I'm pleased to announce that Dancesport U.S. Nationals are over and Caleb and I took 4th place (not the best, not the worst) so we are 4th in the nation for Amateur American Smooth. My dress was finally finished the day before our event and it turned out beautifully. I teach 184 (ballroom) and 185 (latin) and the first place couples for both events were my students! My little couple I coach privately also made many finals and performed very well. I was (and still am) very proud of them. Yesterday I spent about 5 hours cleaning our apartment which had been neglected for a while considering our schedules as of late and as I sit on the couch while my hubby does the dishes after a very delicious Sunday dinner, I'm pretty content.
For more details from this past weekend please visit my sister's blog: www.mshouston.blogspot.com, she gave a full run-down and even posted pictures. My parents came into town for the week which was such a blessing and SO fun!
We are headed straight into ticket sales and preparation for two more weekend shows as well as our big end of year concert in the Marriott Center on April 6th and 7th in the Marriott center. My responsibilities for that start tomorrow. That's why this is just a "sort of" calm. :o)
We got a beautiful bountiful basket yesterday, a lot of which I used in our meal today. We had our neighbors and good friends the Carnell's over for dinner and per Jer's request, I made white lasagna.
This is from a cookbook called Sandra Lee Semi Homemade: Slow Cooker Recipes
*I LOVE this cookbook a. because it is semi-homemade (aka easy) and b. because it has some of the best crockpot recipes.
Ever made lasagna in a crock pot!? You have to try this.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it has ground turkey in it. The spinach and pesto aren't too shabby either :o).
Potted Lasagna
1 pkg (10-oz) frozen chopped spinach
1 lb uncooked ground turkey
1 jar (10-oz) pesto sauce
1 cup frozen chopped onion (I used fresh)
1 large egg
1 container (15-oz) ricotta cheese (I used low fat cottage cheese because I'm not a lover of ricotta)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray
2 jars (16-oz each) four-cheese Alfredo pasta sauce
1 box (9-oz) no-boil lasagna sheets (Barilla is best)
1 pkg (16-oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
Place
spinach in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high setting
for 6-8 minutes. Drain. Let stand until cool enough to handle; squeeze
out excess liquid.
In
a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and stir turkey until
browned, breaking up clumps. Drain off fat. Stir in pesto sauce and
onion, set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat egg with a fork. Stir in ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and spinach until combined; set aside.
Coat
a 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Spoon 3/4 cup of the pasta
sauce into slow cooker. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, breaking
them to fit. Add 1/3 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture, spreading to
edges. Sprinkle 1/3 of the turkey mixture over the ricotta cheese
mixture. Top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with 3/4 cup of
the pasta sauce. Repeat layers twice more. End with noodles and
remaining pasta sauce. Cover and refrigerate remaining mozzarella
cheese.
Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours or until noodles are tender.
Turn
off slow cooker. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella cheese on top of lasagna
mixture. Cover; let stand for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
It made enough for 8 people so we have a lot of leftovers. I also tried a new way of cooking asparagus (got it in this week's Bountiful Basket) which I LOVE and may convert to.
All I did was
saute it in some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), shallots (or green onion in my
case) and garlic. I added some fresh ground pepper and sea salt, turned them to
coat and cooked covered until the spears were tender. I actually cut mine at an
angle and cut them in half so they would be easier to handle. It took about 8
mins for them to be the perfect consistency.
We also had Lehi
Roller Mills rolls (courtesy of my dear mom's generosity) and a beautiful green
salad (thanks to Bountiful Baskets).
And for the best part
of the meal: Courtney made a delicious apple pie, homemade crust and all and we
made apple pie shakes in our Blendtec. Just like Sammy's only better!
Please excuse my
photography skills.
Well, there you have
it. A couple recipes, a few updates. Until next time!
Oh, and P.S. if you
like Chile Rellenos, check out this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chili-rellenos-casserole/
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