Summer Berry Salad

This could also be called "Blogging Mishaps"

I typed up the Summer Berry Salad entry.  Thought of something to change in my lasagna post and somehow the whole lasagna post replaced my salad post.  WTH??  

So, here we go again:

When Nicole and I sat down to plan out our cookbook, we noticed our "Soups and Salads" section was not very big.  So we went searching for some salad recipes (Pinterest, anyone?)  This is what we came up with and it's our most requested recipe right now.

Summer Berry Salad

Fresh baby spinach 

Blue Cheese crumbles

Sliced Strawberries

Candied Pecans (recipe to follow)
Berry Vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

1. Mix first four ingredients in large bowl.  Amounts vary due to your liking.  Want a large salad to feed 20 at a BBQ like we did?  Or maybe you just want a single serving.  Use whatever amounts you like. 
2. Add vinaigrette just before serving.  

Candied Pecans

10 oz bag of pecan halves
2 tbsp water
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (foil will work also).
3. Place pecans in medium sized bowl.
4. Stir in water until all pecans are coated.
5. Add sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, stir completely.
6. Pour pecan mixture onto prepared cooking sheet...make sure pecans are flat and in one layer.
7. Bake for 1 hour.
8. Turn heat to 350 degrees and bake for 15 more minutes - be sure to watch carefully so you don't burn them.
9. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Berry Vinaigrette

3 tbsp red onion, chopped

3 tbsp raspberry jam (or strawberry, mixed berry, boysenberry…any berry jam will do...we used our homemade triple berry jam with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries)

1/4 c sugar

1/2 c + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 tbsp poppy seeds 

1. Chop red onion into fine dices. Place 3 tablespoons worth into a blender, or if you have an immersion blender toss them into a tall jar. 
2. Add 3 tablespoons jam, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Blend it until it’s well combined. 
3. Add 1/2 cup oil to the mixture, just a little bit at a time, blending after each portion is added. If you add all of the oil at once the dressing will be really thin and runny. Just add about 2 tablespoons at a time and all will be well. 
4. Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to the dressing and stir it in with a spoon. Don’t blend the poppy seeds in, just give them a nice stir.  
5. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. 

A big thank you to my sweetie, Travis, for thinking of using candied pecans.  Beyond delicious!!

Quote Of The Whenever

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” 

― Julia Child, My Life in France

Garfield Would Be Jealous Of This Lasagne

Our lasagna is so good, it gets eaten for breakfast!

I hope my friend doesn't mind that I exploit the story, but I made my go-to recipe (you know the one...you have it memorized, have most of the ingredients in your kitchen, have made it 1000 times!) for her family while they're going through a health scare.  

It's easy, you don't cook the noodles ahead of time and it refrigerates over night.  Who doesn't want to reap the rewards of yesterday's work.

She decided to cook it that next morning to take to her hubby in the hospital for lunch.  It was so tempting that lasagna for breakfast it was!

Another tip:  It's just as easy to make two batches as it is to make one.  It freezes well, either before cooking, or after.

Lazy Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef (or whatever critter you have, we have hunters in our lives so you never know what's in the freezer!)

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I use 24 oz jar of Ragu Chunky Garden Style – Garden Combo)

4 oz tomato sauce 

1 c water

1 - 15 oz container ricotta cheese*

1 tsp chopped chive (dried)**

1 tsp oregano**

1 egg

8 oz box of uncooked lasagna noodles (we use the whole grain – it’s WAY better)

3 - 6 oz packages of sliced mozzarella cheese or 2 packages of 10 slices of mozzarella

Shredded parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large sauce pan, brown meat.  Drain.  Return meat to sauce pan.  Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.  This will be extremely runny!
3. In a small bowl, combine ricotta or cottage cheese, spices and egg.
4. In 9"x 13” glass pan:
1. Layer 1:  1 ½ cup meat sauce, spread evenly
2. Layer 2:  ½ noodles
3. Layer 3:  ½ cheese mix (spread over noodles – it won’t be perfect)
4. Layer 4:  ½ mozzarella cheese slices
5. Repeat Layers 2, 3, 4
5. Top with remaining meat sauce.  
6. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.  
7. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or put in the freezer for next time.
8. Thaw completely.
9. Remove cover and bake at 350 degrees for 60 min.

*Update on 10/26/17.  We now use cottage cheese.  Which I normally don't like, but it melts into this cheesy goodness.  This is not the consensus in our family.  If you like the texture of gritty ricotta cheese, go with that.  Taste isn't much different, it's definitely a texture thing.

**Or you can use 2 tsp of Italian Seasoning

What is your favorite "go to" recipe?  Leave below in the comments!

Best, Laura