The Lasagne..

Words failed me. Upon the first bite, my eyes closed, I jumped up and down and I squeeled in utter delight. It was THAT. DAMN. GOOD. It was *exactly* what I imagined it would be. The only thing that would have been better was if I had a pasta roller and actually made the noodles. I think next time it's going to be an all day project and I'm just going to roll the noodles by hand.

I tweaked a few things.. The grocery store *and* the farmer's market were both out of fresh sage, so I had to substitute dried... that really bummed me out. It would have made SUCH a difference. It was still almost unholy in how freakin good it was... but fresh sage would have just.. *made it*. I added a LOT more cheese than called for. Like a least a pound or two of shredded mozzarella. LOL And I also added a bit of dried basil and oregano to the ragu of squash and sausage. After it was cooked and reduced(I added a little more than a cup of chicken broth so it could reduce nicely), I took my potato masher and gave it about 4 mashes, to thicken up the sauce a bit.. but not destroy all the cubes of squash. Also the recipe made a HUGE amount of bechamel sauce.. I think a standard 4 cup thick bechamel would be *plenty*... 6 was wayyyy to much.

I think I will only do one thing different next time (aside from the fresh sage).. I think I would like to add some carmelized fennel to the ragu. I think it would really add a nice sharpness that will blend well with the sweetness of the squash and sweet basil in the sausage. Basil and fennel play really well with one another, so I think it's going to really make a nice addition. We shall see... :) Of course Dave and I barely at 1/4th of the pan I made tonight... so it's going to take us a while to finish this one up before I can make another. LOL

Heather was the only turkey brave enough to try mama's crazy lasagne.. And she LOVED it!!!! :) Everyone else opted to make themselves a sammie or cereal. Crazy kids. They're lucky I let them get away with that crap every now and then. Usually what gets put on the table is what's for dinner. I just couldn't bare to watch them groan about not liking my beautiful yummy lasagne. I would have taken serious offence and there would have been bloodshed. It was better for ME that they just do their cereal and sammie thing. LOL I mean how could they resist THIS:


Holy Crap! The pictures worked!!

Dishes and groceries and laundry, oh my!

So, I've got the dishwasher running, the countertops have been washed, the groceries have been purchased and put away, there's a pan of chocolate chip cookie/brownie marble bars in the oven for girl scouts, and there's a load of jeans in the washer and towels in the dryer. Whew!!! Not bad for a couple hours work. :) Now I'm off to print out my lasagne recipe and start all the prep work on that :) I got a nice loaf of whole wheat french bread to go along with it.. I thought a nice whole wheat garlic bread would stand up nicely to the hearty richness of a butternut squash lasagne filled with bechamel and tons of cheese :D

Giada is making butternut squash risotto on Everyday Italian right now.. SO YUM. One of my new Thanksgiving dinner staples. :)

P.S. After a nice long nap, Andy is doing pretty good. He was a total trooper through the grocery store. I almost let him stay here by himself, but he said he felt good enough to go. He even carried all the grocery bags in the house for me.. My sweet helper. Anytime you need something done.. Andy is your man. :) Just like his daddy. :) :)

Getting my groove back

Well after a week of being down with what I am 99% sure was the flu.. I am starting to feel a little more like my old self again. Whether it was the swine flu or the "regular" flu, I have no idea. I wasn't subjecting myself to the ER just sit around for 6 or 7 hours to find out. Several bottles of nyquil and ibprofen later, I'm starting to feel human again. Still coughing and a little congested, but no worse for the wear. I'm awake.. and it's before noon... That's a really good sign! LOL

The kids all went to school today. Jason and Andy had to stay home yesterday, as they were both still feeling crappy and throwing up.. Of course by 10am they were running around, playing with the eye toy on the playstation and *destroying* my house. Jason tried to con us into letting him stay home again today... but once I told him "that's cool.. but I'm going to need your play station, your ds, your xbox, and the TV is going to need to stay off.. You can read in your bed if you want, but mostly, you'll need to be sleeping... And you obviously won't be able to see any of your friends when they get home from school, either. You'll need to stay in bed." He was suddenly well enough for school!!! LOL Funny how having no chance of playing any video games all day makes you feel well all better! He tried to call me from school, but the nurse saw right through him too.. he's done this before ;) You'd think he'd figure out that we caught on a lonnnnng time ago.

I have a long day ahead of me.. and I hope I've got the stamina for it. My kitchen is a wreck, the laundry is about attack, and there is nothing to eat in this house. I have barely cooked a thing in the last week, it's been all throw togethers and convenience foods.. But this week I'm in the mood for some good food. I *need* to cook something really good. So, I'm defintily giving that butternut squash and italian sausage lasagne recipe a shot this week. Also on the menu: chicken with basalmic vinegar and garlic with roasted new potatoes and green beans, and the kids requested that we make chili this week.. so we'll do that along with all the usual toppings (cheese, sour cream, crackers, corn chips, etc). I'm pretty sure I need to give this recipe for Nutella marbled pound cake a whirl this week, too. LOL

Tonight is girl scouts for the twins and Alyssa... and I'm supposed to bring a snack, so I need to figure that out too.

