I'm Gonna Make Him an Offer He Can't Refuse

When my lovely friend, Sara announced that Paige from Chef Girl was hosting WCC No. 19 and had chosen "Dinner and a DVD" as this month's theme, I knew I had to get in on it. There is something about the Weekend Cookbook Challenge and me. We live on different parallel universes I think.. because for the life of me, I can never be on time. I either run out of time completely with no idea of what I could have made in the first place.. or I try to sneak in under the wire and beg Sara to include my lil recipe at the very last minute. Which is what I thought I was going to do this month.. hahahahaaa! That Paige though.. she's a fast rounder-upper! But that's okay, I'm still going to share this with yous guys because A- the recipe is KICK ASS and B- the movie is SUPER KICK ASS. And C- I went through the whole day dating everything the 19th :D First the movie - what every Italian daughter should own in her DVD collection - The Godfather. Of if you are like me, you would own The Godfather DVD Collection, which contains The Godfather Parts I, II and III as well as a BONUS materials DVD. And ya'll know me.. I'm always up for a bonus. :D This was a gift from my mom after my father passed. Do you find that odd? My father was The Number One fan of The Godfather Trilogy (although he'd never admit to liking Part III even though he watched it, easily, over 50 times). The man owned pretty much every gangster/Italian related movie ever made, but The Godfather was the movie he watched over and over again. Seriously, if I had a dime for every time I came home from school, woke up in the morning, came home from work at night, was helping prepare dinner, brushing my teeth, doing my homework or talking on the phone and heard the theme song to The Godfather start up on our TV, I'd be a fakking millionare. I do not joke nor exaggerate about this. His VHS copy is barely holding together, it's been played THAT MANY TIMES. It's too bad he passed before DVDs were the thing.. he probably would have thought he'd died and gone to heaven anyway had he known he could watch HIS MOVIE in high def. =) Did I ever mention that at my father's calling hours, we had The Godfather Waltz piped through the funeral home speakers? Oh yes. Yes we did. And so.. as you can imagine, I too have seen the Godfather movies a bazillion times and can pretty much recite Parts I and II from memory. Yes yes, I hold the same grudge as my father regarding Part III - so sue me. :P I knew this would have to be the movie I would chose for this month's challenge. And what goes better with a lil Marlon Brando, James Caan and Al Pacino? Why Mama Cream Puff's Lasagna! That's what!! I know I've blogged about this phenomenal recipe before.. but it is THAT good and goes SO WELL with a bulletproof vest fulla dead fish that I just had to blog about it once again. This time though, it's not exactly Mama Creampuff's recipe for I have tweaked and twiddled with it a bit. Not by much - you really can't screw with perfection too much, yanno ;) This being maybe the 5th or 6th time I've made it.. I've gradually added a lil somethin' somethin' to it - such as the rinds from parmigiano reggiano wedges and a handful or two of the grated good stuff. I also added a lil garlic.. my father would have shot me if I did not add garlic. And lastly, something I've done from day one, is use pork shoulder steaks instead of veal because I just can't do veal. So there you have it, friends.. The Godfather and Mama Creampuff's Lasagna - a true match made in heaven. :D xoxo

