As evidenced from my infrequent posts, I have been a bit uninspired for the last year or so. Therefore, I feel like I need to reintroduce myself and my blog. I am hoping to share ideas, knowledge and just some camaraderie. I do like to cook and bake — baking is really more of my thing. I will try recipes, especially some of the older (mom/grandma, favorite) recipes and share my results. Also, I am still experimenting to find a “healthy” cake recipe! I like to try new restaurants so
a review or two may appear. I also have a dog, a 20 lb Sichon* (Bichon Frise mixed with Shih Tzu). I may share some tips to save time/money and just to make life a bit easier. If you can share some good food with your family and friends, life is always better and that is a very comfortable place to be.
*I don’t receive any monetary compensation from sharing this link.
Cook Once, Eat Twice – part 2
Well Summer is working its way to Fall – leaves are already starting to turn! Kids are going back to school and soon it will be the ol’ refrain: “What’s for dinner?!” Last post, I covered making a quick spaghetti bolognese (meat sauce). This post, I will share the secret (ok, it’s not a secret) but I will share one of my quick dinners. Easy Ravioli Lasagna! I think I first learned about this on the show “The Chew” where Mario Batali tested the recipe to see if it worked and was it any good. So, was it ….
To his surprise, he said it was surprisingly good! If you are looking for something you can put together and throw in the oven – this may fit into your dinner rotation. I like it because you can change it up based on what you have on hand. All you need is Marinara or other pasta sauce, pre-made fresh or frozen raviolis, shredded mozzarella cheese and desired spices. You just really need to know the formula and then, you can make it the way you like.
I will go over the easiest version first.
Preheat the Oven to 375 degrees and gather your 9×13 baking/casserole dish and ingredients. Decide which “flavor” you wish to make — Frozen raviolis it will take longer to bake.
While the oven is preheating, place some of the jarred or pre-made sauce in the bottom of the dish. Really you are just trying to get the bottom covered so spread evenly. Open the package of cheese raviolis and lay them in a single layer across the bottom. Add sauce mostly on the raviolis and ensure they are covered. If you like a zesty flavor, sprinkle some oregano over the sauce on this layer and you can even add a bit of garlic power too. Now, sprinkle shredded cheese over this layer. If you have more raviolis, lay them in another layer, if possible try to place where there are ‘gaps’ so it will cook more even. Now cover with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle generously with cheese for the top. I like to sprinkle a bit more oregano over the top.
So this is super simple! Not quite as easy as ordering pizza but it may be healthier. And, to help win over the picky kids, you can make this using more of the ‘pizza’ flavors. I have made this with cheese raviolis, marinara sauce and to amp up the flavor, added diced green peppers and pepperoni. I use turkey pepperoni to lower the fat and feel like I am being healthier.
Tonight, I tried two kinds of raviolis: cheese and sausage along with cheese and spinach. They were in the freezer and I wanted to reduce the sodium in the dish. So, I heated (to bubbling) the green peppers in some olive oil, added the no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, and the sauce to get it going. I also added the extra spices here to include a bit of black and cayenne pepper. Using the heated sauce will help thaw the frozen raviolis and jump start the baking.
Bake in the middle rack — it should take about 30-45 minutes to get hot and bubbly. If the raviolis are frozen, it may take longer to ensure the middle is heated to the proper safe temperature.
While this is baking, prep a nice salad or some bread for garlic toast. Or, since this dish just needs to be turned around half-way through baking, you can run down and throw a load of laundry in or move it to the dryer. Or do your homework!
If you don’t have any garlic bread but you do have any left over hamburger or hot dog buns from a cookout, don’t let them go to waste. You can butter them and sprinkle with garlic powder and garlic salt. Toast them up on the top rack of the oven the last 10 minutes of “lasagna” baking time.
Let the “lasagna” cool off a few minutes to setup before you cut into it. Two reasons — one so it does cut easier into servings and two, so doesn’t sear the tongue!! The sauce and cheese can be like molten lava!
This is a great dish to have some leftovers or feed a family. It’s easy enough the kids can help put it together which may get them more excited about dinner. The dish can be a bit heavy and hot so probably best for the adults/teenagers to handle putting in/taking it out of the oven. What a great way to get kids involved in making dinner. So with some creativity (or not) this can be an easy, satisfying meal to make and serve. Coming home to having left overs that heat up in the microwave, can make for an easy, quick meal and that is a comforting place to be.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Batali
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chew
Leaves are turning to golden yellows and rusty red and squirrels seem to be everywhere. The crisp mornings and cooler days mean that Fall is definitely here. While Halloween has passed, we can still benefit from tricks to enjoy our treats more. Especially those tricks that help us save money and/or calories.
