Day 69 - Lasagna Rolls & They Can be Gluten Free!

          I've made lasagna rolls before, not during this blog, but tonight I made it using gluten-free noodles.  It can easily be made both ways, so if you'd like to make it the regular way, all you have to do is substitute the lasagna noodles.  If you are going gluten free, make sure the following items you intend to use are in fact, gluten free and call the company phone number listed on the package if you have any questions.  I wasn't sure about our store brand ricotta cheese, so I called and found out it was ok to use.
      I also called about the lasagna noodles because they say DO NOT PRECOOK and Sarah said that they can't guarantee how they will turn out if they are precooked.  She said that more than likely they would fall apart.  I've had regular lasagna noodles fall apart when I boil them, how bad could these be?  I told her I'd try it and see how it went.  And actually, it wasn't too bad.  I only boiled them for 5 minutes though, just long enough so that they could be (oh my gosh, I am having such writer's block right now because I am so tired.  I can't think of the words I need to use!!) pliable - haha.  I wouldn't suggest any longer, such as following directions for a regular lasagna noodle because I really think they might disintegrate; 5 minutes seemed to be key.

     Lasagna Rolls   (This is the Gluten Free version - just substitute regular lasagna noodles and boil according to directions on package if wanting non-GF)  makes 12 rolls (or could have if one wasn't broken in thirds)

     1 package DeBoles GF lasagna noodles
     1 egg
     1 15 oz. ccontainer part skim ricotta cheese
     1 10oz. frozen box of spinach, thawed
     ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
     1  26 oz. jar of  Ragu spaghetti sauce
     1½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.
     Prepare lasagna noodles according to directions.  If gluten free oven ready noodles, wow - mouthful, boil for only 5 minutes.
     Prepare 13 x 9" with a non-stick spray.
     Pour 1/3 of spaghetti sauce into pan, making sure to coat the entire bottom.
     Drain lasagna noodles.  If gluten free, remove them from water with tongs and place in colander. (I didn't want to dump them into the strainer for fear they would tear).  Rinse with cold water.
     Arrange wax paper on counter and spray with cooking spray.
     Lay noodles flat on wax paper.

     In medium bowl, lightly beat egg.  Add ricotta and Parmesan cheeses.  Squeeze excess water out of spinach and add to bowl.  Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
     Using 1/3 - 1/4 of a cup spread mixture along length of noodle.  Roll up from one end to the other.

     Place seam side down in baking dish.
     After all rolls are assembled in dish, pour remaining spaghetti sauce on top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

     Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

    
     I liked them.  I really liked them when we had them unglutenfreed (new word), but these worked well, too.  My daughter, who is on a gluten free diet, liked them, but wasn't nuts about the spinach.  They're easy to make and not as time consuming as making a full-fledged lasagna.  I like that, too.
     My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  My daughter and I decided these should be given 3 rolling pins.  I also didn't have them when they came out of the oven because I was at a baseball game and came home to them lukewarm.  They were still good.  I like the consistency of the regular noodles best though.
     I admit I'm very tired tonight and am so very grateful for spellcheck!  If this post has been confusing, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  My e-mail is lafbaker@gmail.com.
   Happy baking!
    

Day 29 - Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

     Another recipe from the Food Network:    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-ricotta-cookies-with-lemon-glaze-recipe/index.html
These were the cookies I saw yesterday while searching for a cookie recipe, but came across the Flu-Fighters and decided to make those instead.  These are from Giada De Laurentiis.  I love her.  She is so petite and pretty and she knows her stuff.  And she's Italian, too.  I love Italy and everything Italian.  If there's one place in the world I'd love to visit, it's Italy.  I don't have an ounce of Italian in me, but I overcook so much food on occasion that you'd think I was.
     As you know, I'm also partial to lemons and anything lemon flavored.  I think it started when I was young and would get the lemon-filled donut when we'd go to Dunkin' Donuts.  Oh, how I love those!  Then, if you're from Rhode Island, there's Del's (frozen) Lemonade which is absolutely the best thing to have on a hot summer day, especially at the beach.  Now in 2011, they also have different flavors of Del's, like Watermelon, Cherry, Blueberry, and others, but if you're as old as me (not that old, born in the late 60's - and I'm already telling you my weight, so something's gotta be kept a secret!), the original flavor was lemon and Del's isn't Del's unless it's lemon.  My kids, of course, think otherwise.
   These cookies were easy to make (not nearly as many ingredients as yesterday).  They contain flour, sugar, lemon juice,  lemon zest, eggs, unsalted butter, ricotta cheese, baking powder, and salt.

