My Favorite Crock-Pot Lasagna

Lasagna is a comfort food loved by just about everyone, but no one ever makes it because it's too much work and takes too much time. 

Now, the long cooking time is one of the things that makes lasagna taste amazing so there isn't much I can do about that, but we can fix the labor issue.

Bring out that trusty crock-pot!

Since this recipe is so easy, lets skip straight to it....

Ingredients: 

1 lb. ground beef

36 oz. spaghetti sauce

8 oz. cottage cheese

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 oz. grated mozzarella

Regular uncooked lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef in a pan over medium heat.

Once completely cooked, drain off any excess fat and return to pan along with the spaghetti sauce and set aside. 

In a small bowl, beat one egg and then add the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and italian seasoning. Stir until completely combined. 

Spray the inside of the crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour in 1/3 of the beef and sauce mixture .

Lay a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles on top of the sauce mixture. Break them apart so that they will cover the whole surface. 

Use half of the cheese mixture and spread it over the noodles. 

Sprinkle on a layer mozzarella cheese. 

Pour on another 1/3 of the sauce mixture and repeat the noodle and cheese layers, using the other half of the cheese mixture. 

Finish it off by pouring on the rest of the sauce mixture. 

Cover, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. 

That's it people, a little bit of prep and then let it cook slow and low to get that great lasagna flavor.

When it is done cooking, remove the ceramic pot from the heating element so that it can cool.

The reason we want it to cool before eating is so that it has time to set.

This will make it a little easier to remove in pieces. 

The longer you let it sit, the easier the pieces will come out.

Well....I had men to feed soooooo I didn't have much time to let it set, which explains why I don't have a picture of it on a plate.

All you need to know is....it tasted great!

A Long Distance Baby Shower And All Things Blue

In a little over a month my baby nephew is due, and I will be an aunt for the first time!!

Unfortunately, my brother and sister-in-law live in a different state than most of their friends and family so having a baby shower in which everyone could physically attend would be pretty difficult.

Fortunately, my sister-in-law has some creative friends.

Enter....the virtual baby shower.

Now before yesterday, I had never heard of a virtual baby shower but when you combine excited friends and family members, a dedicated father-to-be, and a little bit of technology anything becomes possible. 

While the mommy-to-be was out to breakfast, my brother decorated their nursery and set out all of the gifts that we had sent over the past week. Using Google Hangouts, we were all able to video chat at the same time, and see the nursery all put together!

Since we couldn't all physically be with the future parents, I set up a bit of a "viewing party" at my house to celebrate with my mom and my sister.

I just wanted to share with you all some of the crafts, decorations, and recipes that went into my little celebration of the newest little family member! 

Of coarse everything must be blue.....even our outfits. 

For the table, I set out some flowers with blue hydrangeas and a fame with the word "boy" inside. 

To make the "boy" frame, I used a piece of burlap cut to the size of the glass and stencils to paint on the letters.

They have a woodland creature theme for their nursery which was also the theme of the baby shower, so I set out my little owls along with my blue plates, blue glasses, blue drink coasters, and a blue candle.

For a snack I made brie and apple crescents. 

They were so easy to make and everyone loved them!

Ingredients: 

1 tube of crescent dough for 8 crescents

Granny Smith apple

Brie 

Honey 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lay out each triangle of dough.

Peel the apple, and cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Cut brie into pieces that are slightly smaller than your slices of apple. 

Onto the widest part of the triangle, place one piece of brie and then place one slice of apple on top.

Drizzle honey over the apple and then wrap the rest of the dough around.

Place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the crescents are browned. 

For the drink, I tried my hardest to think of something that would be blue, without having to add food coloring. What I got was not exactly blue....but it was close!! Haha. 

Ingredients:

Lemonade

Acai-Blueberry-Pomegranate Vitamin Water

Champagne

There is no science behind this one, I just added equal parts of each ingredient and stirred.   

There you have it, my little virtual baby shower viewing party!

Peach Lemonade

It's Spring....which in Florida, means it's Summer!!!!

Spring/Summer heat requires time in the sun and cool drinks.

Lemonade is all time favorite of just about anyone, but if you're like me you just might get the urge to switch things up a bit by adding another flavor into the mix!!

I love the idea of making a special drink that a group of people can all enjoy but I don't love setting aside the extra time to make something up!!

This drink is quick, easy, refreshing, and has that fresh squeezed taste that you just won't get from store bought or lemonade concentrate. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice 

1/2 cup sugar

5 cups water

3 peaches

First, you're gonna need some lemons!!

If you are using an electric juicer like I did you're going to need about six nice sized lemons.

If you are using a hand squeezer, you might need more. 

The electric juicer is able to get a lot more juice out of each lemon.

Pour the lemon juice into a large drink pitcher along with the sugar and water.

Stir until the sugar is well mixed in and dissolved. 

Peel three peaches and remove the seed and the tough part of the fruit around the seed. 

Cut into slices and place in a blender.

Blend until completely pureed.

Pour the peach puree through a sieve or anything else you have on hand that will strain out any remaining large pieces of fruit, and into a bowl. 