I know many people love diet sodas and I love regular soda. I have tried over the years to love diet and I just can’t get into it. Here we are heading into the indulgent season and cutting back so we can splurge on the specialty items is prudent. That said, I am never going to love diet sodas and guess what! They are not actually better for you. So …. what is a ‘bubbly’ loving girl to do?!
Join the sparkling water club! Store brand Club Soda to the rescue! Purchase the one with no sodium, especially on sale, it is very reasonable. It is refreshing over ice with a splash of lime! Lemon works better in plain or flat water. Lime seems to taste better in the bubbles. Add a splash of cherry juice too and it is very tasty. A healthier soda for children as a few splashes of real fruit juice is lower in calories with the added albeit small amount of vitamin C.
I have had several married friends complain their husbands drink way too much regular (not even diet) soda. I asked, did they serve them the drink in the can/bottle or pour it into the glass with ice? They said the latter. (Even if you are a modern woman, it is ok to be nice and make a drink for your spouse.) Anyway, I suggested they think about adding a bit of plain Club Soda to their husband’s soda of choice and over time slowly add more. Eventually work up to about half Club Soda and half of their preferred. This means, even if they don’t reduce the amount of soda they are drinking, they will get 50% of the calories from their “Soda Spritzer.” I especially like to do this with Coke or Dr. Pepper. I now prefer it with more bubbles and a bit less sweet.
I also like to add Club Soda to Orange Juice to “lighten” it up! Sort of like a virgin Mimosa! Orange Juice along with other juices can be high in calories. I find adding ¼ or more club soda is more refreshing and it is healthier than drinking an actual soda for breakfast.
And, for the parents who have complained the kids waste the sodas by opening them and drinking half and it gets flat. Here is a helpful trick, just add the flat soda to Club Soda. It will perk it back up and reduce the calories. So, while soda may not be the healthiest, you can at least reduce the calories and still enjoy the bubbles. Bonus, Club Soda is usually cheaper so you can extend your budget and reduce the wasted sodas!
Be inventive and let your kids come up with tasty ways to enjoy the soda treat. Remember the old-fashioned punches? Sherbet and soda and fruit juice? Why not bring back an old favorite for the holidays! Lighten it up with the Club Soda and add in real fruit slices along with the floating island of fun colored frozen treat. I haven’t tried it yet as a substitute for Root Beer in Root Beer floats. Mmmm… maybe an excuse to have a Club Soda Float. I am thinking it might work best with Chocolate ice cream? What can be better than an old favorite treat and a money and calorie saving trick!
Where did the Summer go? It seemed like it was too hot or too rainy here for barbecues. Rather than fire up the grill for little ol’ me, I let Foster’s do the grilling. The Foster’s near me carved out some patio space from their parking lot. This was very nice because they also let folks bring their dogs! Of course, my little princess liked it for the first couple of times. She loves to meet people and enjoyed the attention. Soon more folks were coming out to eat and there were too many cars in the parking lot. The moving cars were too unsettling for her and the heat was too much for me! Therefore, the Princess got to stay home. Thankfully, the restaurant still wasn’t too crowded inside with the cool AC. So I met my friends at Foster’s and we ate juicy
burgers and enjoyed a bit of normalcy. The managers at our local Foster’s make it welcoming and keep the service going. I like getting an old-fashioned char-grilled burger and fries along with a smile. It’s one of the few places where I truly feel welcome besides just as another customer. The fun music helps a lot too.
One of my friends is watching her cholesterol and limiting her red meat to once a week. Therefore, she sometimes gets the turkey burger. She seems to enjoy it; however, she admits it’s not quite as good as the regular, beef burger. She also gets the salad and then eats half of my fries! That’s ok because they are big burgers and I can’t eat all the fries by myself. As proven when I meet up with my married friends who get wings and their own fries!
For folks who may want something else, they have the ‘Backyard’ Garden Burger. On their “Limited Time” menu they have the Beyond Meat Charburger. They have steak and cheese and hotdogs! Check-out their special milkshakes too. Every great once in a while, I can’t resist the cake! Nancy makes the cakes herself and they taste like the ones my mom made. Well, my mom was a good baker so they are tasty!
Anyway, I guess this is a restaurant review of sorts. Foster’s is super casual and draws a lot of the local youth sports teams for celebrations and birthday parties. Not so much during these Covid-times, however, they are getting busier. If you like a good burger and a friendly, casual space – try your local Foster’s Grille. It is comforting to have a local sit-down restaurant that is not fast food nor is it fancy. Meet up with your friends for good food and good company!