World's Best Lasagna

I was recently invited to Sunday dinner where the most delicious broccoli chicken casserole was served. That got me reminiscing about my grandmother's cooking, because broccoli chicken casserole was one of her specialties. I was talking about the recipes of hers that I have, and I ended up inviting my friends over for dinner...with the promise of my grandma's special lasagna. Well, of course I searched high and low for her recipe and couldn't find it. I know I had it at one time though, because I've made it before! Anyway, in lieu of grandma's recipe I made another recipe...literally called "World's Best Lasagna." It has over 7,300 positive reviews on allrecipes.com. It's gotten 5 more positive reviews since I started writing this blog post! How could I go wrong? Allow me to cut to the chase: this lasagna is absolutely phenomenal! It is definitely more work than most (non-Italian) people are used to doing, but IT IS SO WORTH IT!!!! I made a few modifications to the recipe:

1. 1 lb. lean ground beef + 1 lb. Italian sausage.
2. 1/2 cup onion is just pathetic for 2 lbs. of meat! Add at least 1.5 cups diced onion or don't even bother. ;)
3. 1 tsp. salt to the meat/sauce mixture NOT 1 Tbs. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ADD 1 TBS SALT TO THIS RECIPE!!!! Seriously, you don't even need to add any salt at all. It is fine without aaaaaaaany salt!
4. 6 lasagna noodles...NOT 12. I don't know why every lasagna recipe known to mankind calls for so many freakin' noodles!!! It's like the flour industry writes these recipes! Oh wait...ha! Unless your favorite part of a lasagna is the noodles, or unless you're making a 10" tall lasagna...just make 6 noodles!
5. If possible, make your own ricotta cheese. It's super easy, and it tastes WAY better than anything you can buy at the store. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make my own, but I was able buy the next best thing: locally and freshly made ricotta. YUM!
6. Again, there's really no need to add even more salt to the ricotta cheese mixture. I sprinkled some salt into the ricotta cheese, but it really wasn't necessary.
7. Instead of the blah blah blah grated parmesan (seriously, does the author of this recipe have a sodium issue?!?!?), pick up a container of shredded parmesan, romano, and asiago blended cheeses! It adds a nice zing and aroma, and it cuts down on the saltiness of parmesan. YUM!
8. I was able to make my lasagna in the morning and let it sit for a few hours before I baked it. I think that helped the flavors to mix and mingle. Making it the day before would be even better!

Ok...so...what you've all been waiting for...the photographical documentation!!!!!

My FGF food critics. Don't let the cuteness fool you - they're TOUGH!!!

The sausage, onion, and garlic mixture.

Add all the tomato products and the seasonings.

Fresh parsley makes a big difference!

Seriously...you only need 6 noodles!!

Fresh parsley in the ricotta, too! Next time I'll make my own ricotta.

Ready for assembly!!!

The layered goodness coming into being! Look at that sliced mozzarella!

I was so excited about eating it that this is the only photo I took of the final lasagna before we devoured it!! Sheesh!

Both of my FGF food critics said this was the best lasagna they've ever had...and I agree 100% (I'm so very sorry, grandma!!!) This will definitely be my new lasagna recipe (with the aforementioned mods, of course!).

Veal Ricotta Meatballs

Following the theme of my freezer cleanse, this is what I did with the ground veal from my CSA share last year. I've never worked with veal before (ground or otherwise), so this was an interesting learning experience (catching the theme here???). I found this recipe for veal ricotta meatballs, and the author was so enthusiastic that I felt I couldn't not try it. In fact, she did such a great job of selling the importance of making your own ricotta cheese for the dish, that I did that too (see the post on homemade ricotta cheese)!!

Ground veal from Simmons Farm

Once the ricotta was done, putting the meatballs together was pretty easy. The first step was mixing the ingredients - ricotta, veal, two eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg (?!), and a cup of parmesan and romano blend.

Pre-meatballs

The ricotta was quite sticky and was very sensitive to temperature changes. The more I worked it, the more it stuck to my hands. To roll the meatballs, I coated my hands in flour. That did an excellent job of keeping the mixture from sticking to my hands. I also dusted the baking sheet to keep the meatballs from sticking to it, and that worked very well. The recipe says to roll 9 meatballs...but holy crap...they would be HUGE!!! I honestly prefer smaller meatballs, but I suppose the giant ones are somehow more gourmet or something??? Anyway, I got 12 pretty big meatballs (and one Alex-size meatball) from the mixture, and they were quite large.

Aren't they gorgeous? My meaty babies.

