Ant Bethany

Hungry Wednesday "Fake Lasagna"

This recipe originally appeared in the March 2002 issue of Real Simple magazine called, ‘Fake it Don't Make it". Real Simple's January 2009 issue featured Readers' Favorite Recipes and this fake lasagna was printed again.

I love Lasagna, I just hate all the cheese. Being lactose intolerant doesn't make eating Lasagna any easier on the old tum-tum. Being able to make a delish meal under 30 minutes intrigues me.. so of course I tried it. This recipe boasts a 15 minute prep time and a total time of 55 minutes.

Last-minute lasagna

1 24- or 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
2 18-20-ounce refrigerated large cheese ravioli
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed dry
1 8-ounce bag shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan

 Heat oven to 375° F.

Hungry Wednesday Apple Crisp

Bethany's Apple Crisp

I've made this several times. After picking too many apples at Gilcrease Orchard we did a little experimentation in the kitchen with some inspiration from several other recipes. Here's our concoction.. Makes the whole house smell like Autumn. Keep in mind, not all apples are meant to be baked. A wonderful snacking apple can and will often turn into a flavorless mush when baked into a pie or crisp.

Apples I recommend for baking are:

1. Gala

2. Braeburn

3.  Fuji

Apple Mixture:

Apples 8-9 or as many apples as you like. You can always add more to the mixture. We do enough apples to make a 9X9 Crisp.

3 TBSP of Sugar

1 1/2 TSP of Cinnamon (Nutmeg and Ginger are also nice added to this!)

6 or more TBSP of Butter; cut into cubes.

2 TBSP of flour

Mix all together in a bowl. I like to let mine sit for a while and 'juice' up. Set aside.

Hungry Wednesday

I am getting over the Flu. It hit me like a brick Friday, hence no Friday Covet. :( Boo.. So I'll do two this week. Yay. Now, i am feeling better, and I am hungry! I found this neato tutorial on Chow.com, a very swank, cool food site. Chef Andrew Carmellini shows us the 'proper' authentic technique for amazing tasting pasta.

Check it out. I am trying this method for pasta this week. Very exciting stuff at my house. :)

Enjoy.

Bed Warmers DIY

I was recently asked about my bed warmers. Since the cold snap, they have become part of our nightly ritual. I really believe the lavender and the fragrant Jasmine rice calms my toddler. Aromatherapy on the cheap! My son rides his bicycle to school and we put one of the little ones shown in the pic below in each of his pants pockets and he said they kept his legs warm. This is a great idea for the pockets of walkers too to keep fingers and hands warm.

I use rice bags with a 1/8c or less of Lavender buds. White rice, Brown rice, or Jasmine rice (or you can use plain rice too) I used Jasmine rice because it has a nice aroma. I used the large square one pictured with brown rice without Lavender and it worked just as well with very little scent.

 

I had squares of flannel that I had lying around.. About 5X5 squares.. I edged them with my sewing machine, to prevent fraying, which in turn prevents seams from opening up and rice in your bed or pocket.