Baby Lasagna

Mini lasagnas for the freezer....'cause that's what you do when someone has a baby.  "You just endured hours of excruciating pain and will not sleep again for at least a year...but surely this frozen casserole will make it all better!" 


These are for my friend Erica & my sister Rane, whenever Baby Mason and Baby Margo, respectively, decide to make their appearances.  And the third one goes in my freezer for some weeknight where I just don't have the will to cook/live.  So, you know, like, tomorrow.

Frankenlasagna

Well, in a last-ditch attempt to use up what's left in my fridge and pantry before we move, I thought lasagna would be a good way to use up a lot of supplies.  The problem:  I had no lasagna noodles and none of the usually-approved meats for a lasagna.  Soo...what I did have was a big ol' bag full of bowtie pasta, and a package of pepperoni in the fridge just begging to be used up.  Add in half a container of cottage cheese and a half a bag of frozen spinach that also needed used or else would end up in the trash when we move, along with some other random veggies, tomato sauce, spices, and cheese...voila!  A mishmash of lasagna-like ingredients will surely result in an edible, almost-lasagna dish, right? 

Actually it was not only edible, but pretty tasty.  I forgot how salty pepperoni is which makes this Frankenlasagna not my favorite thing ever (though the asiago bread Anthony brought home was yummy with it), but my husband and daughter both scarfed it down.  Yesss....I love using up a bunch of stuff that is on the verge of being wasted.  Speaking of being on the verge of being wasted, the 1/2-bottle of pinot grigio I drank with the meal definitely made it better :)

On Top of Old Smokey...

I think of that childhood song every time I make meatballs.  And they really are "all covered with cheese"...last night's dinner:  Mozzarella Meatballs & Pasta.  Anthony loves meatballs, as he said so eloquently last night, "Their name is as beautiful as they are in form and function."  haha.

Last Night's Dinner

I made Cavatini (Mom's recipe) with Italian sausage and bowtie noodles. Added some veggies for extra nutrition: red peppers, carrots, celery, and onion. Of course I overcooked it in this damned too-fast oven...still pretty yummy though. Served with salad, garlic bread, and a crappy Chianti. Voila!

Dessert was a recipe for lemon bars off the label on a can of store-brand condensed milk. I substituted fresh lime juice for lemon since I had a bunch of limes turning brown in the fridge. They were good, but a little custard-y for my taste (I was hoping for lemon-bar consistency, but the condensed milk made them a lot creamier/richer than that). Not too bad though, just don't eat three in one sitting, haha.