Lasagna Bolognese

First of all, I should state that this lasagna was life changing!  I don't think I'll ever make lasagna with mozzarella and ricotta, let alone store bought noodles, ever again!  This is wonderfully tender and flavorful.   Although this was an all day project, I'll definitely make it again and again.  The Bolognese can be made ahead to shorten the cooking time on serving day.
Suggestions:  Make the Bolognese well in advance.  Make the pasta dough and then while it's resting, make the Béchamel. Let the Béchamel cool while rolling the pasta.

Bolognese:
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 celery stalk
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2-1 lb. ground beef
1/2-1 lb. ground pork
1 pint tomatoes, drained (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1 jar Classico Spicy Tomato and Basil spaghetti sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Chop carrot, celery and onion in a food processor into small pieces.  Saute vegetables and garlic in butter and olive oil until tender.  Add meats and cook until browned.  Add tomatoes and Classico.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Put into a Crockpot on low for 3-4 hours. (I used 1/2 lb. of beef and 1/2 lb. pork, but it would have been yummy with even more meat and possibly substituting Italian sausage.  You could also add different herbs to customize the flavor to your preference.  Try fresh basil, thyme, Italian parsley, red pepper flakes, etc.  I used the Crockpot so I didn't have to babysit a simmering pot.  That way I could still take a Sunday afternoon nap.)

Béchamel:

1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
3 c. milk
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter until bubbly, but not brown, add flour and whisk for 3 minutes.  Slowly add the milk.  Add thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Set aside to cool. 

Pasta:
2 c. all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
water, if necessary

Combine all ingredients until a soft dough forms.  Knead 5 minutes.  Let rest 15
minutes.  Roll into sheets using a pasta maker.  (I rolled mine using the thinnest setting and cut into lasagna noodle size strips.)  Set aside to dry for 15 minutes.  Bring water to a boil and boil pasta sheets for 1 minute.  Set aside on a lightly greased tray.

Other ingredient:
2 c. Parmesan or Romano cheese or I used a 3 cheese blend of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago

Assembly:
Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.  Start by ladling in 1/2-1 c. Béchamel sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.  Add a layer of noodles, then about 1 cup of Bolognese,  about 1/2 c. Béchamel and 1/3 c. cheese, repeat steps and top with extra cheese.  I ended up with 4 layers.

Bake:
30 minutes in preheated 400 degree oven.

Candice's Mini Fruit Tarts

1/3 c. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 pkgs. Athens mini fillo shells (15 ct.)
Raspberry freezer jam
Fresh raspberries
Powdered sugar for dusting

Chill bowl and beaters in freezer for 5-10 minutes. Combine cream cheese, whipping cream, sugar and vanilla and beat on high until soft peaks form. Spoon or pipe filling into fillo shells. Top with a little freezer jam and a fresh raspberry. I like to make these an hour or two in advance, chill in the fridge and then dust them with powdered sugar just before serving.
*I have also made these using blackberries with seedless blackberry jam mixed with a little raspberry freezer jam. I imagine these would also be fantastic with strawberries or any other type of fruit you like.
**The mini fillo shells are from the freezer section at my local grocery store. They are already shaped and baked, just thaw and serve. SO easy!!

Hot Fudge Sauce

Adapted from Food.com

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate (I use Baker's), chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter with sweetened condensed milk and water over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Serve warm. Store leftovers in the fridge. Makes about 2 cups.

Candice's Award Winning Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salsa

Received the Most Popular Salsa Award at the COB Salsa Taste-off 2011

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 c. frozen sweet corn, thawed
6 tomatoes, chopped
3 large avocado, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
2 limes, juiced (about ¼ c.)
Cilantro, chopped, to taste
Italian Dressing (recipe follows)

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Makes about 2 ½ quarts, which is a great amount to take to a party and still be able to take some home later, or it can be halved.

Italian Dressing
From the Betty Crocker 10th edition cookbook, with a few revisions by me

1 c. vegetable oil
¼ c. white or cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground mustard
½ tsp. salt
½ Tbsp. chopped fresh or ½ tsp. dried oregano leaves
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. crushed garlic

Combine all ingredients puree. (The key to this dressing is to use fresh herbs)

Anniversary Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce, about 1/2 c.
Ranch Dressing, about 1/2 c.
Mozzarella cheese, grated, about 4 oz.
4-5 slices of bacon, browned and crumbled
green onion, chopped, about 2 Tbsp.

Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 pan. Drizzle with Yoshida's sauce to cover. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Spoon Ranch dressing on each piece of chicken. Top with cheese, bacon and green onion. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until done.

Spicy Refrigerator Pickles

Adapted from Allrecipes.com
*Note: to make regular pickles, decrease sugar to 2 Tbsp. and omit red pepper flakes

3- 12” cucumbers cut into spears or slices or 12- 3 to 4 inch pickling cucumbers
2 c. water
1 ¾ c. white vinegar
1 c. chopped fresh dill (roughly chopped into 1” pieces)
¼ c. white sugar
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 ½ Tbsp. coarse salt
1 Tbsp. pickling spice
1 ½ tsp. dill seed
½ tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, water, vinegar, chopped dill, sugar, garlic, salt, pickling spice, dill seed, and red pepper flakes. Stir, and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Place sliced or speared cucumbers into 4 pint jars or place whole small cucumbers into 3 wide mouth pint jars, placing 4 cucumbers into each jar. Ladle in the liquid from the bowl to cover. Seal with lids. Refrigerate for 10 days before eating. Use within 1 month.

Candice's Penne Al Forno

1 1/2 c. Alfredo Sauce (See my Alfredo recipe in Aug.2008 using 1 c. heavy cream, 1/4 c. butter, and 2/3 c. shredded Parmesan)
1 jar Classico Spicy Tomato and Basil Sauce
1- 16 oz. pkg. penne pasta, cooked al dente
Combine Alfredo Sauce and Classico. Put cooked pasta into a greased casserole dish or 9 x 13 pan. Top with Sauce.
Combine:
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp. crushed garlic
1 1/2 tsp. dry parsley flakes
Put on top of pasta and sauce mixture and broil on low until the cheese is melted and the crumbs are lightly toasted.