The next step was to cover them and let them chill in the fridge for an hour. While they were chilling, I cleaned up the kitchen. :) Once they were chilled, I fried them in oil. This was a new experience for me - I've never used oil to fry anything. I wish there was a way to bake these without them drying out. I'm guessing the reason the recipe calls for them to be fried is because A) everything tastes better fried and B) frying makes a somewhat crispy outer shell that prevents the meatballs from drying out. So...I put what felt like a ton of oil into my largest skillet and heated it. This part was a little scary to me because I've been hit with hot oil before, and it really hurts! I was extra careful, and thankfully it was a fun and safe experience.

They look like scallops, but they're not!

Once the meatballs had been cooked enough so that they were golden brown on both sides, I removed them from the oil and let them soak in tomato sauce. This recipe could be kicked up one more notch if the tomato sauce was homemade, but that would be expensive (I don't have tomato vines) and time-consuming. Maybe once I become a homesteader...

The meatballs enjoying a soak in the tomato sauce hot tub

Oh, I almost forgot - I made Alex a special meatball that I removed from the oil, dabbed with a paper towel to remove the excess oil, and presented to him as a gift of love.

It was just beautiful!

Alex with his very special meatball

After it was cool enough, I broke it into small bites (as cheese oozed from everywhere), and Alex DEVOURED it! He absolutely loved it. Have I mentioned that his favorite food is cheese? I couldn't help myself...I ate a tiny bit of his meatball. :) It was AMAZING! Seriously...these could be served without tomato sauce (or with a number of other great sauces), and they would be wonderful just on their own!

So...after a 30-minute soak in the hot tomato sauce, the meatballs were ready. I made myself some rice pasta spaghetti and enjoyed one of the best meals I've had in a long time! I would definitely make these meatballs again. They would be perfect for a dinner party! Crack open some wine... Bake some garlic bread... Fix up a nice salad... And finish it off with a wonderful tiramisu! :)

"On top of spaghetti..."

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

An essential ingredient in the veal ricotta meatballs recipe I tried recently was, of course, the ricotta cheese. The author of the blog post where I found the recipe was so persuasive that I felt the dish would've been a disgusting ball of goo if I made it with store-bought ricotta. So...here is my first ever attempt at making cheese!!! It is based on the recipe found here. The recipe says to line a sieve with cheesecloth. I have never used cheesecloth before, but I know what it is. I didn't have any, so I planned to pick some up at the store. I just happened to see some cheesecloth the last time I was at the grocery store, so I bought it. It was even earth-friendly (unbleached, etc.)! I was so excited, then I opened the package to line my sieve (that sounds HILARIOUS!).

It was only about 6 inches wide, so I had to criss-cross it!

So, this not only looks ridiculous, but it also ended up being only moderately functional! After reading some comments, I think next time I will get a linen towel. Not only will it be big enough, it will be reusable!

The next step was to put the milk, cream, and salt in a pot and slowly heat it. Since this was my first time and I wasn't sure what "slowly" meant, I TOOK FOREVER to heat it!!! Seriously, it probably took at least an hour to get the dairy mixture to the point of a slow boil/simmer...sheesh! The directions made me so nervous about "scorching" that I started the stove at 2 and worked my way up from there...v e r y  s l o w l y . . .

The dairy mixture heating sloooooowly!

Since I had so much time to kill while I was waiting for the dairy mixture to heat, I had plenty of time to hand-squeeze some fresh lemon juice for the recipe. It took 1 1/2 lemons to get 5 Tbs. Actually, that yielded 6 or so Tbs.

When life hands you lemons...make CHEESE!

After the dairy mixture simmered for a bit, I added the lemon juice and cut the heat (which I think had made it to 5 or 6 by then!). I stirred in the juice and let the mixture stand for a few minutes. Once it curdled and cooled a bit, I poured it into the cheesecloth-lined sieve to drain the liquid and separate the curds.

Pre-cheese...AKA curds! :)

This is where the cheesecloth showed its inadequacy. Due to the fact that I had to criss-cross the 6-inch wide strips, there were gaps along the sides a few inches from the bottom of the sieve. This meant that I could only strain a little at a time. So...this part of the process also took a long time. Ahhhh...I guess you can't expect amazing cheese to be fast, eh? Anyway, after most of the liquid drained off, I wrapped the cheese in fresh cheesecloth, put it back in the sieve, and weighed it down with two mugs to get out the last bit of liquid. Once all the liquid was drained, I removed it from the cheesecloth and wrapped it with plastic wrap to keep it fresh until it was time to make the meatballs!

My first homemade cheese!!!

This cheese tasted FANTASTIC!!! It was like yogurt, butter, and cream cheese all whipped together! It was fluffy and creamy and rich and delicate! Alex loved it, too (his favorite food is cheese!)!

