FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

Well, it’s December and only a few weeks left to get Christmas shopping and preparations finished… Seriously, I tell myself every year that I am going to start early and then relax and ‘enjoy’ the holiday season. Well, that has not happened! I haven’t even been able to blog let alone cook much…too many holiday party invites or events going on or just plain tired from all this cold weather!

The other night I wanted a home-cooked meal and decided on lasagna, as it is a favorite comfort food of mine and the leftovers are amazing! I call it lazy because I don’t spend much time on the assembly but it will take at least ½ hour to cook the meat and get all the ingredients ready to assemble…it’s worth it!

I love the versatility of lasagna. You can be traditional or creative and it usually always turns out so tasty!  

Jarred sauce works great but it is also super easy to make your own. I usually do half/half depending on what I have around my kitchen. You can simmer the sauce while the meat is cooking then assemble.\

Here’s the recipe:

Lazy Lasagna Casserole

Serves 8

Prep time: ½ hour

Cook time: 1 hour

For the tomato sauce:

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

½ onion, chopped

2 Tbs olive oil

1 can (28oz or 2 14oz cans) diced tomatoes

¼ cup cooking wine (I used red wine)

1 Tsp salt

½ Tsp crushed red pepper

For the meat:

½ onion, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

2 Tsp oregano(dried)

2 Tsp basil (dried)

Dash salt

2 cups cottage cheese

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 jar tomato sauce (I like using either chunky garden or 3 cheese but you can use any kind that sounds good!)

1 8oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups)

2-3 Roma tomatoes cut in rounds for the top of lasagna

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350

For the sauce: sauté onion and garlic in olive oil and then add tomatoes, wine, salt. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes.

For the meat: cook onion, meat and herbs together until browned. Transfer meat to separate bowl and mix in parmesean and cottage cheese.

To assemble: In a large 9x13 pan break apart 1/3 of the noodles and lay evenly in the pan.

Cover with ½ of the jar sauce. Add ½ of the meat and spread evenly. Repeat this step one more time and use the rest of the jar sauce and meat. For the last layer, break apart the remaining noodles and spread evenly on top. Pour the tomato sauce that you made over the top (all of it). 

Place the sliced tomatoes on top of the sauce and put in the oven.  Cook for 45 minutes. Remove and add cheese to the top. Bake another 15-25 minutes, until cheese is golden.

Serve with parmesan cheese and a side salad or steamed vegetable! This makes great leftovers too!

**This can be easily made into veggie lasagna. Substitute mushrooms and spinach for the meat. OR for another variation, you could use Italian sausage and red peppers. Get creative!

I’m baaaack! It has been a BUSY few weeks here in Minnesota. “Wedding Season” is in full swing as well as vacation season, road construction season and now back to school season!  I was hit by wedding bells (no, not literally) two weekends in a row and one of the weddings I had the honor of being a bridesmaid! Very fun but very busy. We did a lot of quick meals and even resorted to take-out despite my meal planning expertise (ugh, the pressure got to me, I had to give in!). Hey, we’re only human.

Now that this first wave of weddings are past us I can catch my breath and do some cooking before the next wave (3 weddings in September…) hits! After such a busy few weeks and a cold spurt here in Minnesota, I was craving a not-so-healthy-but-sorta-healthy comfort food: Fresh Artichoke and Spinach Dip. Yum.  I had a ton of spinach leftover from one of the many wedding gatherings and instantly thought of my favorite dip. Usually, people use frozen spinach but fresh spinach is excellent to use in this recipe if it’s available. The spinach cooks down quite a bit, so you’ll need a good amount. The not-so-healthy part of this recipe will definitely be the sour cream and mayonnaise. There are no great substitutions that taste the same. Low fat versions of either work fine but please don’t use ‘fat free.’  Fat free tends to use more sugar and non-food ingredients to make it ‘taste’ like fat. Instead, control the amount you consume instead of trying to trick your body (trust me, your body will find out and it won’t be happy..). Ok, here’s the recipe:

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Serves 8 (as an appetizer)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

You will need:

1 (16oz) large container of fresh spinach, chopped

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cans water chestnuts, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

½ lemon, squeezed

8 oz shredded parmesan or Italian cheese blend

Dash of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Chop spinach, water chestnuts, artichoke and onion and place in large bowl. Add sour cream, mayo and lemon juice and mix well (I used tongs). Make sure all of the spinach is coated. Add seasonings and mix again. Place in a small (9x9) baking pan or glass casserole dish. Cover the top with the shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn oven up to 425 and bake uncovered for  an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

Over the weekend I hosted my sister’s “Vintage Circus” themed baby shower. She is having a little boy (Leonardo or “Leo”) at the end of September!  A vintage circus was the perfect theme for a baby named Leo (the Lion!).  Again, the theme guided the party planning but I did not go overboard. I found some vintage clowns at a thrift store; a toy carousal that I spray painted and I used popcorn holders as a vase for flowers. I also set up a tent outside and decorated with draping fabric and ribbons. I spent about $50 on all of the decorations…not bad!  Instead of getting to carnival-y on the food I went for fresh and summery. I also didn’t do anything too heavy because my Aunt Lin made beautiful and decadent circus cupcakes for desert!

