Thoughts from Crow Cottage (My Main Blog.)

crowbelle's Diaryland Diary

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It Was a Razzleberry Kind of Day

IT WAS A RAZZLEBERRY KIND OF DAY

Yesterday, everything changed.

For the better.

And probably only temporarily.

The heat moved out.

The clouds moved on.

The cool air moved in.

And, like LA wrote recently, I can open my windows and breathe real air! All is right with the world... but probably only temporarily.


Yesterday we had Paul's folks over for dinner. I had bought the ingredients to make a vegetable lasagna, and I needed them to eat up some of it for me since my freezer is full and I didn't have room to store the leftovers. They came, they ate, and they took some home...which worked out great.

They also brought a "razzleberry" pie for dessert which was the first time we'd tried that pie. It was so good. It's made with raspberries and blackberries, I think. It wasn't homemade, but I think it was a "Mrs. Smith" pie. Anyway, it hit the spot, after a very nice simple dinner of my own version of vegetable lasagna and coleslaw. In fact, when I hit on a good recipe, I always like to share it with you so here goes:

Rebecca's Vegetable Lasagna

* Marinara sauce (2 jars - I use Barilla brand)
* 1 large container ricotta cheese mixed with 3 eggs and 1/2 cup of Romano (or Pamesan) cheese
* 1 frozen bag of spinach (squeezed dry)
* 1 frozen box of asparagus tips
* 2-3 cups shredded fontina cheese
* Oven-cooked (medium crispy) bacon - (option and technically this makes this not a vegetarian dish, but then so do the eggs and cheese!) about 10 strips, cut into 1 inch pieces.
* 1 large jar of fire-roasted red peppers
* 1 large red onion sliced
* Oven-ready/no-cook lasagna noodles

Assemble the Lasagna:

* Ladle some sauce into bottom of heavy lasagna pan.
* Lay 4 noodles down the middle of the pan (they will expand, so don't overlap).
* Put 1/3rd of the ricotta cheese & egg mixture and spread over noodles.
* Layer all the other ingredients however you like, one ingredient at a time covering the top.
* End with a layer of sauce, and then top it with a final layer of shredded fontina and Romano cheese.

* Bake in a 375 degree oven covered in foil for 30 minutes. * Remove foil and bake for another 30 mins until golden on the top.
* Remove from oven and let sit for about a half hour before cutting into serving sizes.


I have to say, even though Paul and his Mom don't really like things with cheese in them, they both loved this dish, and I think it was because I didn't use the usual mozzarella but rather the fontina cheese instead. It's not stringy.

Then I bought some pre-shredded cole slaw and made up my own dressing. This is the first time I have ever hit on a dressing for cole slaw that was perfection!

Here's the recipe for that:


* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
* 2 tablespoons of "Kikkoman Ponzu Citrus Seasoned Soy Sauce & Dressing"
* Salt & pepper as needed

I just found that Kikkoman's soy sauce in the store this weekend in the Chinese foods section. The citrus was what caught my eye, and it was truly the best dressing I have ever made for cole slaw. Even Paul said he loved it and he's not a huge cole slaw fan like I am.


So, that was my day yesterday. I had to type in the morning for several hours, then when I saw that Paul wasn't going to get home from lobstering early enough to clean the house, I had to pitch in and do that job... and then of course I had to make that lasagna. No matter how organized I am, making lasagna always wears me out.. and makes a huge mess in the kitchen. But it was worth it in the end, and we now have lots of leftovers, the folks have leftovers, and we got to spend some time with them on a fairly nice Sunday afternoon (watching the Red Sox lose to Seattle, by the way! Grrr!).


I need to get to work. It's past 7 now and I have many miles to type, and, since this is the only day that will be decent for the whole week, weather-wise, and since we haven't had the chance to mow the grass for ages and ages, I really need to find some time to run the mower over at least the front lawn, or else the dogs are going to get lost in the tall grass out there!

Cheers,

Bex

6:43 am - 24 July 2006

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