Winter Break in February

I was wishing for snow again after February 2010's breaking record for snowfall here.  Here it is February 2011 and we're getting snow again!  No - it's not the 12+ inches we got last year (you northerner's please don't laugh - 12 inches is a huge deal down here)  The public schools have been out for four days this week and that, according to one of the teachers, has never happened since she started teaching 16 years ago.  I would love to get at least a week of snow every year.  Do I love cold weather?  No, I like to stay warm, but there is something very relaxing and therapeutic about watching the snow fall. 



Holiday Baking Update

My last post was concerning my holiday cooking (before Christmas) and I never bothered to show pictures or comment on the outcome of them.

• Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake - Absolutely scrumptious - every morsel eaten

• Spice Mocha Fudge  - My favorite coffee flavored dessert. 

• Homemade Marshmallows  - I was disappointed in the outcome of these.  I personally like the bought ones better. I should have taken pictures, but threw them out before I thought about it. 
• M&M Cookies - These were gobbled up too fast so there are no pictures. 
• Brown Batter Bread - I haven't made this one yet.  I really need too though because my sister says it's wonderful.
• Red Hot Apple Cider - We were going to have this on Christmas Day (evening), but we were so stuffed from Christmas dinner that we didn't.  But, I think this might be a good drink for this week.  We're supposed to get some nasty frigid weather and this will be the perfect drink for one evening. 

A time for baking...

Not sure why it always happens this way, but December 1st rolls around and all of a sudden, the baking bug takes affect.  Here's some of what I bought Saturday, just for baking purposes!

On the menu for baking is:

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake  (by request from my dh)

Red Hot Apple Cider (love apple cider with red hots)

Homemade Marshmallows (the marshmallows in the picture are for the fudge!)

Spiced Mocha Fudge (another request from my dh)

Batter Brown Bread (a new recipe from my sister)

M&M Cookies (by request from my baby girl)

Let the baking begin!

November Memories - come and gone....

November was quite an eventful month.  First of all, my dh and I celebrated sixteen years of holy matrimony.  We had been looking for the perfect location to celebrate and found it back in August - a little cabin near Acton, TX.  We had a very enjoyable and relaxing weekend.  The place we chose was a nice little surprise.  The cabin is a charming mix of antique and modern.  If you're looking for a quiet weekend get-away, you need to check out this place. 

www.granburycabins.com

The next event (if you want to call it that) was the removal of my gallbladder.  The surgery went well even though my body hated the medicines that were given.  My dh cooked almost the entire Thanksgiving dinner.  Yes, he is a great cook and enjoyed taking on that responsibility. 

November, along with it's memories has come and gone.....

Hello December - new memories to make!

Sneaky and Delicious

 

Tonight just felt like a lasagna sort of night.  So, out came all of the ingredients I had.  Ooops!  I didn't have enough ricotta cheese!  Not to worry - I just substituted cauliflower and zucchini.  And thanks to those sneaky little cookbooks I wrote about a few weeks ago, I now have a new and very delicious recipe that is a little more nutritious.  It also cut out some of the fat too. By the way, the family loved it and asked for seconds.
My Sneaky Lasagna

1 box oven ready lasagna noodles
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce (or make your own)
1 pound lean hamburger meat
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 15 oz part skim ricotta cheese
2 cups cauliflower and zucchini puree

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Cook hamburger meat until done and drain.  Add water and spaghetti sauce and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup mozzarella,  parmesan, eggs, ricotta, and puree.
• Place 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce mix in bottom of 9x13 pan. 
• Place one layer of lasagna noodles on top of sauce mix.
• Spoon 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles and spread out evenly.
• Pour one cup of the spaghetti sauce mix over the cheese mixture
• Place another layer of lasagna noodles on top of sauce.
• Spoon remaining ricotta cheese mixture over noodles
• Pour another cup of spaghetti sauce mix over the cheese mixture
• Place last layer of lasagna noodles on top of sauce
• Pour remaining spaghetti sauce mixture over noodles
• Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over top
• Cover with double foil and bake 60 to 75 minutes or until noodles are tender.