Add the peach puree into the pitcher and stir until completely blended. 

Chill for about an hour or until cold and serve over ice.

Now go sit in a rocking chair and sip your lemonade.

Dijon Lime Chicken

In this house, we love citrus and we love mustard. 

Even saying that out loud sounds weird together but in reality it is uniquely wonderful.

This recipe combines two flavors that are not only great on their own but together when on that boring chicken you have in sitting in your fridge. 

Ingredients: 

2 (4 oz.) Boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

3 Tablespoons honey dijon mustard 

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Salt 

Pepper  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Place chicken on the plastic and then cover with another piece of wrap. Use a heavy utensil to beat the chicken until they are about an inch thick. 

Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium sized bowl, combine mustard, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, and parsley.

Place chicken in the mixture and toss to coat.

Place chicken in a greased baking dish.
Sprinkle some extra parsley on top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Baked Zucchini Chips

I love the flavor of zucchini, but I don't always love how soggy it can get when it's cooked. 

This recipe has the flavor and the crunch!!

These chips are extremely easy to make and won't make you feel guilty about snacking. Just beware, you're not going to feel like sharing, so get everyone else out of the house!!

Now usually I am not a fan of posting recipes that require using a special kitchen tool, but for this recipe there are two things that are completely necessary; a mandolin slicer and time. 

Your going to need this slicer to get those super thin slices of zucchini that are necessary for that crunch! Don't worry, you can pick one up at a pretty reasonable price http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/mandolin-slicer/1010496373. 

These are also going to take a while to bake but they are worth it and the prep is super fast!!

Ingredients: 

1 large zucchini

Olive oil cooking spray 

Salt

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder 

*Makes a small bowl of chips

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. 

You want your chips to cook on a low temp for a long time.

Use a mandolin slicer to thinly slice the zucchini.

I don't recommend trying to cut the zucchini with a knife. In order to cut them thinly enough to make chips, it would be far too dangerous for your precious fingers and thick slices = soggy chips. 

Use the "thin slices" attachment for your mandolin. 

Place zucchini slices on paper towels.

Place another paper towel on top of the slices and then place something heavy on top to get as much water out of the zucchini as possible (to achieve ultimate crisp factor). 

The uses of a biology book are endless. 

Leave the heavy object on the slices for a few minutes and remove. 

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with olive oil spray (if you don't use olive oil spray, I highly recommend it).

Place the slices on the cookie sheets and lightly spray the tops. 

For these I used my favorite spices, but the great part about these chips is that they are completely customizable!

I sprinkled salt, chili powder, and garlic powder on top of the slices.

Make sure to use a light hand when seasoning, because they shrink up when cooking and become more potent. 

I wish I had more than two cookie sheets, so I could make more chips!

Place in the oven for about two hours or until browned. 

I know, I know it's a long time, but again...worth it!

Keep an eye on them for about the last half hour because every oven is different and yours may be done before the two hours is up.

Remove from the oven and eat immediately! 

Now, these chips are best if eaten right out of the oven but to be honest, you won't have to worry about a method of preserving leftovers...because there won't be any!

Shamrock Shimmy Cocktail

I'm not a beer fan, therefore this St. Patrick's Day I have opted not to participate in the green beer tradition.

The green cocktail is where it's at, and guess what....there is no food coloring involved!!

All you need for this recipe is a couple of simple ingredients and a glass.

Ingredients: 

Vodka 

Sprite

Lime Sherbet

Lime Juice

Scoop a spoonful of sherbet into a glass.

Everyone prefers their drink a little differently but I used an ounce of vodka,

Pour the vodka over the sherbet.

Fill the rest of the glass to the brim with Sprite, and watch it fizzle!!

Squeeze in a splash of lime juice and garnish with a few slivers of lime peel.

Oh yeah...and drink!

Green Recipes For St. Patrick's Day

Hi everyone!!!

It's seems like it's been forever since I've posted a "Tasty Sunday" recipe, and that's because it has been forever!

Well I've been busy.

Busy thinking of recipes to share with you!

To make up for my neglect I have decided to give you guys three recipes this Sunday, and because St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, they all have a green theme.

Now I have to say, when it comes to clothes green is not my color so on St. Patrick's Day I go for the green food!

So here you go....a green drink, appetizer, and entree.

The Shamrock Shimmy Cocktail

If you're tired of having green beer every St. Patrick's Day, this is a great way to shake things up. This drink has a great lime flavor with a little fizzle!

Baked Zucchini Chips

Not only is this recipe great for the holiday, but they will become a new addiction! These are an extremely tasty snack without the guilt that comes with fried potato chips. Just be careful, they disappear in a blink of an eye. 

Dijon Lime Chicken 

If you're looking for a new recipe to bring some life to the same old boring chicken..here it is. This unique blend of flavors may just become your new St. Patrick's Day tradition. 

  

Crunchy, Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tenders

So last weekend I was at my parents house.....which never stops me from cookin' up something tasty.