Here was the menu:

Caprese Salad and baguette

Fresh Spinach Dip and veggies

Torta di Riso (My grandmother’s Italian recipe)

Fresh Fruit

Pesto Green Beans**

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

The menu was the hit of the party. The combination went well together and left people satisfied but not overly full. I will share the pesto green beans recipe. This was a hit and I used the pesto that I made last week and picked up green beans at the farmer’s market the day before.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures while I was making this dish, but it is very simple so I think just following the recipe you will do just fine!

Pest Green Beans:

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

You will need:

2 lb green beans, stemmed

1/2 recipe Presto Pesto

1 cup fresh parmesean cheese, grated

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

Does it seem like you have a million graduation parties to attend? Your cousin from high school, your sister from college, your friend from graduate school or maybe even you!  Graduation is a time of celebration and change and central to every graduation party is the food, which, if you aren’t mindful about how much - can change your figure.  Buffet tables lined with taco bars, dessert trays, foot-long sandwiches, chips, dips and cheeses could make anyone weak in the knees…or should I say mouth.   Don’t worry!  You don’t have to steer clear of the food table…just don’t become it’s best friend! 

Fill up on fun, not food using these simple tips:

-Don’t go to a party hungry…there is no doubt you will eat more than your share and maybe catch a few looks after your 4^th trip down the line.

-Use a small plate.  This will make it look like you have more than you really do.

-Drink ...WATER.  Don’t fill up on alcoholic drinks or soda.  Those both have a lot of calories and can increase the amount of food you consume…use moderation (trust me, you don’t want to start dancing on the buffet table)

-Head for the fruits and vegetables.  Choose dishes such as the grilled vegetables or fresh fruit bowl to go wild, not the tray of brownies.

-Socialize!  The more people you talk to, the less time you’ll have to eat.

Lastly, don’t forget to bring a gift for the hard working graduate.  Everyone appreciates a reward for his or her efforts.  Rather than giving the typical card-with-cash, try something more creative….

The FIRST KITCHEN DVD is a perfect gift for a graduate whether high school, college, or even grad school.  It is a great tool for getting started in the kitchen and learning how to cook tasty, healthy, inexpensive and easy food in the comfort of your own kitchen.  Let the FK team help you make this graduation season easy and rewarding…you may even get invited over for dinner after they’ve watched the First Kitchen DVD.

To order go to: http://www.firstkitchencooks.com/fk-shop.html

Spring has sprung here in Minneapolis but in a blink we’ll find ourselves in the middle of a hot steamy summer.  Since the nice days are few and far between we decided to host an impromptu soiree to celebrate the weather with our good friends and food!  

Parties don’t always have to take weeks to plan, sometimes these unplanned get-to-gathers are the most fun and can be much less expensive.   So, we took a couple of hours on Saturday to clean the house, sweep the patio and run to the store.  All in all the food was under $40! 

We included the essentials that you need for any party: food, atmosphere, entertainment, and beverages.  Since the party started later in the evening we decided to have a fruit and cheese theme and kept the decorations simple with fresh flowers and candles.  

Cheese is perfect for entertaining because you can choose a variety for your guests to try and almost everyone will like at least one kind.  We suggest you get at least 4 kinds and try to get a mixture of soft and hard cheeses.  Remember: I’m not talking about the sliced cheese you get from the deli, this is “specialty” cheeses.   For instance we decided on Brie, Sharp Cheddar, Gouda, and Bleu Cheese.  Grab a few French baguettes to slice up as well as a box of crackers, your choice, to serve along side the cheese. Next, head to the produce isle to pick up some fresh fruit such as grapes, apples or strawberries. Try to buy seasonal if you can to save money.   You could also pick up some dried fruit like apricots and some nuts like almonds or cashews. 

Usually your grocer will have a variety of fresh flowers for sale so grab a few that you like on your way to the check-out, these make for a beautiful spring decoration.  Beverages are up to your discretion.  It is nice to have non-alcoholic on hand such as sparkling water with fresh lemon slices or iced tea.  Good old water can be fancied up with lemon or cucumber slices to make for an inexpensive and refreshing beverage option. 

When you get home, create a killer ipod mix (and listen to it while you get ready for the party).  Make sure you include some songs to dance to!  Pull aside furniture to have space for mingling and need we say, dancing!  Arrange your food/beverage table to your desire…get creative!

We’d like to hear your ideas for hosting an impromptu par-lay! 

Keep it simple…don’t forget to enjoy the weather AND the company of good friends.  CHEERS!