Farmer's Market Lasagna

This is a recipe I found I think in Parents magazine a couple of years ago-it's a favorite of ours, and better lasagna than one with meat, in our opinion!

1 zucchini, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2C carrot, shredded
3C baby spinach
1 jar pasta sauce (I tend to use a bit more)
lasagna noodles
15oz Ricotta cheese
1C shredded Mozzarella (I use a bit more of this too... of course!)

Combine zucchini, pepper and carrots in a bowl and pour in 2T water. Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes; drain (or you can do like we do and just put it in a pot with a tiny bit of water on the stove till it gets all nice and steamy). Stir in spinach. Layer a bit of sauce, then noodles (I don't cook mine before-personal preference), then half of the veggies, then half of the Ricotta. More sauce, a third of the Mozzarella, noodles, the rest of the veggies, the rest of the Ricotta, another third of Mozzarella, noodles, the rest of the sauce, and then the rest of the Mozzarella (I go heavy on the sauce each time since I don't pre-cook the noodles). Cover tightly with foil. Cook for one hour on 350 degrees if you precook noodles, an hour and a half at 320 if you don't. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Paula Deen's Cheesy Squash Casserole

This is another one we had at Lady & Sons on Mother's Day-we've had it twice and it SURE is delicious! This makes a LOT-a lot more than the three of us can eat at one sitting so feel free to back off on the squash use if you need or want to.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sleeve crackers, crushed medium to fine (recommended: Ritz, or I sprinkle mine with French's French Fried Onions)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the squash, onion, and butter until soft. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan, Cheddar, and sour cream. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Place in the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.

Alton Brown's Cinnamon Rolls

I made these for Christmas morning 2010 and definitely forgot to post. They are YUM... if you have the time to devote to them, you won't be sorry!


Courtesy The Food Network

Prep time: 45 minutes
Inactive prep time: 10hours 30minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 large whole egg, room temperature
• 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
• 6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• 20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
• 1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:

• 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing:

• 2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

Directions

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.