Microwave Lasagna

Yes, you read that right.

And this recipe is SO GOOD, too! My mom made it all the time (though truthfully I never have) ... I just had to post it so I can find it later :D

My aunt Elaine gave this recipe to my mom and I and she called it "One-Step Lasagna". My mom and I call it "microwave lasagna". Either way, you get the idea. The lasagna noodles used are the REGULAR ones -- not the "pre-cooked" ones, or whatever - you know the "no boil". This recipe uses just NORMAL lasagna noodles.

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
2 jars (~ 30 oz) spaghetti sauce
3/4 - 1 cup hot water
1 package (7 oz) uncooked lasagna noodles, trimmed to fit 12x9 baking dish
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese (cottage cheese works just as well)
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
parsley (fresh is best if you have it)


1. Crumble beef in 2 qt casserole, cover and cook on high 5 minutes, stirring halfway throughtime. Pour off fat. Add sauce and water, mix well.

2. Sspread 1/3 meat sauce in a 12x9 dish. Arrange 1/2 the uncooked noodles over sauce. Spread 1/2 the ricotta (or cottage) cheese. Top with 1/3 of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers, with remaining noodles, ricotta and meat sauce. Top w/ parmesan cheese.

3. Double wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Cook on high 15 minutes. Turn 1/2, cook on 50%, 12-15 minutes. Unwrap, and sprinkle w/ remaining mozzarella. Cook on high 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Whiskey Pork Chops

Like most of my recipes, this is another one that came from a quick look through the fridge and pantry. I will throw all modesty aside and say these are the best pork chops I have ever had. Although I've never tried it, I think the sauce would work great on chicken or turkey breast, too. My husband, Mike, usually requests that these are served with prosciutto wrapped asparagus and mashed potatoes, but I think buttered green beans are a great accompaniment, too. These cook quick, so prepare your sides while they are marinating. The first time I made these, I was living in an apartment with a tiny kitchen that had no vent hood, and plywood cabinets right above the stove - basically, I came pretty close to lighting the whole place on fire, so please be careful with this!

Whiskey Pork Chops
4-6 Thick Cut Pork Chops

Marinade:
Zest of 1 Orange
Juice of 1/2 Orange
1 Sprig of Rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
1-2 Sprigs of Tyhme, leaves removed and chopped
1/2 Shallot, minced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2-3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh-Ground Black Pepper

Sauce:
1/2 Shallot, Minced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Whiskey or Bourbon
Juice of 1/2 Orange
2-3 Cups Chicken Stock
1/4 Cup Dried Sweetened Cranberries (Craisins)
1 Sprig of Rosemary, Whole
1 Sprig of Thyme, Whole
1 T softened butter mixed with 1 T flour (make a paste)

1. Heat oven to 500° (don't be scared!)
   
2. Combine marinade ingredients in a zip-top bag and add pork chops. Seal bag and massage marinade into meat. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour.
3. Heat a large skillet, and add 1-2 T canola oil. Brown pork chops on both sides, remove from pan and place in an oven-safe dish or on a sheet pan. Place pan in oven and cook until pork chops reach desired doneness (5-8 minutes for medium).
4. Pour off any excess fat in pan. Cook shallots and garlic until fragrant, REMOVE PAN FROM BURNER and deglaze pan with whiskey. Re-light flame, and set to low. Replace pan on burner and allow alcohol to burn off. Make sure to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a whisk or wooden spoon.
5. Add chicken stock, orange juice, cranberries, rosemary and thyme sprigs. Allow sauce to reduce by at least half.
6. Remove herbs, and whisk in the butter/flour mixture to thicken the sauce. Serve over rested pork chops.

Red Beans and Rice

I think Geoff would eat cajun food every day of his life if he had his way. I love it, too and it's so incredibly easy to make I feel like a wizard every time I whip up a jambalaya or gumbo and especially last night when I made Red Beans and Rice.

Pretty much every recipe for Cajun food involves the trinity of: 1 white onion, 2 green bell peppers and 3 stalks of celery. That's the beginning of gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee, etc. Adding tomatoes and/or okra is sometimes an option as well (I might add tomatoes next time I make these beans, but they certainly don't need it).

I had a ham bone in the freezer leftover from a ham I cooked about a month ago, but chicken stock would work fine OR you could just dice up some andouille sausage (MMMMM) and add that to the sauteeing veggies and then use plain water to cook the beans. It's your call.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 ham bone, boiled in enough water to cover (at least 8 cups), for approximately 2 - 3 hours

1 16 oz. bag small red beans (or kidney beans if you can't find small red beans)
2 - 3 T. oil (or bacon grease if you have some handy)
1 white onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3 stalks of celery (with leaves), chopped
1 jalapeno, diced (*optional)
4 - 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 - 5 bay leaves
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Sautee onion, bell peppers, celery and jalapeno (if using) for a few minutes over high heat until soft. Add garlic, bay leaves and thyme and saute a few minutes longer until onions get a little bit blackened.

Add 8 cups stock (or water), Worcestershire, beans and salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 - 3 hours until beans are nice and soft.

Add additional liquid if the beans look to "dry" -- they should be "saucey". When they're done, mash them a little with a potato masher (not all of them, just some).

If there's any meat left on the hambone, chop it up and serve on the side so everyone can put as much meat on top as they'd like.

Serve the beans on top of steamed, long-grain rice with chopped green onion, flat-leaf parsley and thyme to garnish as well as plenty of Louisiana style hot sauce (Trappey's, Red Rooster, etc.) to slather over the top. I also like extra Worcestershire on top.

You could make some cornbread to serve on the side ... or toasted and buttered French bread, which is what we did.

Like almost all bean recipes, this stuff is even better the next day.

Barley Casserole

This is a huge Johnson family favorite. Geoff isn't too keen on barley, but whatever -- it's more for me. I usually just eat this as a meal in itself with a salad.

Ingredients

2 T. butter
1 cup pearl barley
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup water
2 (10.5 oz.) cans Campbell's condensed onion soup

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter in skillet.  Add barley and mushrooms.  Cook over medium heat until barley is golden brown, stirring constantly.  Add onion soup and water.  Heat to boiling.  Pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole.  Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hours. 

DEVOUR (this is seriously the best thing ever -- I LOVE it and the best part? Your house will smell a-mazing while it bakes)

Spinach Quiche

This is an old family favorite that my mom has been making for YEARS and I now make it for Geoff and I. We love it. It's great hot or cold and is the PERFECT vehicle for hot sauce. Hope you like it!

Spinach Quiche

¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
¾ cup chopped onion
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
1 ½ cups chopped zucchini
1 ½ tsp. minced garlic
3 T. vegetable oil
5 eggs
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 tsp. pepper
10 oz. spinach cooked and chopped (frozen box works GREAT)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oven to 350.

Sautee green bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, zucchini and garlic in oil until crisp-tender. Cool.

Beat eggs with ricotta cheese, salt and pepper. Drain spinach thoroughly, squeezing as much moisture out as possible. Add to egg mixture along with sauteed vegetables and feta. Mix until well blended.

Pour mixture into a greased 10" springform pan and spread evenly. Bake for 1 hour, or until set in center.

Cool 10 minutes before cutting.