007: Lasagna Rolls

Here's a new idea for lasagna! I tried this out the other night and it really came out tasty.

Get your favorite recipe for lasagna, or just follow the one on the box of lasagna noodles. Cook the noodles as directed, and mix up whatever cheese filling you're going to put in the center. I used a carton of ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella, and 1/4 cup parmesan. Once the noodles are done, spread them out on waxed paper. I added a bit of parsley, and some salt and pepper. Next time, I'm going to add a bit of Italian seasoning mix as well.

Now comes the fun part! Smear each noodle with a spoonful of the cheese mixture, then top with whatever meats and veggies you want. I used cooked ground beef and diced mushrooms, but I think shrimp and mushrooms would be fun, or zucchini and green peppers and onions... whatever you like! Roll each noodle up tightly, then place seam-side down in a greased pan. Top with a can of your favorite spaghetti sauce, or use alfredo sauce if you've tried something like shrimp or chicken in your rolls. Bake as directed for your lasagna recipe.

These come out delicious, and less messy to serve than regular lasagna! They really don't take that much more work than layering the lasagna normally, either. I think it would be a fun recipe to make with friends, assembly-line style.

006: Fresh eggs!

Want to get the freshest eggs possible next time you're at the supermarket? Don't look at the "Best By" or "Sell By" date on the label. Find a little three-digit number that's stamped somewhere on the box. This is the actual day of the year that the eggs were packaged.

For example, if the eggs were put in the package on the 5th of January, the digit would read "005". If it were the 16th of February, it would say "047". But you don't even have to worry about figuring out what date those three digits translate to! You can just find the one with the highest number on the shelf... that will be the carton with the most recently packaged, freshest eggs.

005: The Chef Returns!

After a long hiatus, I'm back!

Here's a quick tip for the day... if your recipe calls for sour milk or buttermilk and you don't have any on hand, you can create some like this: put a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup, then add milk to make 1 cup. Let stand 5 minutes before using in your recipe.

I rarely ever buy buttermilk, so this trick works great.