Chicken Cheese Lasagna

I've had this recipe stashed away for years but hadn't ever tried it until this weekend.  And I think it turned out alright.  It's a good solution for a girl who craves pasta married to a boy who won't eat marinara sauce (I mean really, aside from an actual tomato allergy, who won't eat marinara sauce?!?).  We tend to be burned out on chicken in general but we both agreed it would be equally tasty meatless.

Ingredients (I halved the recipe for us):

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 cups chicken broth (watch out laptops!)

1 1/2 cups milk

4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

15 oz ricotta cheese

1 tbsp minced fresh parsley

9 lasagna noodles, cooked

2 packages (10 oz each) frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

Directions:

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender.  Stir in flour and salt; cook until bubbly.  Stir in broth and milk.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute.  Stir in 2 cups mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, basil, oregano and pepper; set aside.

In a bowl, combine ricotta, parsley and remaining mozzarella; set aside.

Spread one-quarter of cheese sauce into a greased 13x9x2 in. baking dish; cover with noodles.  Top with half of ricotta mixture, half of spinach and half of chicken.  Cover with one-quarter of cheese sauce and noodles.  Repeat layers of ricotta mixture, spinach, chicken and cheese sauce.  Cover with remaining noodles, cheese sauce and Parmesan.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Makes 12 servings.

Mexican Bean Salad

I discovered this recipe from Allrecipes.com recently and it's definitely a new favorite.  I feel that it's perhaps one of the prettiest salads I've ever made, and it tastes even better than it looks!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-Bean-Salad/Detail.aspx

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.  Note:  I feel like this makes too much dressing.  I usually scale down the dressing entirely, and cut back on the proportion of oil, just to make it a little healthier.  I'm also not a huge fan of olive oil so I have used canola instead.
3. Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

Makes 8 servings. 

the beginning

It was a Tuesday. I was standing in the kitchen making banana bread muffins for my mom's group meeting on Wednesday when it struck me how much Brittany would probably like this recipe.
I should send it to her. She has sent me several recipes lately.
I should send her a picture. They are lovely muffins.
We should start a blog together of recipes we've tried and loved so we can share with each other - heck, share with the world! - all the great foods we've made.
That's really how quickly this blog was born. My sister and I both like to cook. We try to be healthy. We like to share. We live thousands of miles apart; this is a perfect way to help us stay connected. It will be just like how we've spent so much time at Mom & Dad's house. In the kitchen. Together.

Madeover Banana Bread
Source: Ladies Home Journal

2 c all purpose flour (I use half whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c applesauce
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
*I add 1 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 350. Grease loaf pan.
Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, salt.
In separate bowl, whisk together sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Whisk in eggs.
Stir in banana. Gradually stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
Pour into loaf pan.
Bake 50 min to 1 hour. (Toothpick test)
Cool in pan on rack 5 min. Run knife around edges to loosen; remove from pan and cool completely.

* also makes excellent muffins (as pictured)