I Went South of the Border for My Lasagna

I made this a couple nights ago, because another slice of turkey was going to make me implode. I found the recipe in one of the Cooking Light magazines, but their recipe was basically vegetarian and although it did sound tasty, we wanted beef. I kept searching for something but the idea of a mexican lasagna sounded really, really good. So I used their "technique" and subbed ingredients I had on hand. Simply put, you substitute corn tortillas for lasagna noodles. Layering the tortillas between ground beef (ground chicken or turkey would work really well too) simmered in taco seasonings, cheese, salsa, black olives and sliced green onions. Bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly and you've got a quick dish that turned out pretty good. It was like a deconstructed taco! The corn tortillas were a lil tough though and the next time I make this I will use flour tortillas, for sure. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention.. my version is no longer of the "light" variety. Imagine that! Although it could easily be taken there again by using ground chicken or turkey breast and reduced fat cheese and sour cream. Which I think would still be delicious. :D Mexican Lasagna Lisa's Way Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine - find original recipe here. 1 lb. ground sirloin 1 tsp. vegetable or canola oil 1 TBS. chili powder 1 1/2 tsp. cumin 2 TBS. Worcestershire sauce 1 pkg. 6" corn tortillas (usually 10 in a package) 2 c. Mexican blend shredded cheese or Monterey Jack cheese 1 jar salsa (I used a chunky garden-style salsa) 1 small can of sliced black olives 5 green onions, sliced thin Cooking spray Sour cream (optional) Preheat oven to 400º F. In a large skillet brown the sirloin with 1 tsp. oil, add the chili powder, cumin and Worcestershire sauce. Spray an 8" x 8" Pyrex baking dish with the cooking spray and layer 4 of the tortillas on the bottom. Sprinkle a handful of cheese on the tortillas and then a layer of beef over the cheese. Next comes the salsa, a few tablespoons will do ya. Then sprinkle olives and green onions, followed by another small handful of cheese. Repeat layer starting with 2 tortillas laid diagonally over cheese. Top this layer with the last 2 tortillas, the remaining cheese and the remaining green onions. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven or until the cheese is bubbly. Let set for about 5 minutes so it's easier to cut and serve. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and more sliced onions, if you so desire.

Pan Pierogi

If you are a lover of Pierogi then this dish is for you. The recipe can be easily double or tripled for a great potluck contribution. This potato dish can be made as a side dish or with the addition of meat, a main dish that'll knock your pierogi loving socks off. Easy to put together and made with ingredients that most have on hand, it's a quick dinner for those nights when time seems to slip away. Filling and tasty, it's one of our favorites. You can switch up the cheeses, meats, or even add flavorings to the potatoes and create your own version. The inside is creamy and the lasagna noodles get a little crunchy on the edges (the part I like the most!). This is a perfect Autumn/Winter dish.. try it! :D Pan Pierogi 1 large vidalia onion, either sliced thinly or diced medium 2 TBS. butter 9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente 3 c. smashed potatoes (I cheat and use a bag of pre-smashed potatoes - Yoder's brand) handful of fresh, snipped chives* 1 c. sour cream* 2 c. shredded cheese (I'll usually use 1 c. swiss and 1 c. sharp cheddar) 1 package of Keilbasa sausage, sliced on the diagonal* (I use Hilshire Farms) 1 TBS. butter Preheat oven to 375º F. Butter a 8" x 8" baking dish - I usually use a glass Pyrex. Saute the onions in 2 TBS. of butter until lightly browned and carmelized. I like to buy the regular smashed potatoes and then in a med. saucepan I heat them and add the sour cream and chives. This is optional. You could add the potatoes cold or buy the flavored kind or smash your own - do whatever you feel is best. Place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of your baking dish and then spread about 1 c. of the smashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle potatoes with 1/2 the onions. Next layer is the cheese, I usually do a small handful of each flavor (making sure to reserve some for the top). Top with the sliced keilbasa, if you are using. Then start your layers again; noodles, potatoes, onions, cheese, sausage. Top with last 3 lasagna noodles and the remaining cheeses. Slice off excess lasagna noodle so that it's flush with the top of the dish. If you don't, the excess noodles will burn. Dot the top with 1 TBS. butter and bake, uncovered for 45-60 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes so it will set up and make for easier cutting. *Note:The chives, sour cream and Keilbasa are optional - use whatever you want or leave plain. Also, if I have it on hand, I sometimes like to add about a 1/2 c. of sauerkraut to the onions when sauteing. Adds a nice lil zing! :D

