Thursday, October 20, 2011

Recipes: White Lasagna

Earlier this week Tanner and I made this recipe for dinner. It was a lengthy (but fun!) process, and the final result was unbelievably awesome. Definitely makes my list of favorite dinner recipes we've conquered. Putting it in the vault. :]

 
Ingredients
  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
  • 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
  2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
  3. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
  4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. 
 

Monday, October 17, 2011

weekend recap


Our weekend of randomly picking activities out of a hat was a success! We had the best time, and it was nice not feeling pressured to make decisions for a little while. Our lineup of activities (in pictures!) included:
buying vampire teeth
finishing up the last of our thank you cards
a trip to the pumpkin patch
picking up some spooky stella-wear
tanner's first (and probably last) sushi experience...so sad
some equally awesome, though not pictured, activities included:
road trip to a small-town fall festival
a neighborhood bike ride with musical accompaniment
perfecting the art of omelet making (Tanner is a PRO, I tell you)
board games on the patio at sunset
QT couch and movie time (X's 2!)
    Quite possibly one of my favorite weekends ever. :]
    Tonight we're settling in for a cold front that's moving through! Tomorrow I will wear a sweater AND maybe even tights. Praise Jesus. Hoping your weekend was wonderful!
    xoxo

    Friday, October 14, 2011

    Blog Lovin'

    Color issue is a fabulous new blog that I am loving loving loving.
    And guess what? Color issue is having a giveaway right now that is a-stinking-mazing.
    check it out --> here <--