Where Have You Been Vegetarian Lasagna!?

I realized that Jaylen is now one month! Time flies! And how much I miss blogging and vlogging. So here I am!

Alot has happened since my months of absence. I am now a mother of 3!

Towards the end I developed the worst acid reflux which took the joy and fun out of cooking and eating. Eat the foods you actually enjoy and there is hell to pay. I felt like a fire breathing dragon. Nothing worked I developed a Tums immunity and even the off brand Maalox I began to take came up with snacks as simple as a PB&J. Meals became boring and definitely not post worthy. Dining out dwindled even further and again not post worthy. Sleep esp comfortable sleep that didn't involve being propped up a distant memory and dream in and of itself. I believe in quality over quantity so thus the leave of absence.

Anyways Jaylen's labor a scheduled induction was botched and fast. I am in the process of posting a birth story so as not to get too far off topic here. There is also a video of American Wiener birthday party to be posted and get caught up with in vlog world.

So what's it like...
Well there's things you don't remember vs things you do. Life has changed not ever to be the same. Busy before does not mean anything remotely near busy now. There's a new normal to adjust and tweak your life to. You don't have much free time anymore. If you're lucky any limited remaining free time goes to showering, sending a quick text, going to the bathroom alone or sleep. If you're really lucky your outlets and things you actually enjoy doing. It's a juggling act to strike a balance to maintain your sanity.

In the midst of the whirlwind of returning to sleepless nights with school and work days I gradually returned to the kitchen for guest star appearances. One of the first things I made in post partum after a trip to our favorite farmers market was my own spin on a Vegetarian Lasagna. I see meat free dishes appearing again and again at our table simply because of the time it saves.

Vegetarian Lasagna
Recipe:

1 Large eggplant
2-3 yellow squash cut down like coins
2 1/2 Cups of Italian breadcrumbs
8 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese more if needed
2 eggs
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
1 1/2 tsp of Pepper
1 box of lasagna noodles
2 jars of favorite meatless pasta sauce (I used tomato basil)
Canola or vegetable oil
1 quart of ricotta cheese (whole or skim can be used ypur preference)

First, skin your eggplant and cut it into 1/4 of an inch thick discs.
Soak the discs in a large bowl of water. Add enough water to fill the entire bowl. Be sure to add at least 1/4 cup of kosher salt and 1 1/2 tsp of black pepper to the water. (I used to assume that my mother did this to marinate the eggplant. However, it's actually to cut the bitterness of the eggplant. It's funny how we learn and just do it because our grandmas, big mamas, or mothers did it. Not really ever knowing why at least not at first)

Next, prepare your egg wash in a small bowl. Add two eggs and wisk. Set aside.

Then, prepare your Italian breadcrumbs dredge in a shallow dish.

Heat a frying pan or dutch oven with oil, if using a frying pan make sure you have at least an inch of oil all around the entire circumference of the pan. Heat to at least 350 degrees or until a pinch of breadcrumbs will sizzle and pop in the pan. Dip your eggplant disc in the egg wash and then the breadcrumbs. Fry the eggplant until it's a golden brown on both sides. Set aside to cool and drain excess oil off. Use paper towels or a few unused brown paper lunch bags.

Next boil your lasagna noodles until al dente. Be sure to add oil so that the noodles do not stick. Strain well and rinse with cold water while in a strainer to stop from cooking further. Set aside to cool.

Once your noodles and eggplant are cool you can prepare to layer your lasagna.

At the bottom of your lasagna dish apply a thin layer of sauce. This is to keep your lasagna from sticking. Next align a few of your noodles across the dish or pan to completely cover. Next add a few spoonfuls of ricotta cheese down the middle of each noodle. Evenly spread out. I usually do no more than a few using a spoon to smash and spread the spoonfuls. Add a few discs of eggplant evenly throughout, followed by slices of yellow squash top with more sauce and mozzarella. Repeat to the final layer.