Butter and sugar.

Butter and sugar, eggs.

Eggs, butter, and sugar, lemon zest, ricotta cheese, lemon juice.

Dry ingredients added.

Onto the cookie sheet.

They were just a little time consuming because I used one cookie sheet to make sure I wouldn't have any too dark, and then they had to sit for 20 minutes on the sheet after they came out of the oven to cool before being frosted. 

Being cooled.

So that's where the time went.  However, I have never had so much trouble zesting a stupid lemon.  I was becoming extremely aggravated with the thing.  I had zested half of it and then all of a sudden it was like it surrounded itself with this invisible shield and I couldn't get anything more to come off it.  I pushed, I scraped, I pressed really hard, but nothing was coming off.  FINE!  You're going to succumb to your death anyway because I'm going to need your juice, so you might as well just surrender and give me ALL of it.  Hmmmm....still nothing.  Stupid lemon.

     They were big cookies, too.  Directions said to drop about 2 tablespoons for each cookie - I did about 1½ or so.  Because they are light and have the specks of lemon zest in the glaze, I think these are an awesome spring cookie and would be great to have out at your Easter gatherings.  The rating:  3½ rolling pins.  The family liked them and I did as well.  They were light and lemony, and soft, but not too soft.
     Happy baking!

Day 12 - Impromptu Pasta Bake

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      My husband and I went to this wonderful Italian Bakery/Store/Eaterie called Romanelli's for lunch today.  I can't really call it a restaurant because it only has about 5 tables and you order your meal at the deli counter in the back of the store, but the food is unbelievable and very true to the Italian cuisine.  When pay for your meal (at the front checkout counter), there is a refrigerated case filled with baklava, eclairs, cannolis, tiramisu, and other goodies, and another case completely filled with fresh baked Italian breads and cookies.  And you can bring them home in a little pink box!  Those things elicit memories of going to the bakeries back in Rhode Island or a grandparent coming over with a pink box.  If you see one of those, you know that there's something really yummy inside!  Romanelli's has different kinds of pasta in shapes I never even knew existed, an incredible selection of olives and peppahs (as we New Englandahs say), and sauces.  Oh, the sauces!  With all those incredible flavors and sights, I was extremely motivated to make a pasta dish to bake in the oven for tonight's dinner.  I just haven't come up with a name because I threw so many different things into it, so I'll just keep the title:

     Impromptu Pasta Bake
     1 lb. pasta ( I used radiatorre because it was a fun shape we hadn't had before.)
     1 generous teaspoon salt
     2 tablespoons olive oil
     2 large cloves garlic, minced
     3 small zucchini sliced thin
     ½ head escarole, rinsed well and chopped in large pieces
     1 cup fresh basil, chopped
     1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
     1 28 oz. jar diced tomatoes
     1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
     1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
     1 cup grated parmesan cheese

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Boil water for pasta, add salt.  Cook pasta to two minutes less than recommended cooking time - you want the pasta just at al dente.  Drain and set aside.  Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray.  Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium high heat.  Add minced garlic to skillet and stir.  Sauteé zucchini and mushrooms in oil and garlic for 5 minutes.  Add escarole and cover for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Once escarole is wilted, add basil and stir to combine.  Remove from heat and pour in large bowl.  Add spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, mozzarella and ricotta cheese to bowl.  Stir until well mixed.  Fold in pasta. Transfer to prepared baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.   Bake for 25 minutes.

     I have to say that this turned out better than I expected!  It was really yummy and the whole family really liked it, too.  Instead of using a 9x13" dish as I recommend which will probably feed 6-8, I divided the recipe into two 8x8" pans because there are four of us (and we don't eat much) and I froze the other to have weeks from now after one of my son's baseball games.  I think I would only use 2 zucchini the next time I make it and I did not chop the escarole, but I will definitely do that, also.   The great thing about this dish is you can add whatever ingredients you want to make it your own.  You could even do an alfredo sauce and/or add some meat to it.  I've made baked ziti so many times in the past it has become BORING.  Now I'm glad I've found a new way to make it!  So, be creative and see what you can come up with.  Channel your inner pasta maker.  Remember, if it doesn't work you can always order out for pizza.
     Happy baking!