Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Lasagna Blog

Hi Everyone,

Here's a simple, easy way to assemble a lasagna. I used store bought spaghetti sauce and cooked turkey meatballs and turkey sausage ahead of time. All I had to do is cook the noodles al dente and assemble. You can also wilt the spinach in a pan with some olive oil so it won't be so bulky when assembling the lasagna. If you don't have time to wilt spinach (like I did in this video), then you can use fresh spinach or well dried/drained frozen spinach. The fresh spinach will wilt down during the cooking process.

The ricotta cheese mixture I used is 16 oz. of ricotta cheese, 1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg, pepper, and one beatened egg. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, add nutmeg and pepper, and mix well with ricotta cheese. The egg will make the cheese creamy to spread and the other spices makes it more flavorful.

Bake for 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the cheese is melted, browned, and bubbley. Remember, that most of the items in here are already cooked so your main goal is to melt the cheese, wilt the spinach, and heat everything through.

Hope you enjoy this video and please list some friendly comments below. Happy Cooking!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Brownie Blog

Hey Everyone, This is my first video blog! I'm so excited that I finally figured out this video sharing/editing thing. This recipe was inspired by my Auntie Lynette who had this wonderful idea of substituting vanilla extract for Almond extract and the difference is phenomenal. If you like the taste of almond, this is a wonderful change to the normal brownie taste. Hope you enjoy it and give this recipe a try.

Brownie Recipe:

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks US)
4 - squares of bittersweet chocolate
1 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 cup of granulated sugar
1-2 tsp. almond extract 1-2 cups of nuts (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter and chocolate squares into small cubes and melt in the microwave for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients, stir until combined, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. Add almond extract. Alternately add dry ingredients and butter/chocolate mixture into egg/sugar mixture until everything is well combined. Fold in nuts if desired. Fit parchment paper into a roasting pan and hug the corners to hold in pan. Spray paper with baking spray. Pour batter onto paper. **Make sure you wipe any splatters on the paper before baking**. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes our clean. Cool, then cut and enjoy!