Well, shoot. Andy just called from the nurses office.. he threw up in PE. :( I guess this will have to be finished after I pick him up from school.

Damn Mercury

Mercury is in retrograde right now. I read about this a couple of weeks ago, but it didn't dawn on me. No wonder things in my life are getting tested. Well, I'm strong enough to withstand damn mercury. However, good stuff is happening inspite of damn mercury. Very very good stuff that I've been daydreaming about for years... :)

House of the Plauge

Title says it all.

I got sick last week... then managed to give my cooties to everyone else in the house. By Saturday all the kids were running fevers and laid out on the couch.. and The Husband was getting a tickle in his throat.. By this morning we had a puking Jason, fevers all around, coughing look-a-likes, a daddy that slept till 1pm, and a mom that has really had enough of being sick.

Whoever wished a pox on my house.. I hope they get it back.

It's a sign.

Twice in the past 24 hours I have seen something about butternut sqaush lasagne on the internet. It's a sign. I must make it. This is the one that's really making me drool...



Serves 8
by Deborah Mele




Lasagna Noodles:


4 Cups Unbleached Flour


5 Extra Large Eggs


Pinch of Salt




To make the pasta, mound your flour on a large pastry board, or the counter, and make a well in the center. Break the eggs into this well, and start to scramble each egg with a fork as it is being added. Start to incorporate the eggs and flour by slowly bringing more flour in from the inside edges of the well. Continue adding the flour to the eggs until they are no longer runny. Using your hands now, bring the outside edges in, forming a large mass on your board. Use only the amount of flour needed to form a soft ball.


Begin to knead the ball of dough as you would bread, pushing it down with the heel of your hand. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and satiny, for about 8 minutes. Wrap the prepared dough in plastic wrap, and let it sit for about 30 minutes.


Use a pasta roller or roll by hand to make long sheets of pasta 1/4 thick. I use my Kitchen Aide table mixer with the pasta attachment and roll my past to the third last position. After rolling, cut into 12 inch long strips. Precook in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place in ice water. Dry and set aside on clean kitchen towels.




Béchamel Sauce:


8 Tablespoons (two sticks) Unsalted Butter


1/2 Cup All-purpose Flour


6 Cups Milk


Pinch of Ground Nutmeg


Salt And Pepper To Taste




Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Once it is completely melted and bubbling, add the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. Cook for a minute or two until the flour just begins to take on some color. Slowly start adding the milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Continue to simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, stirring often. Season with a pinch of salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Set aside until you are ready to use, by pouring the sauce into a glass bowl and covering with a buttered sheet of plastic wrap.




Sausage and Squash Sauce:


3 Tablespoons Olive Oil


1 1/2 Pounds Sweet Italian Sausage, Casing Removed


10 Fresh Sage Leaves, Chopped


5 Cups Diced Butternut Squash (About 1 Large Squash)


1 Medium Onion, Chopped


2 Clove Garlic, Minced


3 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley


1/2 Cup Dry White Wine


1 Cups Chicken Stock


Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper To Taste


3 Cups (About 3/4 Pound) Shredded Mozzarella


1 1/2 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese




Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sage and cook until sausage is evenly browned with no pink showing, about 5 minutes, breaking up the sausage as it cooks with a fork. Remove the sausage to a bowl. Add remaining one tablespoon of the olive oil, butternut squash, onions, and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and just begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Return the sausage to the skillet and add the white wine, stirring to 'deglaze' the bottom of the pan. When the wine is almost completely reduced, add the chicken stock. Bring to the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Set aside to cool slightly.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1/2 cup of the béchamel on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish rubbed with butter. Set aside 1 cup of the béchamel sauce for the top. Arrange lasagna noodles over the sauce in the dish, trimming them to fit if needed. Spread 1/2 of the sausage and butternut mixture over the noodles, top with 3/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, then spoon some of the béchamel sauce over to cover. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread the reserved 1 cup of béchamel sauce over the noodles, cover and bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. Remove the cover, sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and cook until lightly browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Buon Appetito!

Being Erica

I'm feeling chatty tonight. LOL

So one of my *favorite* shows is back on soapnet. It's called Being Erica. I love this show for so many reason.. one of the biggest being that it takes place in Canada.. Montreal to be exact. And they say phrases and pronounce words that make me smile...like "Aboat". ;) I also love it because she's Jewish and I've learned a lot about the Jewish faith from it, and being the foundation of Christianity.. I am very intrigued by it. And I love what the show is about. Basically this woman, Erica, is a 32 year old single woman who's got a great education but her life is no where that she expected it to be. Her friends have all gotten married and have great careers and babies.. etc. And she feels like she's made all the wrong choices and that's why her life is where it is.. So then she meets "Dr. Tom".. who gives her the ability to go back in time to have a "do over" to her big list of regrets. And in the process she finds out all sorts of things about herself, fate, love, family, and the season finale is *heart wrenching*... So anyway... they are replaying all of season 1 in anticipation for season 2's premier in November..and I am so freaking happy and loving it. It's a great show for people who have regrets, and have always wished they could do something differently.. and eventually figure out that everything, even the bad stuff has a purpose. Basically, JD (if you're reading...) you would LOVE it.