Last layer sauce, mozzarella and then squash for garnish.

Bake for 35-40 mins until mozzarella is melted and squash is roasted.

Sunday Dinner Worthy Blanco Mac N' Cheese

This post is long overdue! I really wanted to post it sooner. I had a birthday this past week on the 15th! The whole day I just couldn't stop thinking over and over..."So this is 30!?". It's a mixed bag that I won't get into this post. Our weekdays are so busy I knew that I wouldn't be able to celebrate until the weekend. I was hoping to hit the beach and dine out at a really good restaurant. I also found a nice piece of furniture that I really wanted. We found it at a local consignment shop in New Tampa that has become a favorite of ours. We're still furnishing our place.

Anyways, I made a white macaroni and cheese to go with the porkchops (it's pictured as the side in the last post); which was also once again me stepping outside of the norm and our typical box. I usually make a cheddar based macaroni and cheese with colby jack. Sometimes I make it even better with bacon on top. Usually that topping makes its appearance around the holidays, afterall everything in moderation. Ever since I saw the Neely's make their macaroni with a homemade cheese sauce it changed my life! One of my issues with a baked macaroni was getting a good coating of all the macaroni. With a cheese sauce, it helps rid your macaroni and cheese of bland uncoated macaroni and the dry crunchy ones too. Another plus to using a cheese sauce is contrary to what some may believe it doesn't result in a liquidy mac and cheese like the stove top boxed stuff. Once everything sets together the results will be a fluffy and moist macaroni and cheese with creamy goodness. I have to warn that the 4 cheese Italian blend has an aroma that can be a bit strong for some.

Recipe:

1 1/2 - 2 cups 4 cheese Italian blend
 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
 1 Quart of milk
 2 tablespoons of butter
1 tblspn of flour
 1 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp of pepper (ground black)
1 large box of elbow macaroni (capitavi style work best because of the tiny grooves)

One of the keys to a good macaroni and cheese is not over cooking your pasta! Over cooking your pasta can ruin any macaroni and cheese. The reason being because it can ruin the texture and turn your noodles to mush, bits, and corners. You want to boil your macaronis until they are soft but not mushy, some call this aldente. If you slice a piece of pasta you can see just where the the texture and coloration begin to change. There should not be a crunch to your pasta but a bit of firmness at the center that you can see when the pasta is sliced. Boiling your pasta for no more than 3 minutes should achieve this texture.

Another key to achieving good texture is to run cold water over your pasta as you strain it, in addition you want to make sure there is no water left where the pasta is sitting on reserve. I usually spread the pasta out into a casserole dish at this point. The cheese sauce is rather easy. In a large saucepan you want to melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat until it sizzles. Then you want to add your tablespoon of flour. You want to whisk together to make a rue, the flour will be moist, clumpy and blonde in color when ready for the next step. Next, add in a half quart of milk. You want to whisk the clumps together to evenly distribute with the milk. Make sure that your temperature is not too hot or your milk will curdle ruining the sauce (meaning it will get grainy and your cheese will be gum and not sauce). After, you want to slowly add in your cheese blend and whisk briskly. You want to toggle your milk and cheese to get the right consistency. The consistency should be like a thick queso (basically like a nacho cheese sauce, when a utensil is placed in the sauce and taken out you should notice a bit of stretch), you may want to add your salt and pepper to the sauce and use an icing spatula at this point forward.

Next you want to remove the sauce from the heat as soon as the desired consistency is achieved to avoid grainy milk curdles and cheese gum! Slowly pour the sauce over your pasta and stir in. Add half of the shredded  mozzarella cheese in. Add some shreds to the top of your macaroni. You can also top with the Italian breadcrumbs. Once finished bake your macaroni and cheese at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes. After the dish is baked allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes to set. If you don't allow the dish to set then there will be cheese and macaroni sliding everywhere lol. Allowing the dish to set will make it easier to serve in squares. Enjoy!