Lasagna Roll-ups...and a small plea for Spring to hurry and WARM up!

Happy First Day of Spring!  I would love to report that it was warm…and sunny… and all the Cherry Blossoms are blooming here on the West Coast – BUT *sigh* I’d be fibbing.   In some of the higher areas… we’re still getting snow! (nope, no bitterness detected here... pfft! Think Mother Nature is messing with our minds! (well, she’s messing with mine at least)  BUT, trying to find the little positives on what seems like Winters last ditch effort of sticking around…. It also means cool nights…which ALSO means comfort food.   Though I am the type of person who fully believes BBQ Season is year-round… there’s something about a good hearty comfort food meal on a chilly night that seems to warm you from the inside out.   Lasagna Roll-ups fit that perfectly, putting a creative twist on the ole’stand-by yummy pasta dish, pairing perfectly with some fresh bread and glass of vino. 

First of all, let me say, this is recipe is easy to change around.  Pretty much anything you would put into your own normal Lasagna dish could apply here.  So be creative, clean out your veggie crisper drawer in your fridge… or indulge a little (like I did a bit---heehee) and toss in some different cheeses and such. (Moderation is still the word of the month... guess I'll just have to go round' the block a few more times with the pooch!)  This would also be great to make night before, so when you get home from work you can just pop it into the oven.  Of course… toss a salad, bake up some no-knead Sourdough Bread (I threw in Asiago Cheese and Roasted Garlic…holy YUM!!!) aannnnddd  you’ve got yourself a hearty-comfortfood-homemade-warmyourinsides-yummy meal.

Lasagna Roll-ups

• 1 package Johnsonville Ground Sausage
• ½ lb ground pork
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 package fresh Lasagna Sheets
• 1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• Salt/pepper to taste

- Cook ground meat over med-high heat in a large frying pan until no longer pink.

- Add in chopped spinach, garlic to meat mixture and stir frequently until spinach is wilted

- Remove from heat, stir in ricotta cheese, ½ cup of pasta sauce – TASTE… add salt/pepper if desired

- Lay out 1 lasagna sheet, add a spoonful of meat mixture

- Carefully / loosely roll up noodle and place in a 9 x 13” pan.

- Continue with remaining pasta sheets/meat mixture, carefully placing each roll-up next to eachother in pan so they don’t unravel

-Top roll-ups with remaining pasta sauce, making sure they are well covered

- Add provolone cheese slices, layering on top of pasta sauce (yes yes, this is part of my induldgence)

- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.  Then cover with Aluminum foil and bake in a 350F preheated oven for 35-40 mins or until cheese is melted and fork is easily inserted/removed from a roll-up. 

**if you like, remove foil for last 5 or so min and brown up cheese (Broiler on High works well for this, just watch it carefully as the cheese burns easily!)

- Remove from oven and let sit for 10 mins before serving.

Serve with some fresh bread, pour yourself a glass of vino and enjoy! 

Now….come on SPRING (I know it's your "first day this year" BUUUUUT)… WARM WEATHER… SUNSHINE…  I’m just about done with Winter....pretty please?!  With a Cherry Blossom on top?!

Mexican Lasagna & The Code of Ethic's

 Who doesn't love Mexican food?? AND Who doesn't love Italian?? Why not throw em' together and create a yummy mix?!  Mexican Lasagna - for me, curbs the craving for lasagna - which can be quite heavy and loaded with cheese and "stuff", and helps satisfy my honey's love and constant want for Mexican - and all things spice! oooo and did I mention how *easy* this is?!


Mexican Lasagna



Well, I’m just home from a fabulous “Girl’s Weekend Away” – Hosted by good friends of mine, and fellow blog writer Shannys Shenanigans and I have to say, can she plan a party! I was impressed with all the “little” details she took care of to make it a successful trip away!  15 ladies, 1 cabin, NO CELL SERVICE and several feet of fresh snow – what could go wrong?! Haha… nothing!  We were all given a goodie bag, full of fun, and some sweet treats, but which also contain a couple of key pieces – the Girl’s Code of Ethics, a button in case you forgot what happened, sleeping mask, and even a hat for those bad hair days! 

Now, I could go on and tell you about the many hilarious and entertaining details of the weekend…BUUUUTTT that would go against “The Code”,  I can however say, the theme of the weekend – Mexican Fiesta, and although it was cold outside… inside was hot hot hot! *giggledamrequired*

The orange slice jello shots rocked, and fresh made festive cupcakes a perfect and simple dessert for us ladies!  Mexican food was planned throughout the entire weekend, even down to homemade tortilla shells for our slow cooked pulled pork fajitas – YUM YUM!  This was my first girl’s weekend, and a quick thanks to everyone who made me feel welcome and apart of the weekend – next year is the 10^th annual weekend – wow! What a bunch of fun ladies!  Of course not all activities were inside… bonfire and even a late night snowmobile ride added some excitement to the weekend away.

That's Tiffany hanging out by the sleds

When I got home, I just wasn’t ready to give up the whole Mexican themed meals, and since my other half loves anything with a kick, I decided to continue on the trend for our Monday night dinner.   This is a simple twist to lasagna, and you can pack it full of healthier options to keep it a little lighter than the traditional Lasagna dinner.  You are in control of the “spice” level, by the heat of the salsa, added Chipotle Chile Spice and peppers you add. Also, this recipe can be doubled easy – or downsized, you be the judge! For a dinner that would feed 2-4, I found this size was perfect – as there were the 2 of us, and enough left over for lunch the next day!

Mexican Lasagna

• 1 ½ lbs ground pork (I used 1 small package)
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced green pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 can black beans – (low sodium)rinsed well
• ½ cup frozen corn (or can of corn nibblets)
• 1 ½ tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 cup favorite pasta sauce
• 1 cup salsa
• 4 large tortilla shells
• 1 ½ cup shredded cheese (I used marbled cheddar & Monterey Jack)

-Preheat oven to 375F, spray a round casserole dish with PAM Cooking spray

-In a large non-stick pot or skillet, cook ground meat, onion, peppers and garlic until meat is no longer pink.  Break up ground meat as much as possible.

-Add Black Beans, corn, chili powder. Cook and stir for another 2 more minutes

-Add pasta sauce, salsa and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

-Assemble the lasagna – place 1 tortilla shell in bottom of dish, making sure bottle of dish is covered completely

- Spread 1/3 of meat mixture over shell followed by ½ of cheese.

-Repeat with remaining layers. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with foil

-Bake for 35 minutes @ 375F.  Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.

-Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving.

                                                                                                    Ole!

Recipe Variations – ground chicken or beef would be yummy, as well, serve with a dollop of sour cream/green onions.  For more of a kick – add in a diced jalapeno pepper and use spicy salsa.