Goat Stew

In an effort to eat what's in my freezer, I'm slowly working my way through the various meats I've been hoarding from my CSA meat share last year. In this post, I'll share my experience making goat stew. Yep, that's right - GOAT! Poor little goat... If you've ever been to see the goats at Simmons Farm in Middletown, RI, then you may have met my dinner. I don't know how they decide which goats to slaughter, but I'm sure it's not an easy choice. Anyway...before I get too far off topic... I had about a pound of "goat for stewing" from Simmons Farm, and I had no idea what to do with it. I looked at several recipes and decided on this one for goat stew.

Mmmmm..."goat for stewing!!!"

The directions say to make a "marinade" of carrots, onions, garlic, celery, jalapeño (since I didn't have the other fancy pepper), salt, and pepper and allow the meat to sit in this "marinade" in the fridge over night. As a couple of comments stated, I've never heard of such a "marinade." Although it was pretty and smelled wonderful, I don't really know how much the flavors actually integrated or how much was absorbed by the meat. If I ever make this again, I will rub the meat with spices and allow THAT to marinate over night! Those little packets of Indian spices are perfect for recipes like this. I was actually surprised by the lack of spices, and unfortunately the dish was pretty bland (except for the heat from the jalapeño).

Ho hum...just another bland "marinade."

After much deliberation, I decided to try making the stew in my slow cooker, as the author notes at the end of the recipe that this is a viable option. As always, this was a learning experience. It turned out ok, but I have ideas about how to make it much better. Read on!

All set in the slow cooker!

So, the choice to use vegetable stock or wine was given (really? is that even a contest?), and I chose wine. What's the point in vegetable stock, anyway? Unfortunately, I come from the school of Cathryn Tibbett, which says that "if a little is good, a lot is better!" I measured the one cup of wine, poured it over the meat and veggies, and decided that didn't seem like enough liquid. I poured another healthy "gluck" of wine in and had a sinking feeling that was probably too much. While it didn't do any damage to the dish, it didn't really help anything, either. The stew ended up with a bit more liquid than I think it should've, but no big deal.

The other thing I learned had to do with the part of the recipe that called for the meat to be browned in oil then simmered. Since I chose to use the slow cooker, I wasn't sure if I should brown the meat first or just toss everything in. I decided that browning wasn't necessary (although people do this with things like pot roast...I guess it helps seal in the juice or something?), but I wasn't sure if I should still add the oil to the slow cooker. I decided to try it, and what I learned was that I don't think that was necessary. So, if I ever make this again I will either put no oil or just 1/2 the amount of oil into the slow cooker. I don't think it served any real purpose in the recipe other than to facilitate the browning of the meat, which is unnecessary using the slow cooker. I suppose I could've browned it in oil before putting it in the slow cooker, but why dirty another pan?!?!

The finished stew, over rice.

 So, I made some brown rice to compliment the stew. It was good but not great. It was pretty bland except for the heat, and it really could've used some real spices. The meat was very tender though, and that is a definite plus for using the slow cooker. I would make this again, with some modifications.

Beer Can Chicken

Last year, as part of my CSA meat share, I got two whole chickens. These beautiful birds have been sitting idle in my freezer since then, and that's unacceptable. I've wanted to try beer can chicken for a long time, and I finally did it! This was a huge learning experience for me. I used this recipe as a guide, and I made several alterations based on others' comments and my own intuition. It might be easiest if I go through the process step-by-step.

Of course, two days before I planned to grill the chicken, I took it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw. It felt like Thanksgiving, friends. A very small Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving nonetheless! It was very exciting!

My dear chicken, who I thanked for its life.

 The night before I planned to grill the chicken, I made a "sauce" of melted butter and two packets of some amazing Indian spices (labeled as goan fish curry). I loosened the skin from the chicken and shoved as much of the sauce as I could under the skin - but I saved some to add to the beer for the grilling process. This was also a learning experience, as I've never loosened chicken skin before. Basically, don't worry too much about ripping the skin, and let your fingers do the work. Oh, and use a glove (or two). :) After I seasoned the chicken, I covered it and put it in the fridge over night (along with the reserved butter/curry sauce).

Seriously, use a glove!

The chicken after I rammed magic sauce in every crevice, nook, and cranny!

So, the recipe says to preheat an outdoor grill to low heat. Since my grill has a thermometer (that measures the inside temp of the grill), I preheated it to 350. Just FYI, a good general guideline for grilling chicken is 15 minutes per pound at 350 degrees. Also, it's important to be sure you've got enough propane to get the job done, since the bird will need to be out there at least an hour (depending on the size of your bird). Here's a great website with instructions on how to calculate how much propane you have in your tank.

