A Different Lasagna

Vegetarian Four Cheese Lasagna

Prep Time:	15m
Cook Time:	1h
Ready in:	1h 15m
Yield:	1 - 9x13 dish

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin or butternut squash (to save time, I used 2 cups canned pumpkin, but am excited to try it with the squash when it's in season) 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds 5 tomatoes (Or two cans diced tomatoes, time saver) 1 pint ricotta cheese 9 ounces crumbled feta cheese (I only had 4oz and it was plenty of flavor) 2/3 cup pesto 2 eggs, beaten salt and pepper to taste 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (Or your favorite spaghetti sauce) fresh pasta sheets (I used no-boil lasagna noodles, but they were a bit thin for the consistency of the dish so I would recommend sticking with traditional noodles) 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, fry eggplant in a skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve tomatoes and place on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.
4. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two (or as many regular lasagna sheets as you need) pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

I really like eggplant and would even consider doing a second layer of it, but I also think a layer of zucchini would be good, I'm just not sure about the water content. I found this surprisingly yummy! I wasn't sure how all the flavors (pumpkin, tomato, eggplant, pesto, etc.) would combine, but it was really good. My kids gobbled it up and asked for more! I think the abundance of cheese helped with that too :o) Using the time-saving cans of pumpkin and tomatoes, this was actually rather quick to prepare although I think the chunks of pumpkin/squash would add another nice texture to the dish.

Easy Homemade Mac 'n Cheese

Ham and Cheese Bowties
AllRecipes

I found this recipe while looking for a way to use up some leftover ham. It's an easy and great homemade mac and cheese with added protein. The kids ate it well and I thought it had a nice flavor and texture. You could easily add a veggie as well, such as broccoli or shredded zucchini or use bacon in place of the ham.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard (I omitted the mustard and added a little more s & p to taste)
2 1/2 cups shredded Colby cheese (I used medium cheddar)
4 ounces cooked ham, julienned
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or
until al dente; drain.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Saute garlic 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir in mustard and Colby. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir in pasta and ham.
4. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. (I also topped the casserole with a little shredded cheddar and bread crumbs along with the Parmesan cheese. This gave it a nice crunchy topping.)
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and golden.

Simple Side to Hot Cocoa

Brown Sugar Shortbread

Serves: 16 • Prep time: 10 min • Cook time: 45 min • Stand time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread (or 2 sticks margarine, slightly melted)
  
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease 9-inch round cake pan; set aside. (Grease pan well as mine tried to stick a little bit when I turned it out to cool)

Beat I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread with sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add flour and beat on low until blended. Spread into prepared pan, pressing into even layer. With knife, score (lightly cut) surface into 16 pie-shaped wedges.

Bake 45 minutes or until golden. Cool 20 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely. To serve, pour melted chocolate into small plastic storage bag. Snip corner and drizzle chocolate over shortbread. Cut into wedges.

I really liked this. I think next time I will add chopped pecans to the batter though for a little more texture (everything is better with nuts :o) I liked the chocolate drizzle on top, but I might also try adding a few mini chocolate chips. It's a dry, slightly crumbly shortbread so it would go great with hot chocolate or you could serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Easy Crockpot, Full of Flavor

Aus Jus Roast
Lisa (my mother-in-law) got this recipe from a friend. It's simple and turns out moist, juicy, and flavorful.

1 pkg Aus Jus (powder form)
1 pkg Italian dressing (powder form)
1 cup water (or a bit more if desired)
1 roast (I used a London Broil)

Put all ingredients in a crock pot (for a large group you can do 2 roasts and simply double the other ingredients). Cook on low for 12-24 hours. Or, if you'd like to start it in the morning (and not get up at 6am) you can cook it on high for the first couple hours and then finish it on low. I had a smaller-sized roast and should have probably used a little bit less of the aus jus powder as it was a bit salty. However, after it cooked, I shredded it and added some more water and it was good. The leftovers did not seem overly salty at all.

As it gets close to time, make sure to check it so that it isn't getting too dry. If all the water absorbs and it continues to cook for a long while the meat will dry out.

You can serve this over baked potatoes, rice, or even use it in a tortilla.

A Great "Green" Salad Alternative

Bodacious Broccoli Salad All Recipes

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon 2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 large red onion, chopped (cut back a little) 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/8 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2.	In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, bacon and onion.
3.	Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I made this for Christmas dinner and really enjoyed it; so did everyone else. It's clean and fresh and the broccoli/bacon combo is wonderful. Even good as leftovers since the raw broccoli stays fairly crunchy unlike lettuce.

Moist and Delicious!

Amish Breakfast Casserole
All Recipes

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Ready In: 50 Minutes
Servings: 12


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound sliced bacon, diced (I used 1 lb maple breakfast sausage, as many suggested, and it was scrumptious)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped (Used more like 1/2 an onion)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. (Or cook sausage until about half way done then add in onion and finish cooking.) In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

(I don't really think this needed extra cheese for taste, but you could sprinkle the top with shredded cheese if you want it to have more of a golden finish. I did sprinkle fresh Parmesan on mine. The cottage cheese really keeps it moist and light compared to many other starchy potato casseroles I've had.)

Another Artichoke Dip

Deluxe Artichoke Dip

Makes: 5-1/2 cups • Prep time: 20 min • Cook time: 35 min

(I have not tried this one yet, but I love artichokes and it had great reviews so I'm hoping to make it soon.)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coarsely torn fresh bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 oz.)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
• 1 container (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 jar (12 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese and parsley in small bowl; set aside.
3. Combine Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise, sour cream, remaining 3/4 cup cheese, artichokes and garlic in medium bowl. Evenly spread artichoke mixture in 9-inch pie plate; top with bread crumb mixture, then drizzle with olive oil.
4. Bake uncovered 35 minutes or until heated through. Serve with your favorite dippers.

Also terrific with Hellmann's or Best Foods Canola Cholesterol Free or Light Mayonnaise.

Light and Delicious

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Kraft

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min
Makes: 2-3/4 cups or 22 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

What You Need!

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
3/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup KRAFT Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Make It!

HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients; spoon into 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate. (I doubled the recipe and cooked it in a 9x13 pan)
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Serve with crackers, corn chips, pita chips or assorted cut-up fresh vegetables.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Awesome Spinach and Mushroom Dip
Substitute 1 cup chopped mushrooms for the artichokes

(Using light mayo and 1/2 Parmesan and mozzarella made this recipe quite light. It was warm and tasty, but I might add a bit more flavor, perhaps just some salt and pepper. I melted some of the leftovers in a tortilla with Swiss cheese, mushrooms and grilled chicken... yummy!)