recipe

by

Happy Easter

I was lucky enough to have the whole 4 days off, but man was it busy.

I thought I’d take a moment to share the recipe I used for the slightly unorthodox Easter dinner I hosted.

Instead of the usual ham and egg-y fare, we had Italian food! The feast was complete with cesar salad and tiramisu for dessert. I also made these little guys as something for people to snack on (I had to have something that reminded me of Easter):

I got the recipe for them here. They were very good. Scroll down on that page to see my notes for some changes I made (including adding pretzels, a definite improvement).

And now, for the pièce de résistance,

Lasagna with spinach, mushoom, and pine nuts

A fairly traditional version, but with the addition of extra veggies and pine nuts. The pine nuts are particularly great in the vegetarian version, as they add a bit of “meaty” flavour.

You will need:

  • 1lb lean ground beef (not extra lean as it is too crumbly) OR 1lb textured soy protein (such as Veggie Ground)
  • 1 small sweet onion
  • 1/2 tbs garlic powder
  • 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 5.5 oz cans of tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chili pepper
  • 4-6 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
  • 1 15 oz container of light ricotta cheese
  • 2 eggs, well-beaten
  • 1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 50 grams of toasted pine nuts (or toast ’em yourself for 5-8 min at 350°C)
  • 1 500 g bar of mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 package oven-ready lasagna noodles

Directions:

1) Dice onion and place in large pot with the ground beef or soy (if using soy, add 1 tbs olive oil) and the garlic powder. Stir frequently until beef is browned and/or onion is clear.

2) Add the next nine ingredients. Simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off any fat (likely there won’t be any).

3) Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole pan. Cover bottom with one layer of noodles. Be careful to slightly overlap the noodles so that the bottom is not visible.

4) Cover the noodles with half of the meat mixture, followed by a think layer of spinach and half of the pine nuts. Mix the ricotta and eggs together well. Spoon half of this mixture over top of the meat mixture. Then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.

5) Place another noodle layer over top, followed by the meat mixture, spinach, and pine nuts. Cover with the last of the ricotta mixture. Finish by sprinkling the remaining mozzarella over top. Bake at 375°C for 45 min. Let cool at least 10 min before serving

by

Back from the netherworld…

…of becoming an adult.

I’ve been silent for a bit, I know. You see, we bought a house, moved into said house, are still planning a wedding that is now only a little over two months away, and in the meantime I’ve been working 6 day weeks. Yay!

At least we got this out of it:

house

No FOs at the moment, since I’ve had precious few minutes to knit (must get on the flowers and shawl…)

However, I did want to share a few quick knitty things before I dive into a post I’m planning on my day job (libraries, specifially children’s services).

1) Stitch Maps! Lots of chatter on the interwebs about this new knitting pattern format and, while I do think it is very cool, I must support the crocheters who are quick to point out that they have been using a format akin to Stitch Maps for forever.

stitchmap      crochetdiagram

                             Stitch Map                                     Crochet Diagram

I rest my case.

2) WWKiP in Toronto happened! Lots of events at High Park and at local stores.

My Instagram pictures from High Park:

More pictures here, here, here, and here. This one’s my personal favourite:

Sistering

3) Other things I’ve been up to. Baking very nerdy things.

beef&baconpie

My previous Game of Thrones baking adventure using the A Feast of Ice and Fire cookbook can be found here.

by

More noodles

I spent some time concocting in the kitchen tonight, and have this rather successful (to say so myself) new recipe to share.

One Pot Thai-Inspired Rice Noodles

You’ll need:

2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 ½ tbs soy sauce
1tbs fish sauce
6 cups chicken broth
1tbs rice vinegar
2 tsp vegetable oil
1-2 tbs sriracha hot sauce (or other chili sauce)
2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
2tbs corn starch, dissolved in 1.5 tbs water
1 cup sliced red pepper and zucchini (I used frozen mixed vegetables in a pinch for a quick meal)
2 breasts cooked chicken cut into 1inch cubes.
1 400gr package thick rice noodles
Crushed peanuts (optional)
Fresh Coriander (optional)

Directions:

1) Mix all ingredients except chicken, noodles, and vegetables into a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil.

2) Add noodles. Gently boil covered over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3) Add vegetables and chicken. Bring mixture back to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve garnished with peanuts and/or fresh coriander.

I’ve posted it on Allrecipes.com and have submitted it for Kitchen Approved status. Wish me luck!

PS: the orange crocheted place mat in the background? Crocheted back in the day by my great-grandmother ❤

by

I had to share this with y’all. No yarn here, just books and baking – my other two favourite pastimes.

Biblioklept

Emily Dickinson’s  recipe for cocoanut cake, via Tori Avey at the The History Kitchen. Avey’s post is great—she guides the reader through making the cake, includes photos of the process, and even pairs the recipe with an appropriate poem. And of course, she transcribes Dickinson’s scratchy notes:

Emily Dickinson’s Cocoanut Cake

1 cup cocoanut
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoonful soda
1 teaspoonful cream of tartar

This makes one half the rule–

View original post