Almost Lasagna

Oct 31, 2011 by lovelypantry

 

There are some days when I am willing to make Lasagna, and there are days when I wonder why go through all the layering. Don’t get me wrong, we love lasagna. It’s a beautiful thing. This is a recipe that happened one day when I started to make lasagna but never quite made it. You just never know how things will turn out  in my kitchen. This was a great meal!

 

 

Add colourful veggies. Serve and enjoy!

 

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Ginger Carrot Bread

Sep 20, 2011 by lovelypantry

When I saw this recipe I just had to try it. An easy way to utilize carrot juice without having to juice dozens of carrots! Its already a winner in my book. I was very impressed with the bright colour as well as the texture of the bread. I found it quite tasty and of course, my mini food tasters gave it their seal of approval.

I found some natural (no preservatives added) carrot juice in the supermarket so I decided to try it not only with the recipe, but also to incorporate it into our diet. Eventually I’ll get into juicing, but for now, this is a great healthy addition to my baking.

 

This Ginger Carrot Bread recipe has been a certified hit and its always a pleasure to make it and share with family and friends. The gorgeous, striking colour is always a topic for discussion!

 

 Enjoy!

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Chicken Parmigiana

Sep 12, 2011 by lovelypantry

I love to make dishes that are tasty and family friendly. They can be as simple or as fussy as I want them to be, since in the end, my efforts will be worth it. I am steadily appreciating the flavour of tomatoes (that’s right, I don’t like them so much) and I’m slowly incorporating them into meals a few times per week. Chicken Parmigiana was something that always looked great but I remember when I tried it some time ago, there was just too much tomato sauce. I decided to try it my way.

I went looking for a sauce that I was comfortable with. I found a Pasta Sauce by a brand called Healthy Choice. There was a limited variety from their line but I went with the Garlic and Fine Herb. It’s the only one that I use now. I’m very happy with it.

 

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs

1 Egg

6 Chicken breast cutlets, seasoned with salt and pepper {If you use whole breasts, you’ll have to thinly slice it length-wise in half to get a nice cutlet.}

1/4 Cup Gratered Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup Tomato Sauce

1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (or if you’re using sliced Mozzarella cheese, 1 slice per piece of chicken)

Olive Oil for browning chicken

 

Directions:

Turn on your broiler to  high.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat a few tablespoons of Olive Oil.

In a shallow dish, add bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Lightly beat the egg and pour into another shallow dish.

Dip each chicken breast into the egg to coat, then dip into the breadcrumb/cheese mixture. Shake off any excess. Brown each piece of chicken and be sure to do it in batches.

In an oven proof casserole dish, pour in tomato sauce to coat the bottom evenly. Place each piece of cooked chicken into the dish, slightly overlapping.

Sprinkle mozzarella over the chicken (or layer slices across the top of the chicken).

Place in your oven broiler at about 4 inches from the heat source for about 5-8 minutes. Allow the cheese to brown nicely. Serve with Pasta and Salad.

I enjoy this every time I cook it. Hopefully you will too!

 

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food.

 

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Sacchettini & Spinach

Aug 1, 2011 by lovelypantry

Oh how I wish I could say that I made this from scratch. However, I`m prone to pick up frozen pasta occasionally. There are so many to choose from and the varieties are so visually appealing. On a recent trip to the supermarket, I picked up a packet of Chicken and Bacon Sacchettini. These little pasta are beautiful and they taste great too. I simply followed the cooking instructions on the packet and served it over a bed of steamed spinach. The final touch was just a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Now that`s what I call an easy mid-week meal! Sensible portions with well planned sides, wont break the scale.

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Blueberry Muffins

Jul 18, 2011 by lovelypantry

My children are aware that I can cook and bake so it does not surprise me anymore when they request (or demand) that I make something for them. Not buy. Make. Blueberry muffins were requested of me this time. I grabbed my Cupcakes & Muffin Recipe Book and got to work. I love that the recipes are simple and that I have so many to choose from – 200, in fact. This is actually a condensed version of the book. The larger book had 1000.  They tasted great and as usual, disappeared overnight.

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

2 Cups All Purpose, Unbleached Flour

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

A Pinch of salt

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1 Cup Blueberries (I used fresh, but you could use frozen too)

2 Eggs

1 Cup Milk

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

 

Directions:

I recently purchased a muffin tray with square compartments instead of the traditional circles so I was happy to use it. I like different.

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 12 hole muffin pan. Sift together flour,  baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and blueberries.

Place eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly, then beat in the milk, oil, vanilla and lemon rind. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten ingredients. Stir until just combined – do not overmix! This will cause the muffins to have a very firm texture. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, divided evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until well risen, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Enjoy!

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