Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna - It's date night!

This is what food dreams are made of people! Gooey and sinful deliciousness at its best. I kind of wanted to high-five myself over this one. A date night at home was the inspiration, that and the overly large Costco containers of brown mushrooms and spinach wilting in my frig looking for a meal to call home. I'm not sure words can do justice as to how savory and creamy and so utterly satisfying this lasagna was. A smooth and luscious béchamel sauce, spiked with mozzarella and pecorino for that Italian zing, spotted with sweet onions, earthy sautéed mushrooms and bright green tender baby spinach leaves. I threw in a handful of peas (because I was feeling guilty about all the cheese) to help balance out the bacon fat I used to make my rough (oh yea, bacon – side note, if you do not store your leftover bacon grease in a jar in your frig you are NUTS! That stuff is GOLD.) I ended up using no-bake lasagna noodles I had laying around and seriously, I need to stop being so judgey about no-bake noodles….soooo easy and totally delicious people. I will absolutely be making this again, like tomorrow…and the day after that. And every day! It was that good.

 

Post-baby pasta with kale, bacon and blistered tomatoes

Just over 7 weeks ago, I gave birth to our first child. Linley Rose arrived after 40 hours of labor and one crazy c-section. But I survived and love her despite the experience. I think it is an understatement to say that having a kid changes your life. Once you fumble through the fog of those first few weeks, you begin to try and grasp at familiar tasks of your old life, like eating and stuff. It took me 7 weeks to get back in the kitchen to even attempt to cook something fun and this still was a bit of a rush job due to my screaming monkey who began wailing as I was rounding third on dinner. But I was able to push through with the help of my faithful partner in parenting crime. Despite his lack of milk producing ducts on his chest, husband does a damn fine job of keeping our little bean happy. As such, I produced my first, post-baby meal. I call this a meal because heretofore I have had enough time to cook either a meat or a veg but not both. With this I managed to squeeze in both bacon AND kale and as such, a meal it is. We both gobbled up two bowls each of this wondrous dish. I'm pretty sure it tasted really good BUT given my entire body seems to live in the twilight zone of sleep deprivation, I'm not always sure of my senses these days. But anything with cheese, pasta and bacon has to be good, right?

PS - you could totally make this vegetarian by excluding the bacon and sauteing the kale in olive oil...I will refrain from asking the obvious question (who the heck doesn't eat bacon?) 

Roasted Garlic Shrimp in Tomato Sauce with Croutons and Goat Cheese

My sister-in-law brought this dish to my attention one night when we combined resources and decided to cook together. This is such an easy dish and yet it's a restaurant quality meal. Perfectly roasted, plump shrimp sit atop a chunky tomato bed spiked with oregano and red pepper flakes, flanked by crispy seasoned croutons and creamy dollops of goat cheese. I mean swoon-worthy, really. It’s warm and inviting and fancy enough for guest but takes little time to throw together. This was adapted from Ina Garten, who also adds in fennel, which would be a great addition if you have it on hand. Serve this with hunks of crusty bread for dipping and light side salad for an easy but delicious meal.

Italian Beef and Vegetable Ragu with Soft Parmesan Polenta

This is one of those recipes that I cooked up in my head on the fly while trying to clean out the frig and freezer. So I tried to get all the measurements right, but please take these with a grain of proverbial salt because I don’t really measure anything when I cook on the fly and so you might want a little more or less of this or that. Tasting along the way is always encouraged! This was such an incredibly comforting dish and quite honestly, rather healthy if I say so myself. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tonight! A happy medley of tender vegetables and earthy beef bits swimming in a lightly spiced chunky tomato sauce. You could easily swap in turkey or chicken in lieu of the beef and any other vegetables you have laying around. The sauce is thick and homey and marries perfectly with Emeril’s parmesan polenta recipe, which is my go-to polenta these days. This would totally be an easy weeknight meal too. Enjoy!

Ditalini with Braised Kale, Bacon and White Beans

I love kale. I really do. It's kind of wierd because kale is this tough leafy green that just screams "I'm SURE you do NOT want to eat me!" It just looks scary. But it's one of my most favorite greens on the planet. It's hearty and earthy and brings such a lovely chew to dishes and by god, it's good for you too! Crazy I know. I also quite adore cannelini beans. It somewhat borders on obsessed. In soups and stews and right out of the can (or pot if I've taken the time to cook fresh ones). They bring such creaminess to any recipe that's so satisfying and again, amazing, but good for you. So I decided to take these two healthy items and, well, dress them with bacon and cheese and toss them with pasta for what is becoming one of my all time favorite dishes. Yes, I took healthy vegetables and made them...um, less healthy. But it's still kind of healthy. I mean, there are greens and legumes in here. Some credit please? But seriously, this was so fast (less than 30 minutes) and so satisfying that I ate all the leftovers for breakfast and now I'm pissed I don't have more for lunch. I am seriously obsessed with this dish. And go for the Ditalini if you can find it, super fun shape to to eat! Enjoy!