Mama Cream Puff's Lasagna

It's been 12 hours and I'm still swimming in the afterglow of the best lasagna I've ever had. Yes.. I made Ivonne's Mom's lasagna last night and whooo baby! I can't wait for lunch time! After much deliberation, I decided to nix the braciole idea and use pork shoulder in lieu of the veal for Ivonne's sauce. I know that pork is more flavorful than most cuts of beef when simmering in a sauce and the fattier cut of the shoulder along with the bone would definitely impart good flavor, yes? Oh Hell Yes. And then much to my delight, I checked e-mail a couple hours after the sauce was still simmering on the stove to find that Ivonne had wrote back with that same suggestion. I was more than happy to know that my gut feeling was right on track! I made just a couple changes.. the pork, obviously, and I had a good hunk of creamy Fontina cheese that needed used, so I added that in with the mozarella and parmigiano. Lastly, I had to use store-bought lasagna noodles. I'd give anything to try this with fresh noodles, but I don't have a pasta making machine and I'm kind of afraid of making my own pasta. One day I shall conquer that fear! But right now, I'm still chicken. This lasagna was so good with store bought noodles that I can't even comprehend how much more wonderful it is with fresh! Holy comoly! :D In her e-mail, Ivonne suggested that if I wanted meat in the lasagna I should shred the pork and add it to the layers. I think that is a fabulous idea, but for my first try at this dish, I decided to keep it as close to Ivonne's as possible. I served the pork on the side and that worked really well. Hubbs got his meat and enjoyed it.. but only had seconds of the lasagna, so that - again - should tell you how damn good it was! ha! So in a nutshell, all I can say is this.. Mama Cream Puff ROCKS! Thanks so much for sharing such a fabulous family treasured recipe, Ivonne.. I'll be making this lasagna for many, many more years to come! Mama Cream Puff's Lasagna Courtesy of Ivonne and her Mom! I'm going to direct you straight to Ivonne's post for directions on how to make this lasagna. Not only can you get a look at her fabulous pictures, but she explains how to make this much better than I ever could. =) How does one loving daughter tell her mother that her lasagna recipe is out and someone else's mama's recipe is in? Pray for me people. Pray. For. Me.

Lasagna Rolls

So yesterday morning, I'm at work.. enjoying my Tropicana Coolata and a croissant while reading my blogroll (hey, they can't expect me to work until I'm fully awake, right??). I clicked on Cream Puffs in Venice, with the hope that Ivonne had posted yet another fabulous recipe, and the first thing I see is this drool inspiring picture of a slice of lasagna. Holy crap. I quickly read through her post, beautifully written as always, and then cursed my luck (or lack thereof) for not having an oven and the ingredients to make this lasagna right then and there. Drooling while reading Ivonne's site is nothing new for me. She's amazing. Simply amazing. But.. to drool over lasagna is truly amazing for me. Not a huge fan. Nope. Well let's see.. I guess that isn't entirely true. I love lasagna, but the only lasagna I've ever ate is my mom's lasagna. It's wonderful, do not get me wrong, but it's rich.. ohhhh so rich. She piles on the ricotta and thick slabs of provolone cheese between the layers, along with ground beef and my family's marinara sauce and MY GOD it's good, but I can't eat much more than a small slice of it. And then I'm good for like.. months. Ivonne's lasagna is different for me as there is no meat - which is fine with me. Also, her sauce.. she makes it by cooking veal in the sauce. I can just wrap my mind and taste buds around the concept of how much flavor that would infuse in a rich tomato sauce. Unfortunately, I don't eat veal. So I've e-mailed her with the question of what other kind of meat I could use. You see, this has turned into a lasagna emergency for me. I need NEED to make this tonight - tomorrow at the very latest. I have a flank steak in the freezer.. I'm playing with the idea of making a braciole and using that to cook in the sauce.. but I wonder if the flank steak is too lean to really impart any flavor? I'm new to the flank steak.. so if anyone has any advice, I'd sure appreciate it! So as I wait for Ivonne's reply.. I remembered that I haven't posted the lasagna rolls I made a few weeks ago. I saw this recipe on Everyday Italian, staring Giada DeLaurentiis, or as I like to call her.. The Head. I've been making these rolls for well over a year now and they are truly terrific for a quick and light lasagna fix. I make up at least a dozen at a time and freeze the extra rolls for those nights when I just don't have much time. My recipe is a little different from The Head's. I substitute ground round or italian sweet sausage (or both sometimes!) for the proscuitto in the filling mixture and I omit the bechamel sauce - since it didn't do much for us the first time I made this recipe. Lasagna Rolls 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 1 lb. ground round or sweet italian sausage (Or 1/2 lb. each) 2 large eggs, beaten to blend 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil 12 uncooked lasagna noodles 4 cups marinara sauce 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat brown the meat. Once cooked, remove from heat and let cool. Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, cooled meat, eggs, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking. Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour about 1.5 cups of marinara sauce on bottom of dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the marinara in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.