Making Lasagna

For Valentine's Day, my boyfriend and I decided to make lasagna for dinner. He is from an Italian family, so he has experience in making it...but this was my first rodeo. We got a package of whole wheat lasagna noodles, 2 containers of Ricotta cheese, Spagetti sauce, veggies (onions, peppers, spinach), & Italian Sausage and began our creation.

First thing we did was rinse the noodles and let them dry.

We then layered a casserole dish with 4 rows of lasagna noodles (they over lap each other a little).
We then spread ricotta cheese over the noodles> followed by a layer of the spagetti sauce mixture (veggies, sausage, spaghetti sauce).
Continue layers noodles > ricatto > sauce till the dish is full.

We sprinkled Mozzarella cheese on top before we put it in the oven.

We cooked the dish on 350 for an hour.

It turned out YUMMY! We had a salad and Italian bread with it. What a great homemade dinner! :)

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

We had a party for Super Bowl, and I made a dip that I've never made before. It turned out so good that I wanted to share it!

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
2.In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.
3.Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.


We ate it with Tortilla chips and it was gone VERY quickly. If you are making it for a big party, I would recommend doubling the recipe.

ENJOY! :@)

Vegetable lover

I love eating vegetables especially when they have either been grilled or sauteed. I have learned the best vegetables are the ones that you get fresh...instead of the frozen veggies. Yesterday I was in a hurry to eat lunch and get back out to Grapevine to show a house, so I did not have time to saute or grill my veggies. I had fresh peppers, sugar snap peas, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, and mushrooms. I cut them all up quickly, after washing of course, and put the veggies in a big bowl. Once I had them in a bowl, I grabbed my light Italian dressing out of the fridge, and I poured a little dressing into the bowl of mixed veggies and then shook the bowl (put a lid on it). I spooned out the veggies and put them in a bowl full of lettuce and ate my quick and very healthy lunch. It did not take long at all to make, and it was so filling that it lasted me all through the day. You could also make this at dinner time and add mozzarella cheese into the mixture, and your choice of meat (chicken, turkey, steak, ect.)

Yummy Sweet Potato Fries~

I had a friend over the other night, and we made some amazing sweet potato fries. I have always loved eating them out at restaurants, and we thought it would be a good idea to make some ourselves. I wanted to share the recipe with you because they turned out really well!

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

serves 4-6

1 - 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

(preferably the easy release kind).

Peal the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side.

Place the sweet potatoes into a seal able plastic bag. Add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. Spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.

Cook for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

Not only are they yummy but they are also very healthy and good for you! :)