So, since I still have no pictures of pretty knitting to show you, I thought I could fall back on some more recipes.
Today is cooking day, since it’s my day off and I have eaten through about everything else that was ready-made in the fridge. Due to work and general life constraints, I like to cook big meals that reheat well so I can eat them whenever and take them to work with me, so long as there’s enough left after Neimah gets done with it. 😉 We also like baked goods. To wit:
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Sausage-Squash Lasagna.
The cookies are the recipe from the bottom of the Quaker Oats lid, with a few minor adjustments. I only use 3/4 c. of butter, rather than two full sticks, I replace 1/4 c. of the flour with whole wheat flour, I use four egg whites instead of two whole eggs, and I divide the sugar evenly: 3/4 c. white, 3/4/ c. brown. They’re lovely, and really hit the spot when I’m craving something sweet.
Now, lasagna. I decided to make some after a friend gave me a bite of her delicious homemade one the other day, and with that in mind, I kept my eyes open while at Trader Joe’s this afternoon. Enjoy.
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles.
1 16 oz. jar marinara sauce
1/2 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage
1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into thin slices
1 medium-sized squash, cut into thin slices
12 oz. fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 c. shaved or grated Parmesan (or Romano, just something hard and salty)
Some olive oil, red wine, and cayenne pepper
Remove the sausage casings and put the raw sausage into a large pan. Drizzle with red wine and olive oil, and sprinkle with cayenne pepper. Cook over medium heat until sausage is thoroughly cooked, using a spatula to break it into small pieces (as small as you can manage). When finished, mix with about 1/2 c. of marinara.
Preheat the oven to 375. Pour a little marinara into the bottom of an 8×8 casserole dish (pref. a deep one) and smear it around to coat evenly. Put down a layer of lasagna noodle. Cover that with eggplant. Spoon some of the sausage mixture on top and spread it evenly. Sprinkle with ricotta cheese.
Repeat this layering until you run out of sausage, alternating eggplant and squash layers. To finish, lay some final lasagna noodles on top, and dump on the remaining marinara, and sprinkle liberally with the Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 min to an hour, until the top is browned and bubbling and the edges are crisp.
Will feed an army. Or one skinny Persian man with hollow legs. 🙂