Cheesy Lasagna

I made this Cheesy Lasagna for my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend.  I went with an Italian theme and it seemed like everyone enjoyed the food.  My mom even called me after the shower and told me how good the lasagna was!  If my mom likes it, then it must be good right?  I noticed it was the first thing to be eaten by the guests too.  This Cheesy Lasagna is actually quite simple to make ahead of time.  I did use my homemade tomato sauce, but you can substitute store bought sauce.  I was able to make this cheesy lasagna two days earlier and reheat it in the oven before serving.  I personally think this lasagna was even better after reheating.  Now I wish I made an extra lasagna for myself! Thank you to my cousins Stephanie and Cathy from Petite Therapy for the photos from the baby shower.  They really make this cheesy lasagna look extra delicious!

Cheesy Lasagna

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 box (9 ounces) Barilla lasagna sheets (no boiling required)

2 eggs

15 ounces ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella (or Italian mix) cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

6 cups homemade tomato sauce (or your favorite store bought marinara sauce)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl, beat eggs and stir in ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on bottom of baking dish.

First layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, 1/3 of ricotta mixture 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup of tomato sauce.

Second layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, 1/3 of ricotta mixture and 1 ½ cups of tomato sauce.

Third layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, remaining ricotta mixture, and 1 cup of tomato sauce.

Last layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, remaining tomato sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan cheese.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Let stand at least 15 minutes before cutting.

*If making ahead of time, reheat by baking at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes and be sure to cover with foil.  Uncover in the last 5 minutes.

Slow Cooker Mustard Maple Chicken

I made a Mustard Maple Chicken recipe before but not a slow cooker version before.  I really enjoyed the oven version so I think the slow cooker mustard maple chicken should turn out well.  The only change I made was to use red wine vinegar in the slow cooker recipe and not rice vinegar as in the oven version.  I made this for my pregnant friend as a make ahead meal/freezer meal, so I can't tell you how it will turn out yet.  I promise to include an update once I hear from her about this recipe!


Update:  I was told by my friend's husband that this chicken turned out great!

Slow Cooker Mustard Maple Chicken

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken (I used 2 large chicken breasts)

½ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

In a bowl, mix together Dijon mustard, maple syrup and vinegar.

Add chicken into a freezer bag and pour sauce into bag.  Mix together sauce and chicken in bag with hands.

Freeze until ready to cook in slow cooker.  I would suggest defrosting the night before to cook in slow cooker the next morning.

Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours, until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 2.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken 2

I have previously made Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken and it is still one of my favorite slow cooker meals.  This is version 2 of my original recipe since I made it for my mom-to-be friend as a make ahead meal/freezer meal.  I used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs this time and left out the onions.  The sauce is basically the same, and since I froze this before cooking, I didn't add in the sesame seeds (which is for garnish).   My cousin made the first version with chicken tenders and she said it was "so delicious."  My friend is also allergic to nuts so sesame was on the safe food list, yay!  I hope she likes this dish as much as I do!


Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken 2

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken (I used 2 large chicken breasts)

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low sodium soy sauce)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon ginger, minced

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and ginger.

Add chicken into a freezer bag and pour sauce into bag.  Mix together sauce and chicken in bag with hands.

Freeze until ready to cook in slow cooker.  I would suggest defrosting the night before to cook in slow cooker the next morning.

Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours, until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 2.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I adapted this Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe from Martha Stewart's Beef Stew recipe.  I was unsure about adding balsamic vinegar to a beef stew since I have never tried that before.  However, it turned out great.  I actually love balsamic vinegar but never thought to add it to beef stew.  I also added mushroom broth since it was something I wanted to use up from the fridge.  You could also make this on the stove top or oven, but I prefer using a slow cooker.  The meat always comes out tender and melts in your mouth!  I usually like to serve beef stew over wide egg noodles, but its also great as is or even over rice.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/3 cup tomato paste

½ cup and ¼ cup mushroom broth (You may use beef broth)

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons flour

1 onion, diced

1 russet potato, diced

½ pound baby carrots

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Toss meat with flour to lightly coat.

In a pan over medium-high heat, add oil.  Next, add in meat in batches to lightly brown.  There is no need to cook the meat all the way through since it will cook in the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, mix together tomato paste, ½ cup mushroom broth, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.

Once meat is done browning, add ¼ cup mushroom broth to pan to deglaze. Scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.  Next, pour in tomato-balsamic sauce and stir to mix with deglazed bits.

In slow cooker, add in carrots, onion, and potato.  Top with meat.  Pour sauce over top and add in bay leaves.

Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.

You can also freeze in freezer bag(s) prior to cooking for a make-ahead meal.

Beef and Bean Burritos

I made a batch of Beef and Bean Burritos to freeze for my friend who is expecting a baby at the end of the month.  I have made her a few freezer friendly meals so she doesn't have to spend time cooking when taking care of a newborn baby.   What is so great about making your own burritos is that you know exactly what is going in it.  You can put in your favorite ingredients, so far I have made Breakfast Burritos and Santa Fe Chicken Burritos.  When you freeze these burritos, they will last for a couple months too.  Its great having a quick and easy meal (or snack) on hand.  What I have learned about freezing burritos is to allow the filling to cool to room temperature.  If you freeze a hot burrito, it will not freeze evenly and can alter the texture and taste.  Be sure to wrap each burrito (after cooled) with foil, plastic wrap, or wax paper before putting into a freezer bag.  Definitely use a freezer bag since those are more heavy duty and will protect your food from freezer burn.  Enjoy!

Beef and Bean Burritos

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

8 to 10 large flour tortillas (burrito size)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar.)

3 cups rice plus water

½ onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic)

10 ounce can Rotel diced tomato with lime juice and cilantro

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

15.5 ounce can black beans

16 ounce can refried beans (I used fat-free)

½ pound ground beef

¼ cup enchilada sauce (I used Trader Joe’s or feel free to use salsa instead)

Directions

Cook rice in a rice cooker - add rice, water, Rotel diced tomato, onion, and garlic.  Allow to cool.

In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add ground beef.  Add in cumin and chili powder.   Stir in enchilada sauce.  Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until meat is cooked through.  Allow to cool.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. (I microwave for 45 seconds covered with a moist paper towel.)

Spoon about 1 tablespoon refried beans down center of tortilla.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons rice down center of tortillas. 

Spoon about 1 tablespoon meat over rice.

Top meat and rice with about 1 tablespoon black beans.

Sprinkle cheese on top.  

Fold tortilla into a burrito.

Repeat for all tortillas.

To freeze, allow burritos to cool if using warmed ingredients.  Wrap each burrito tightly with foil (or plastic wrap).  Place burritos in large freezer bags.  (I label the bag beforehand with what type of burrito and date.)  

To reheat from frozen, remove foil and microwave on high for 3 minutes.  You could also place the foiled burrito in the toaster oven at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.