Deconstructed Lasagna

I need to buy a lottery ticket or something because lately, I've been pretty darn lucky. Last week, I got to see my bestie Erin three times within a four day period....this is UNHEARD OF with our busy schedules. Not to mention that neither she nor I are phone talkers so we do most of our communicating through email and her sweet husby Ryan (whom I work with and also happen to adore and have a killer friendship with).

Erin and Ryan had me over to their house for one last dinner and hurrah before they move into their first home this upcoming weekend (it's the cutest house EVER and has personality and pizzaz just like them!!!). Since I've known Erin (going on 8 years now WOW!), she's really branched out and explored in her cooking but like me, we both gravitate towards clean, simple flavors. This was a Martha Stewart recipe she found (I can't remember where!) and it really is sensational. Traditional lasagna is typically heavy, calorically damaging, and takes hours to prepare. This was light, full of flavor, and as you can see by the picture above, looks just as good as it tastes. 

Erin did most of the prep work before I arrived and I had the pleasure of sitting at her table (when I wasn't getting in her way to take pictures) and drank wine while she bustled around and finished things up. The globs of creamy deliciousness in the picture are ricotta cheese, the shaved bits are fresh pecorino. I LOVE pecorino cheese -- it has such a nice bite to it when it's hardened and it is equally amazing fresh with a little drizzle of honey...mmmmmm.......

If you're a garlic lover, this is a great recipe for you because this uses seven cloves. Torn fresh basil and sweet tomatoes round out the other flavors with a slight drizzle of buttery high quality olive oil on top. 

I scraped the bowl. Really.

Red and yellow cherub tomatoes, 7 cloves of pressed garlic

Queen of the kitchen!

Finished product!

Deconstructed Lasagna With Ricotta And Tomatoes

• 1 Tbs. + 1 Tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (Erin pressed hers; I'll probably use minced when I make this.)
• 3 Cups mixed red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (2 pints)
• 1/2 Tsp. coarse salt 
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 Cup chicken stock
• 8 Lasagna noodles
• 2/3 Cup small basil leaves (Erin tore hers)
• 1/2 Cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
• 1 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a high sided skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add 2  cups tomatoes and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add chicken stock. Simmer until sauce-like, about 1 minute. Add remaining cup of tomatoes. Cook until warm, about 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain.

Toss pasta in skillet to coat. Stir in basil, reserving some for garnish.

Divide pasta among 4 plates, top with any remaining sauce. Dot with ricotta cheese and drizzle any remaining olive oil. Top with shaved pecorino cheese and remaining basil. Sprinkle with pepper.

Nutrition Information:

357 calories, 3g saturated fat, 7g unsaturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 52g carbohydrates, 304mg sodium, 16g protein, 4g fiber

* Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Cakeball Donation!

Pillsbury Funfetti mix, white icing, vanilla coating

As busy as I was last week, I did manage to squeeze in time to make some cakeballs for my friend Sarah. It was 2am and I was up crafting...what else would I be doing?! Sleeping?! HA!

She was having some people over early afternoon Sunday for a CABI party. Similar to Mary Kay/Tupperware/Jewelry parties, there are usually adult beverages (tee hee!) and food served with lots of chit chatting going on while people shop. Since I couldn't make it, I told her I'd make a little treat for her and bring it over in the morning. As you can see by the picture, it's been a LONG WHILE since I've made cakeballs and my dipping skills are atrocious. These were the best of the lot which isn't saying much.

I went over to my bestie's house last night to give them their wedding gift. IT'S FINALLY FINISHED!!!!! Now that the cat is out of the bag, I'm proud to say that their WEDDING SCRAPBOOK that documents everything from the very beginning (the proposal), to the very end (a bright, happy honeymoon picture) is now in their hands.

Speaking of hands, I'm lending mine to help make dinner tonight at their house. Erin has a great recipe from Martha Stewart for deconstructed lasagna. It's not as heavy and calorically scary as traditional lasagna so I'm very excited to try it out and then blog about it here.

Until then foodies, happy eating! :)

Flora & Muse

My best friend Erin had her birthday last month (July 13th woo hoo!) but due to our busy schedules (ok HER busy schedule), we weren't able to get together to celebrate it until this past Saturday. We went to this fabulous little bisto slash coffee shop slash flower shop called Flora & Muse. They serve brunch until 2pm so I was able to get breakfast after sleeping in and she ordered lunch....something for everyone!

I ordered the European breakfast which included two fresh eggs, lamb sausage, roasted potatoes, a mini fresh baked croissant, juice, and french-press coffee. The lamb sausage was to die for; not too greasy and with a spicy kick at the end, I loved it. 

Erin ordered one of their stone-oven flatbreads with pear and Gorgonzola cheese. Topped with arugula, and pine nuts, it was both of our favorites. 

It wasn't very loud where we were sitting so we had a blast catching up and nomming away on yummy food. She's a foodie and it's always so nice to not only see my bestie, but know that I have a partner in crime in the same city who is willing to try new things like me. :)

Beautiful birthday girl!

<3!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and P.S. I liked this place so much, my mom and I went here for brunch on Sunday. We had the SAME waiter as Saturday...."Nice to see you again." *facepalm*

Quick Update

I'm still here I promise!

Instead of cooking this week, my evenings have been consumed by a very special craft project. I'm THIS CLOSE to finalizing the wedding gift to two of my dearest friends (this has been in the works for over a year). When it's done, I can breathe easy, sleep better, and cook more!

Be back soon foodies! :)

P.S. Here are some pictures of kitties to tide you over:

Vanilla Cupcakes

One of the my goals that I've set for myself in the kitchen is to be a confident baker. I've only made from-scratch cupcakes two times total now and I've learned a TON from each little baking session. I've also learned that I am a long way off from accomplishing this goal haha! 

I own Martha Stewart's cupcake book but these were actually pulled off of her website. I wanted a basic vanilla cupcake recipe and these caught my eye. My frosting technique is terrible and I reverted back to spooning the frosting on -- thankfully the flavor was better than the appearance! 

As good as the flavors were, my cupcakes were a little dry for my taste. I'm sure this is due to my inexperience and I would love feedback from any bakers who stumble upon this blog. I highly recommend trying your hand at making these -- sometimes something simple just hits the spot.  :)

Billy's Vanilla-Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-in cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour. 

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Basic Vanilla Buttercream

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Happy eating! :)




* Recipes found from going to Martha Stewart's website here.