with a paper towel. Make sure to get the sides. DISCARD TOWEL. Duh.
Toss is the reserved sauce and shake dish until evenly distributed on the bottom o'pan.
Layer in 3 noodles and top with Riccotta mix. I find using a rubber scraper to smear the cheese mix on the noodles. It takes some finness, them noodles are slippery bastards.
Sprinkle with Monster-ella and layer with more noodlies. Then add in your super awesome meat sauce. Make sure it's covered pretty well. Dust with your parm. Ok. Pour it all in. Add more monster-ella and noodles.
Now. This is a personal choice. I like to add more sauce and dollop the rest of the riccotta mix on. You could certainly change that and do Riccotta first then top with sauce.
Either way I like to cover it in foil and refridgerate it over night before I bake it. Let everything get all smooshy together and friendly like.
When I get home from work the next day I get a cookie sheet out and put the lasagne on it.
Pop it in the overn and let it warm up with your oven. I cook at 350 for about an hour and a half. That last half hour I pull the foil off and top with Monsterella.
Drool and do the hungryhungry dance.
Make the Garlic bread.
Your stuff:
1/2 Loaf Crust Eye-talian or French bread. Preferably, fresh.
1 Whole Stick o'Buttah
3 TBS of chopped garlic. I like the jarred crap.
1 teaspoon Garlic powder. Oh yes. You want it.
1 tsp Salt and a little fresh cracked pepper. 3 or 4 twists on the cracker.
More Monster-ella
Leave your buttah out to soften. Nice and smooshy. Don't microwave it if you can help it. I'm convinced it does something to the butter, seperates it somehow.
Toss your garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper into the butter and smear it around until well combined.
Cut your bread in half and smear the garlic goodness on there. Mmmmmmm.... pop it in the oven to toast up.
Go back and sit in your chair and cry becausse you houe smells wonderful.
Start checking after 10 minutes and pull the lasgane out of the oven to let it rest. Just like meat.
Once the bread browns a wee bit, about 15 minutes pop it out and cover the top in monster-ella and back in the oven.
OMG OMG. Wait. Find something to do. Bite your nails. Work out.
As soom as the cheese has melted and browned up just a touch pull it out and you can eat.
Finally.
It's awesome.
In your mouth. NOMNOMNOM.
"nomnomnom".....you crack me up.
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