On Birthdays and Blending

After a week of planning, shopping, cooking, and catering, I have returned to tell my tales. The party was a success! Everyone enjoyed both the experimental dishes and the old standby's that I have used before. I always enjoy doing parties like this but wish I had a steady supply of people wanting to hire me! Anyway...

I tried out a couple new appetizers for this party- the butternut squash and goat cheese bruschetta and bacon wrapped dates in a fabulous shallot and sherry sauce.

I also made a delicious classic tomato and fresh mozzarella bruschetta and summer squash stuffed with mushrooms, corn, and goat cheese.

Dinner consisted of wonderful homemade lasagna-fresh pasta included- and a salad with my "famous" honey balsamic dressing. I didn't have to worry about dessert since it was a party for my cousin's 14th birthday and cake is necessary for birthdays. (I don't do a lot of baking)

I made a sample lasagna before the party to make sure the fresh pasta worked with out cooking it before assembly, and also lasagna sounded amazing for dinner one night. I wanted to try making everything from scratch for this dish from the sauce to the pasta. I used my basic pasta dough recipe:

100 g semolina flour

200g AP flour

2 whole eggs

1/4+ water

The filling was a really colorful blend of sauteed red bell peppers, purple onions, yellow and green zucchini, and fresh tomato slices on top of a ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese blend.

The sauce was just oven roasted tomatoes pureed with a couple cloves of garlic roasted as well. I tossed the tomatoes in a pot to make sure they were totally cooked and added a little bit of red wine for some more flavor as well as salt and pepper then used my immersion blender to make a really nice smooth sauce.

To assemble the lasagna, start with a baking dish coated with olive oil on the bottom. Then a layer of pasta and a sprinkle of water so the pasta will cook.

Next is a layer of sauteed veggies and fresh tomato slices. If you like a creamy, cheesier lasagna- add a layer of the ricotta mixture under the veggies and a little bit of sauce on top of that.

Followed by another layer of pasta topped with ricotta and tomato sauce.

Then repeat layers until your lasagna reaches the desired height. Finish with a layer of pasta covered in sauce to prevent drying and a blend of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Bake covered with foil for about 30 min at 350. (be aware that the cheese may stick to the foil and pull off when you remove it) Remove the cover for another 10-15 min until the cheese starts to brown on the edges. Let rest for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Lasagna is a perfect dinner for this cold season. There are so many options for lasagna that you could make it every week and not get bored! For the party this weekend I made both this vegetarian version and a meaty lasagna with the same ricotta mixture layered with a homemade meat sauce. You can make a spinach and red pepper lasagna or instead of pasta you could just use slices of vegetables to separate the layers. If you have any favorite types of lasagna, post a comment and share with everyone! Even if you don't make your own pasta, Lasagna is a tasty and comforting food.

Thanks to those of you who are following my blog and reading weekly-it's nice to know that people are interested in my ideas. I would like to encourage readers to make suggestions or share ideas of your own. And remember- Chop On!