While I love giving up the chef reins to my momma, when the two of us are in one kitchen magical things happen.

This time while my family was out on the boat, I decided to whip up a quick and easy lunch for them before I had to make the drive back down south. 

There is a lack of pictures for this post because, well....it's just so darn simple that it felt ridiculous taking pictures of the process.  

I love this recipe because not only is it really simple, but it satisfies my love of chicken wings while not having to make or buy chicken wings!!!

Making chicken wings involves a fryer (which I hate using) and buying chicken wings IS FRIKEN EXPENSIVE, so tenders are a nice compromise.

The panko adds a really great crunch that you just won't get with regular bread crumbs (also much healthier than frying!!) and this sauce is sweet while having that heat that everyone loves. 

Ingredients: 

12 pre-cut raw chicken tenders

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

1/3 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons water 

Ranch dressing for dipping

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Set up your breading station with three bowls.

In one bowl add the flour, in the second add 2 eggs with about a tablespoon of water and whisk together, and in the last bowl add the bread crumbs. 

Bread the chicken by first coating with flour.

Give it a bath in the egg, and then completely coat bread crumbs.

Place onto the greased baking sheet, 

Once all of the tenders are breaded and on the pan, spray them down with the cooking spray.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!

If you don't do this step, your tenders won't get brown and crispy.

Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are browned and completely cooked.

Meanwhile, make the easiest sauce know to man.

In a large saucepan, add the brown sugar and hot sauce.

Cook on medium heat until well blended and it starts to boil, stirring frequently. 

Remove from the heat and add the garlic powder and water.

Whisk until blended and set aside until the tenders are done cooking.

Once the tenders are out of the oven and cool enough to handle without burning your hand off, dip each one in the sauce to completely coat it and place on a plate. 

Once each tender is coated, drizzle the excess sauce over the tenders.

Serve some ranch dressing on the side, or drizzle over the top and your done!!!

Creamy Feta, Garlic, and Jalapeno Dip

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!

I'm a bad super bowl watcher because I am "watching" the game as I'm writing this, but it's worth it because I have to tell you about the best dip ever created!!! Plus I only watch for the commercials...

Not only is this dip unique because it uses feta but it is packed with flavor!

I doubled the recipe so that I would have plenty to go around...and some left over for myself later because it is THAT GOOD!

Ingredients:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

3 oz. room temperature feta

1 tablespoon shallot, chopped 

1/2-1 jalapeno, chopped depending on how spicy you want it

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

*Makes about a cup and a half of dip

Bring both cheeses to room temperature so that they will blend easily and get creamy.

Put them both into a food processor or some other sort of blender/chopper....whatever gets the job done.

I don't have one so I borrowed one from my friend Kera. (Thanks Kera!!) 

Pulse until blended and creamy with no chunks. 

Add all of the other ingredients to the cheeses. 

Blend until all of the ingredients are equally distributed. 

Pour into cute bowls and serve with chopped veggies and slices of bread. 

That's it....really that has to be the easiest recipe I have ever put on this blog and probably one of the best tasting!

I gotta go....Katy Perry is going to be on soon. 

Frozen Key Limey Pie

Hey everyone!!

This time of year is always crazy for me. From the beginning of January to May there is a birthday just about every week with Valentines Day, Mothers Day, and a couple other holidays sprinkled in. (We are about to add another birthday to the list because my nephew is due this May!!)

Here's the thing....cakes get real boring. 

Enter, the key lime pie. 

Today....my love turns 24. 

Even though 24 is not old, when you've been with someone since they were 17 it definitely feels old, so tonight we are going to stuff our faces with key lime pie.

This is not your old fashioned key lime pie. 

A lot of traditional recipes use eggs but as you know I'm not big on eggs so this was a great alternative to the norm. 

Plus, there is absolutely no baking involved AT ALL, so it is super easy!!!

To make this recipe as easy as possible, you can buy a pre-made graham cracker crust but I wouldn't even bother because making your own is easy enough!

Ingredients: 

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup of melted butter 

1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon of lime zest

1/2 cup of key lime juice 

2 cups whipping cream 

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix with a fork, making sure to break up any clumps. 

Press evenly into the bottom and onto the sides of a 9 inch pie pan. 

Cover and chill for about an hour or until it hardens. 

In a medium size bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, and key lime juice. Mix until completely combined. 

Now, your going to make whipped cream. 

There are three things you have to consider when making whipped cream; time, speed, and temperature. 

To get your whipped cream to form "stiff peaks" you need to make sure your cream stays cold while mixing. An easy way to accomplish this is to get a metal mixing bowl really cold. Stick the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before making the whipped cream. 

Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into your chilled bowl and use an electric mixer on medium speed to whip the cream. Keep mixing until it becomes thick, which may take some time...so stay patient and keep mixing. 

Fold your whipped cream into your lime and condensed milk mixture. 

Spread evenly into your pie crust, cover, and put in the freezer for 2-4 hours.

Once ready to serve, use the remaining 1 cup of cream to make the rest of the whipped cream for the top.

Garnish with slivered almonds and a slice of fresh lime.