Lasange

Lasagne is something I love to eat, but never make because it seems too fussy.

Well, tonight I gave it a go.

I combined three recipes from online searches and came up with this...

I reckon it's pretty good!

Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g lean beef mince
• 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 250g packet dried lasagne pasta sheets
• small carton of cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, until browned. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs and cinnamon.  Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Soak the lasagne sheets in a single layer in boiling water for 5 mins. (Although the packet says no pre-cook, soaking improves the texture.) Drain well. 
4. Drizzle a little olive oil over base of a 7cm-deep, 25cm (base) square baking dish. Arrange pieces of lasagne over base of dish. Pour enough cream to just cover lasagne sheets. Spoon one-third of the mince mixture over pasta. Spread with one-quarter of the cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Top with lasagne sheets, cream and cheeses. Cover loosely with foil.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and cheese golden. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Option 1 - Replace cream with cream cheese.
Option 2 - Replace cream with ricotta cheese. 
Option 3 - Use a mix of all three

Leftover Sausage Chilli

I had some leftover sausages from dinner last night and I was going to make my Sausage Pasta Bake for dinner tonight. But I just didn't feel like pasta. I'm trying to cut down on carbs. And I know rice is carbs too, but I always feel better after eating rice than I do after eating pasta...don't know why...

So I made this instead.


Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 1 medium red capsicum, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthways, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• small jar of hot salsa (or mild if you prefer)
• can diced tomatoes
• can four bean mix, drained, rinsed
• 4 cooked thick beef sausages, thinly sliced
• Fresh coriander leaves, sour cream, avocado and steamed rice, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, capsicum and zucchini. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Add ground cumin, ground coriander and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
2. Stir in tomatoes, salsa and stock cube. Bring to a simmer. Add corn, beans and sausages. Simmer for 7 to 10 minutes or until sausages are heated through. Top with coriander, sour cream and avocado. Serve with rice.

Greek Salad with Watermelon

This delicious salad is perfect for our hot summers!

Serves 4

Get This -

• 1/4 small seedless watermelon
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley*
• 6 tbs (120ml) olive oil
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 400g crumbled feta cheese

Do This -

1. Cut the watermelon flesh into cubes and place in a bowl with the red onion, olives, feta and parsley. 
2. Place the olive oil and lemon juice in a separate bowl, season with salt and pepper, then whisk lightly to combine.
3. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

* I used basil because I didn't have parsley

Modified recipe from Taste.com.au

Couscous Salad

I think this is my favourite salad ever.

So quick.

So easy.

So YUM!!

Serves 2 - 4

Get This -

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 Lebanese cucumber, seeds removed, diced
• 1/4 red onion, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons semi sun dried tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 4 anchovies chopped finely
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• fresh parsley

Do This -

1. Place the couscous in a large bowl. Place the stock in a saucepan, bring to just boiling point, then pour over the couscous. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Fluff couscous with a fork and season with salt and pepper. When couscous is cold, stir in the cucumber, onion, tomatoes, olives, capers and anchovies.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the olive oil and lemon juice, add to the couscous and stir until well combined. Top with chopped parsley.
   
   

White Chocolate and Macadamia Rocky Road

Perfect for Christmas gifts or to take to Christmas parties.

It tastes divine!

makes 24
Get This - 
250g packet marshmallows, halved100g packet dried cranberries110g packet macadamia nuts, roughly chopped60g pistachios (optional)1/3 cup (35g) desiccated coconut2 x 180g blocks good-quality white chocolate, chopped

Do This - 

• Grease a 20cm square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.

• Combine marshmallows, cranberries, nuts and coconut in a bowl. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium-high for 1-2 minutes, stirring with a metal spoon every 30 seconds, or until smooth.

• Pour chocolate over marshmallow mixture. Mix well. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, pressing down with a spatula. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Using a warm knife, cut into squares. Serve.

I used less craisins (which I hope are the same as dried cranberries because that's all I could find) and added some chopped lolly snakes for extra chew and colour.


From Taste.com.au and tweaked to my own liking

Linking this post to -

Mummy's Undeserved Blessings

Double Choc Chip Biscuits

Another one for the lunchboxes.

makes 22

Get This -

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup white or milk choc bits
1/2 cup dark choc bits

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until pale and creamy. Add egg and mix until well combined. Sift flour and baking powder over butter mixture. Add milk and stir until just combined.
3. Add white and dark choc bits. Using hands, knead dough to evenly distribute the choc bits.
4. Using 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture at a time, roll mixture into balls. Place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Using the heel of your hand, flatten biscuits slightly (allow room for spreading).
5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, swapping trays over in oven after 10 minutes, or until light golden. Allow biscuits to cool on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

From Taste.com.au

Recipe of the Week

Is anyone else tired of thinking, 'What will I cook for dinner tonight?'?

I know I am.
So let's see if this helps.
I'm putting up my Recipe of the Week every Monday.
If you'd like to link up your recipe of the week, we might all be able to plan our weekly meals without having to do any thinking of our own!

Will it work?
Time will tell....

The rules are easy. Your recipe must be...

a) quick
b) easy
c) healthy (well, relatively)

Here's my recipe for this week. I love this after a weekend of eating too much!
It's light yet filling. And great on a hot night.

Chicken BLT Salad - click on the link and it will take you there just like magic!



Add your

to the linky below.

Anzac Biscuits

Grandma made some of these on the weekend and the kids loved them so much we had to make our own!

Makes about 24

Get This -

1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle
150g unsalted butter, chopped
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda


Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine.
3. In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted.
4. Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat.
5. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.
6. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly.
7. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

from Taste.com.au

Caramel Treats

My kids were pretty happy with me when I made these on the weekend!
And they're loving them in their lunch boxes.

makes about 24

Get This -

1/4 cup butter
125g soft caramels
300g white marshmallows
6 cups rice bubbles

Do This -

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
2. Add the caramels and marshmallows. Stir until completely melted. Remove form heat. Add rice bubbles and combine unl rice bubbles are well coated.
3. Using a wet spatula or waxed paper, press the mixture evenly inot a 32 x 22 x 5cm pan coated with cooking oil spray. Cut into 5cm squares when cool.

Recipe of the Week

Is anyone else tired of thinking, 'What will I cook for dinner tonight?'?

I know I am.
So let's see if this helps.
I'm going to put up my Recipe of the Week every Monday.
If you'd like to link up your recipe of the week, we might all be able to plan our weekly meals without having to do any thinking of our own!

Will it work?
Time will tell....

The rules are easy. Your recipe must be...

a) easy
b) quick
c) healthy (well, relatively)

Here's my recipe for this week. It's what I'm cooking tonight and it's my 'go to' recipe when I really don't feel like cooking (okay, so that's pretty much every night, but we only have it once a week...promise!)

Spaghetti Bolognese - click on the link and it will take you there just like magic!

Mmmm, my mouth is watering already!
Now I can't wait for dinner.

Add your

to the linky below.