Nothin sez lovin like sunntin from the oven!

The Carters' main bathroom is currently demolished but when rebuilt it's going to be beautiful! In the meantime, they've been trying to make-do with their closet-like half-bath on the first floor that consists mostly of a toilet and a sink. So for about two weeks, they've been bringing the girls to our house for their every-other-night bathing and it's been fun! But this week has been particularly trying for Gayle...enough said about that...and much to our delight, Gayle offered to make Sunday dinner to say "thanx" for the use of our facilities and some babysitting services.

Gayle's life-long friend, Jess, gave her a recipe for spinach lasagna; the finished dish is too large for the Carters alone so that's what Gayle picked for us to share tonight. With a green salad and buttery garlic bread—Harvey added an asiago sausage with grilled onions—it was DELICIOUS!!

Since Gayle said it was easy to make, here's the girls' recipe, including the tweaks that Jess and Gayle have added after making the dish a couple of times.

Spinach Lasagna ala Jess

✔ 1 - box lasagna noodles
✔ 1 - large jar of (Mids) meatless pasta sauce
✔ 30 oz. ricotta cheese (low fat)
✔ up to 2 lbs. shredded mozzarella cheese
✔ 1 bag fresh baby spinach (pull off stems and rip or cut into pieces

Cook lasagna noodles 8-9 minutes and prepare the spinach. In a large baking dish (approx. 9"x13"), spread a thin amount of pasta sauce on the bottom (this keeps the noodles from sticking). In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, spinach, and the rest of the sauce.

Layer cooked noodles, cover with ricotta mix, sprinkle mozzarella...repeat... (you may end up with 4 layers). Top lasagna with more shredded mozzarella and bake @ 375° for 30 minutes or until it looks done.

Buon appetito!

Perfect for Gayle's Birthday--or Valentine's Day!

The simplicity of this recipe from singer Ingrid Michaelson (printed in the February 6, 2011, Parade magazine supplement to the Akron Beacon Journal) made it a no-brainer when deciding on a special cake to bake to celebrate Gayle's 34th birthday. And Ingrid was right: this cake looked ugly coming out of the oven but was positively YUMMY! I already have the ingredients to make another one...soon!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

✔ 7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (45-50% cocoa—I used Baker's [54%])
✔ 3/4 c. butter
✔ 1 c. sugar, divided
✔ 4 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler (or since I don't have one, I placed a small pot within a larger one half-filled with boiling water—it still worked). Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and 4 yolks; add to melted chocolate/butter.

With an electric mixer, beat the 4 egg whites; slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold mixture into chocolate.

Pour into a greased 9-inch cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it (don't expect it to come out clean). Cool for 30 minutes before trying to remove it from the pan (I didn't bother). Dust the top with powdered sugar.

Buon appetito!

10th Annual (11th) Miss America Chili Night!

It all began ten years ago...

Meghan ended her first year of competing in local Ohio pageants --uh, scholarship programs!-- and Miss America was ready to be telecast. Of course, we had to gather to cheer on our Ohio girl who wore that year's coveted crown! Meghan asked whether we'd host a small party for the event and we agreed--deciding on a big pot of "Mom's Chili" and corn bread to feed the fans.

However, on the "day of the pageant," we learned that we had miscalculated and the pageant wasn't until the following weekend. At least we hadn't missed it! Undaunted, we held our first "Not Miss America Chili Night" anyway and then repeated the same menu the very next weekend--because that's how we roll. So, there's our explanation of why this year was our 10th Annual (11th) Miss America Chili Night.

Here's my recipe, which is based on the simple recipe my mom always made; however, she used ground beef and we now use ground turkey so Gayle can enjoy, too. This recipe isn't very scientific but it seems to work--and it's great for feeding large groups during cold weather.

Mom's Chili

In a large stock pot, brown:
2 lbs. ground turkey (or ground beef)

While cooking, liberally sprinkle meat with approx.

1-2 T. taco seasoning
salt and pepper

Add:
1 large onion, diced--cook until transparent.

Add (including liquid in cans), in no particular order:
1 giant can of dark red kidney beans (or about 4 regular cans)
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can mild chili beans
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
3-4 T. chili powder
1 can of water

Heat until it begins to bubble then reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour, stirring every once in while so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. As with most soups, it tastes even better the next day. And, of course, you can adjust the amount of canned goods to your taste (more beans/tomato sauce/water/whatever).

However, the pièce de résistance is in the building of your bowl. In the style of my sister, Kathy, it's done in layers beginning with Fritos in the bottom of the bowl. So, from the bottom-->up:

-->Fritos™
  -->Chili
    -->Finely chopped onion (opt'l)
      -->Shredded Mexican cheese
        -->A generous dollop of sour cream
          -->and a finishing dash of hot sauce (optional)

Add some warm buttered cornbread (Jiffy Mix!!!), and all's right with the world. Until the gas catches up with you in the morning. Hahaha!

Buon appetito! (It's good to be back...)