While the grill was heating, I warmed up the sauce I'd reserved from the marinating process and found a good use for the 1/2 can of beer. (Side note: WTH would the directions tell you to "DISCARD" half the beer?!?!?! That is such a complete waste!) I had some blueberries from the bush in my back garden, and I added them to the beer like they do for the "Blueberry Blonde" at Coddington Brewing Company. :)

Discard the extra beer? NO WAY!!!

I forgot to mention that I took the beer out of the fridge along with the chicken, as it helps if the beer is room temp when you add the butter sauce. Anyway, I added the butter sauce to the beer (I had to put it all into a used seltzer can since I drink beer out of bottles!) and sprayed the can with some cooking spray (this helps it slide out of the chicken much easier after grilling is complete).

Chicken, meet can. Can, meet chicken.

The recipe says to use a disposable baking sheet, which I thought sounded like one of the worst ideas ever. I used a 9x9 glass baking dish instead, because it is very stable and holds up to heat very well. Someone suggested lining the baking sheet/dish with foil to make cleanup easier, but I decided I preferred stability over ease of cleanup (I thought the foil might make things slide around). The other thing to remember BEFORE you start the arduous journey from the kitchen to the grill is - if you have a bun rack attached to the lid of the grill, you will probably need to remove it for the lid to close properly. This is something you may want to test ahead of time.

Whew! We made it to the grill!!!

Ok, so my dear little chicken made it to the grill, I had enough gas, I drank the blueberry beer, and about an hour and a half later...

The best chicken I've ever tasted!

...I ate some of the best chicken I've ever tasted! People, I HATE CHICKEN SKIN!!! I think it is the most disgusting thing! The skin on this chicken was unbelievable! I seriously just sat and ate skin. The skin was better than the meat - no joke! It was absolutely delicious!!! I threw a couple of sweet potatoes on the grill with the chicken, so for the next few nights I had chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner...FABULOUS!

One more important side note is that the beer will bubble up out of the can, and that's ok. As you can see from the condition of my baking dish - this is a messy operation. Also, keep your eye on the neck, as part way through grilling you may need to cover it. I put some foil over my bird at about the 45 minute mark or so, and I'm glad I did. ENJOY!!!

Oat & Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I have the most wonderful blueberry bush in the garden out back, and when the blueberries are plump, juicy, and ripe I can't help myself...I must make blueberry pancakes! I found a buttermilk pancake recipe a few years ago that I absolutely love. This time though, I was really craving something a little more dense, so I searched for a new - more filling - pancake. I found this recipe for hearty oatmeal pancakes. It was especially exciting because the instructions say to soak the oats in buttermilk - YES!!! As I reviewed the directions, I felt like it would be better (and more fun) to use oat flour instead of rolled oats. So, I used my Blendtec to magically do just that.

Ahhh...behold the magic of the Blendtec!

As you can see from the recipe, there are several steps involved in the process of combining the ingredients. It's kind of a pain, but it's chemistry...and unless you don't care how your pancakes taste or what texture they have, you'd better follow them to the T. You can't argue with chemistry! I'll break it down into three easy steps:

Step 1: mix the batter (it's best to use a KitchenAid mixer!)

Step 2: add the blueberries (it's best if they're from the garden!)

Step 3: cook and enjoy (it's best if you use pure maple syrup!)!

Pork Chops & Apple Sauce

Remember that episode of "The Brady Bunch" where Sam and Alice joke about having "pork chops and apple sauce" for dinner? Well, they were really onto something...it's a great combo! Personally though, I think pork chops and cranberry sauce is an even better combo. For months, in my freezer I've had two pork chops from my meat share at Simmons Farm, and I really really REALLY wanted to eat them. Well, it's the end of February, but all week last week the high temperatures were in the 50s, so I decided that it would be fun to defrost the pork chops and grill them. I already had a can of cranberry sauce (with whole berries), so I just needed a veggie. I've wanted to try smashed cauliflower for a long time, so I looked up some recipes and bought a head of cauliflower. So, it turns out that making smashed cauliflower is one of the easiest things to do ever!

Step one: Cook the cauliflower.

My method of choice is to steam it in my grandmother's fancy veggie steamer that looks like a double-boiler.

Step two: Smash the cooked cauliflower.

I've been dying to use my Blendtec for whatever I can, so instead of employing the potato smasher, I used the blender.

Step three: Add butter, salt, pepper, milk/cream, cheese, etc. to enhance the flavor of the smashed cauliflower.

Step four: Enjoy!

Ok, so using the Blendtec resulted in smashed cauliflower with the texture of thick yogurt or creamy frosting, but it tasted delicious!

So, the next time I do this I will either consult the user's manual for the Blendtec, or I will just use the potato smasher and some serious elbow grease...LOL It was very tasty, despite its creamy consistency!