Embarrassing Fact

Last week I made a dinner that was based on a (gasp) Rachael Ray recipe I saw on the food network website. I don't like Rachael Ray very much, and I think a lot of her recipes are weird or stupid or both, but this interpretation of lasagne was pretty good. I didn't do it exactly like she does, but it turned out easy and delish.

Deconstructed Lasagne

1 lb. ground beef

onion and garlic

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 lb. short pasta (corkscrew, ziti, etc)

1 c. skim ricotta

1/2 c. grated parmesean or reggiano

salt and pepper

Brown the meat with the onion and garlic, drain off fat. Add the pasta sauce to the meat/onions and simmer. Cook the pasta according to package, but reserve about a cup of the pasta water before draining. Combine the cheeses and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add about half a cup of the pasta water to the cheese mixture. Toss the pasta with the cheese mixture. Add more pasta water if necessary to get a creamy consistency on the cheesy sauce. Add the meat sauce and mix it all up. Easy and delicious.

I served it with basil garlic bread. I used that tube of basil that you find in the produce section at the grocery, added diced garlic and butter, mixed it all up, smeared it on the bread and baked it like 8-10 minutes. YUM!

It's 2011!

Oh my gosh, you guys! I had no idea I haven't blogged since last year!! I remember doing the blog about how a couple of people had asked me to do a blog, but I never woulda guessed that was so long ago! OMG, y'all.

Anyway, I'm on a roll lately when it comes to kitchen successes. Last week I made a pasta with carmelized onions and feta that was so great. I carmelized an onion, removed the onion, cooked chicken breast strips in the onion pan-- chicken about 5 minutes per side on med-high, then throw some garlic in the pan, put a lid on it, then remove from heat to finish cooking for 5 min or so. Cut up chicken, combine it with the onions, toss in some penne or orecchiette, add a bit of pasta water to make a little sauce, and top with crumbled feta. V. good.

On Monday I made a deeeelicious pork shoulder using a recipe from my blog entitled "Big Ole Butt." That's some freakin tender pork. Had it night one next to The San Francisco Treat and a tropical fruit salad. Had it the next night mixed with hot sauce and tucked into a corn tortilla with green onions and sour cream.

Also on Monday, as I was making the tropical fruit salad (mango, strawberry, and kiwi) I totally sliced off like half my nailbed while using my fruit peeler on that damn kiwi. I'm typing this without using my 3rd digit of my right hand. Luckily Crystal and Chad were home to fix me up (Chad with stingy stuff and a bandaid and Crystal with beer).

Anyway, today I made one of the best things yet! Got the recipe from Womans' Day magazine! Fry up 4 pieces of bacon, remove and pat the oil off. Carmelize 2 thinly sliced yellow onions in the bacon grease (does this sound good yet!?). Crumble up the bacon and put it back in once the onion is carmelized. Spread the mixture over a puff pastry which has been rolled out just a bit to make it a square. Sprinkle 1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese on top. Oh, have the puff pastry on a piece of parchment on your cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes, turn the pan, and bake an additional 10 minutes or so, until the puff pastry is puffy and golden delicious. Is this heart healthy? Not so much. Is it sinful and decadent? Yes sir.

Adios!