Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients

Sauce:

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups whole milk
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

* 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
* 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
* 1 large egg, beaten to blend
* 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
* 2 cups marinara sauce
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.

Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.


Words to the Wise:
This recipes by Giada de Laurnetiis. I just love this recipe. It is a bit on the complicated side and not one really for a busy week night but it is just to make on the weekend like a Sunday afternoon perhaps. It is something a little different then your standard lasagna.

Tilapia Wraps

1 cup salsa
1 can (4oz) chopped green chillies
6 tilapia fillets about 6 oz each
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp steak grill seasoning
8 to 10 flour tortillas, warmed
cheddar cheese

• Combine salsa, chillies in a small bowl and set aside
• Drizzle the fillets with oil and sprinkle with seasoning.
• Cook fillets in a large skillet over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.
• Add salsa mixture and stir breaking up fish as you go.
  
• Once combines and salsa is warmed through, spoon into tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.

Words to the Wise:
This is a very light and healthy recipe. It is a nice change from the standard ground beef tacos. I have made this with a sweeter mango salsa and the standard tomato salsa. Both ways are really good.

Rachael Rays' Fake-Baked Ziti

* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
* 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
* 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)* If San Marzanos are not available, add a teaspoon sugar to your sauce, optional
* Coarse salt
* A handful fresh basil leaves, torn
* 1 pound ziti rigate, with ridges
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* Freshly ground black pepper
* A generous grating nutmeg
* 2 cups whole milk
* 1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella
* Crusty bread, to pass at table

Directions

Put pasta water on to boil.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, saute garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. Chop whole tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer 10 minutes, add basil and simmer over low heat 10 minutes more.

Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, leaving pasta a little chewy.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook 1 minute, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish. Pour the tomato and basil sauce over the pasta and turn to coat the pasta. Pour the bechamel over the already coated pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. Place the casserole under hot broiler and melt the 3 cheeses until brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with Spinach and Artichoke Salad and bread.

Word to the Wise:
This recipe is really good and simple but sometimes to simplify things even more, I will use a store bought Spaghetti sauce instead of making one. I usaully skip all the fancy cheese like fresh mozzarella and asiago and just use shredded mozzarella. I have also been known to add meat to the sauce like ground turkey, Italian sausage or hamburger.

Sunday Dinner

Italian Beef Post Roast

5 to 8 lbs Bottom Round Roast
1 and 1/2 bottle of Italian Dressing
32 oz of Beef Stock

• Marinate roast in dressing overnight.
• On day of cook, put roast and marinate in crockpot
  
• Poor beef stock over meat
• Cook for 10 to 12 hours
• Shred and serve

This recipes was based on a recipe found at Mama Loves Food.

Cheesy Potatoes

2lb bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed.
1 can cream of Chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
2 cups cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup melted butter
Salt and Pepper
Crushed Potato chips

• Mix all ingredients together
  
• Pour into grease 9 x 13 pan
• Sprinkle with crushed potato chips or crackers or corn flakes
  
• Bake for 1 hour at 350°F

This recipe is an old family favorite.

Cream Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups chicken, either 3 breast cooked and shredded or half of the meat from a roasted chicken.
8 oz cream cheese
1 jar salsa
1 can white beans
8 flour tortillas
1 can Enchilada sauce
Cheese

• In a large skillet, add chicken, salsa, cream cheese and beans, cook unitl cheese is melted and all combined
• Warm tortillas so that they can be easily worked with.
• Fill each tortilla with 2 ro 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture and then wrap up like a burrito
• Line up burritos in a 9 by 13 grease pan
• Then cover with can of enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese
• Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes

Word to the wise:
I love this recipe. It is so quick and easy and the filling is just so creamy and delicious.
This recipes is one of my own, a Jen original.

Chicken Tetrazzini

4 to 6 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
3 table spoons garlic salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
1lb thin pasta like angel hair or spaghetti
1/2 cup graded Parmesan cheese

• Heat oven to 300°F
• Cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook, set aside
• Cook pasta according to package directions
• In large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, garlic salt, butter and wine or stock.
• Add pasta and mix together
• Pour into grease baking dish
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 45 minutes

Words to the Wise:
This is a house favorite. This comes together in a matter of minutes and just bakes away until dinner time. This is also a perfect dish to make at one time and then cook at an other, just refrigerate until ready to cook.
I found this recipe in our local paper.

Ravioli Lasagna

1 jar Spaghetti sauce
1 family size package (20 oz) of Cheese or Meat Ravioli, thawed (if using frozen)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded red peppers
1 cup thinly sliced turkey sausage or meat of you choice or no meat if you choose.

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Coat baking dish with cooking spray, along with one side of foil used for topping dish later.
  
• Spread a few spoon fulls of sauce on bottom of pan
• Top with layer of ravioli, careful not to overlap
• Sprinkle with veggies, meat, cheese and spread more sauce on top
  
• Repeat layers (ravioli, veggies, meat, cheese, sauce) until all ingredients are gone, ending with cheese
• Cover with foil, greased side down, and cook for 1 hour, removing foil for last 5 minutes

Words to the Wise:
This is a very fun recipe to have kids help with. Hayden loves to help me with the layering. I first learned of this recipe at Mama's Losin' It. Check out the link for a full demonstration.