Raving Lasagna

Everyone loves lasagna. Let’s face it, its layers of meaty, cheesy, noodley awesomeness all in one great dish. What we don’t love about lasagna is that it takes FOREVER to make and there’s a million steps in making it. I always felt daunted by the task of making lasagna for this very reason, but after watching Down Home with the Neely’s on the Food Network, I decided to borrow their wisdom in their method to shorten the cooking time. My own twist in this particular recipe comes from adding the turkey meat (recipe originally calls for hamburger meat), adding basil and dried parsley, taking out their seasoning salt, and of course I had to add in some vegetables (BTW – spinach is also a great idea in the recipe below). I’ve made this dish on a couple occasions for friends and family and everyone raves about it. I promise…you’ll love it too.

Time from prep to Eating: 1 hour 15 minutes

What You Need:
9”x13” deep baking dish
Large sauté pan
Stock pot
Large bowl

The Stuff
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 (8-ounce) jar tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (8-ounce) box lasagna noodles, cook as directed
2 eggs
2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried parsley leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 (8-ounce) bag shredded mozzarella
1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Cheddar
Small bunch of fresh basil and parsley, hand torn

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and boil the lasagna noodles until just shy of al dente - they’ll continue to cook in the oven. In the large saute pan add the meat, onion and garlic until browned, breaking up the meat with a spoon. If needed, drain the pan of fat. Add the zucchini and mushrooms allowing them to cook for approximately 5 minutes, then add the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

In the large bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Spray the baking dish with any nonstick cooking spray. Spread one spoonful of the meat and veggie mixture into the bottom of the dish then layer half the noodles, overlapping by at least 1/2-inch. Spread half the cottage cheese mixture evenly on top and sprinkle half of the mozzarella and cheddar evenly. Pour half of the meat sauce on top. Repeat noodle, cottage cheese mixture, cheese, meat mixture layering. Bake in center of oven 35 minutes until bubbling around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes, sprinkle the basil and parsley just before serving.

Mustard Encrusted Tilapia

In the mood for fish for dinner?  Let's count the many ways we could cook it - sear it, grill it, bag and steam it, roast it - been there, done that...bored of it all.  Just like the last posting, I again found myself bored with the same old recipes and cooking methods. To try and spice it up a bit I set out on a fish adventure and the recipe that follows is what came of this journey.

I actually got the inspiration for this dish from the show Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network.  Ina Garten uses slightly different ingredients, but I have a feeling my version would come in as a strong contender in a food battle.  Ina uses whole grain mustard as opposed to my spicy brown mustard, but when all I had was the latter, this recipe started to take on a life all its own. In addition to the mustard change out, I substituted mayonaise for her creme fraiche, and added dill, salt and pepper instead of shallots and capers (Erik dislikes capers). After all that, what started off as another copy cat drill ended up becoming a creation all my own!

Now I know that mustard encrusted fish - or mustard encrusted anything for that matter - just sounds downright weird; but it’s the quick broil at the end of the cooking process that makes the topping fabulously crunchy with a delicious hint of dill.  Even for mustard haters (Erik is one of them too, do we see a trend here?), this dish does NOT scream mustard in your mouth...it's so mild and compliments the texture of a fish filet perfectly. Erik loves this dish!  I dare you to try it.

I recommend serving this dish with ginger infused jasmine rice and steamed edamame. You could also substitute the tilapia with mahi mahi...or any other mild white fish that's on sale that day (Ina used Red Snapper).

Time from Prep to Eating: 15 minutes

What You Need:
A small mixing bowl, 8”x8” baking dish

The Stuff:
2 Tilapia filets
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 ¼ Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried dill
Unseasoned bread crumbs (or panko)

Here’s What You Do:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper and dill in the mixing bowl until well combined. Spray your baking dish with nonstick spray and place filets in the dish. Spread the sauce evenly on each filet, and then sprinkle with bread crumbs to coat.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes.

To My Closet Followers

So a little birdie has informed me that the extent of my readership spans beyond my devoted 14 followers. *smile*

This same little birdie has brought to my attention that these aforementioned “secret readers” – dare I call you closet followers – respectfully request that I post more recipes and add a little more content to each posting.

You’re hooked on cooking now, aren’t you? Muahahahahaha… muahahahaha!

I know. It’s okay. You can admit it. You’ve been inspired to be a home chef too!

In all honesty, I’m thrilled to get feedback on the blog. I took a break thinking no one really stopped by, but now I’m motivated to get back on this thing and post some of my new dishes. Yes, I have been cooking while I was away.

I take to heart that I should make the blog posts more personal and that I should add more content. However, I want to meet you in the middle and keep this blog focused on the thing I love most: the food (besides my husband, of course). So from here on out, I promise to be more consistent with the postings, include a story or two about recipes/dishes, and even extend the blog to include some of the FABulous recipes I have found from my favorite cookbooks and Food Network shows (don’t worry, I will give proper credit where due). Sound good?

So what’s coming up next on “Chef Carrie?” Well, I’ve been saving a few good ones to share. We’ll start off with a good ole American casserole. GASP! I NEVER do American cuisine! I never do casseroles. DOUBLE GASP!!!! Then we’ll venture to Italy for my famous lasagna (it actually is famous, people!!!), and I’ll work on an idea I have for a mustard encrusted tilapia (don’t be scared).

All joking aside, it makes me happy to know I have more readers than I thought, and for that I’ll keep cooking and sharing. Bon appétit and happy cooking!

P.S. Oh, and please keep the comments and suggestions coming…even if they do come through a little birdie.

Carrie’s GASP! Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Time from Prep to Eating: 1 hour and 15 minutes

I know what you’re thinking. A casserole? With broccoli? Come on, Carrie, where’s the recipes of the world? I live in America. Home of the icky casseroles that are a hodgepodge of unknown ingredients baked in the oven for hours.

Before you judge, you should at least try. That is my motto when it comes to food.

Actually, this recipe is remarkably tasty and a good way to use up some spare ingredients you may already have in the house. In fact, that’s how I came up with this one. I had a small head of broccoli, two chicken breasts and an onion in the fridge without any idea of what to do with them. On my lazy nights I’ve been known to just pan sear spiced cubed chicken with broccoli and onion, serve it on a bed of rice or rigatoni and call it a day. But to be honest, sometimes the same ole gets ole! So I came up with this casserole idea to try and jazz up the mundane and to my surprise, it turned out fabulous…even for my worldly taste buds. Enjoy!

What You Need:
2 ½ quart deep baking dish (i.e. Corningware)
Medium sauce pan
Whisk

The Stuff:
¾ pound of cooked pasta, recommended spiral, bowtie, or rigatoni
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small to medium head of broccoli, cut off all the flowerettes
1 small yellow onion, thick chop
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 ½ Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
Salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste
Breadcrumbs

Here’s What You Do:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. In the meantime cook the pasta as indicated on the box and drain.

In the sauce pan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in one Tbsp flour stirring until well combined (about 1 minute). Add the rest of the flour, whisking the entire mixture for about 1 minute until the flour is cooked slightly. Slowly pour in the milk whisking the mixture continuously to break up any clumps that might appear. Continue to whisk for about 2-3 minutes until well combined and thickened. Stir in 1 cup of cheese until melted, followed by the rest of the cheese stirring until melted. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Congratulations, you just made a rue!

In the baking dish evenly mix the chicken, broccoli flowerettes, onion, and pasta, and pour the rue over the mixture, topping with breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes.