Lasagna Rollata

Before I share a new recipe with you, I'd like to apologize for my absence on here. Basically, as most people do, I can admit that I have had too much on my plate. My husband (and some friends) had remarked that I seem to only be happy when life is so crazy this way. Between photography, work, 3 dive clubs, marine mammal strandings, cooking, blogging, and a personal life...something had to give. Apparently this was the thing.

 

Looking back, I was shocked the other day to see that I had only published one blog last month. Since I originally wanted to have one everyday (a crazy goal!), this was certainly not how it turned out. Although my cameras, phone, and computer is filled with plenty of material, I have to put it all together and I'm going to be happy if I can publish a few blogs a week from now on. I apologize for starting out like gangbusters and then fizzling out but, I don't want to ever really quit doing this so unfortunately this is the way I have to do it. I hope my followers and readers understand and stick with me on my journey. Okay...on to the recipes!

 

1 package Lasagna, cooked
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Filling:
1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

2 Tsp garlic powder

1 Tsp onion powder

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
leftover filling
 

Recipe Adapted from Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

I've mentioned before that I am not a fan or ricotta. My tastes have certainly grown to like it more as an adult, though. I just makes sure it's thoroughly spiced up so it doesn't taste bland to me.

 

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl for the filling. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay out flat on counter top or work surface.

Using spoonfuls, spread the filling thoroughly over one side with the back of the spoon. Roll jellyroll style, from one end up into rolls. The filling makes an adequate "glue" and they should stay together well. Stand them up on their ends tightly placed in a small casserole dish. If you have empty space on one side of the pan, you can fill it up with meatballs, sausages, or whatever you might have on hand to compliment the dish.

Add any leftover filling to a saucepan with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Heat and mix thoroughly over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil. Pour over rollata evenly and top them with breadcrumbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

 



Asian Inspired Peapods

I spent a bit of time tweaking my blog yesterday and I seemed to have fixed the glitch in the settings that was preventing so many people from commenting. It should be super easy to comment now if you don't have one of the types of accounts usually associated with Blogger. Just use the Name/Url selection on the drop down menu and comment away. I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say now!!!

You can add a meat to this for some stir fry or serve with some rice. I made this as a side for Ahi Tuna.

 

1/2 package snow pea pea pods

1 Tsp fresh ginger, zested

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1/8 cup water

2-3 scallions, minced

Add soy sauce to a preheated skillet that has a cover. Add scallions and saute for a few minutes. Zest ginger into pan. Add pea pods and mix well. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes until pods start to get a bit tender. Add water and cover, simmering on low for 15-20 minutes. This will steam the pea pods, keeping them a bit crispy and give you a nice sauce for them. 

All about FETA

It's Feta...and if you say it "Feddah", you may make my ears bleed.

So, what is it exactly?
Feta (Greek: φέτα, féta, "slice") is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. It is a crumbly aged cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture.

Since 2002, feta has been a protected designation of origin product in the European Union. Meaning, only those cheeses produced in a traditional way in some areas of Greece and made from sheep's milk, or from a mixture of sheep and goats’ milk of the same area, may bear the name feta.

So, what does that mean? Basically, if you want real feta, you have to buy imported. Domestic feta (made in the US) has no regulations on the percentage or origin of the milk. This basically means that most domestic feta is made all or predominantly from cow's milk in the same fashion. Imported feta from Greece has at least 70% sheep's milk.

Feta is traditionally categorized into firm (tangier and higher quality) and soft (spreadable and cheaper) varieties.

Does it make a difference?

If you're Greek, yes! Consider the dish you are making. If you are just using it as a topping, maybe not. If you are making a dish that features the cheese, I'd say so! Maybe your palate won't discern the difference. If you spend the extra money, it keeps a long time, so take that into consideration as well. If you have to travel to a Greek market because your local grocer doesn't carry feta to your liking, it's better to buy more and store it well.


Storing Feta
If your feta does not come in brine, you should make your own. Dissolve 3 Tsp of kosher salt in 2 cups of water. Make sure the cheese is completely submerged at all times. This will keep your feta fresh for up to 12 months!


I know this was not a traditional recipe, like the ones I've been sharing lately, but consider this my homage to Greek Easter, which was yesterday. I hope I have educated you a bit on the cheese of "my people".

Καλό Πάσχα και Καλή Ανάσταση!

Blog Introduction

As an introduction to this blog, I guess I should inform my readers about me, in case you already don't know me. I'm a married 30 year old, so-far child-less woman, living on an island by the sea. I'm a commercial photographer by trade and a domestic diva by hobby.

My friends all enjoy coming to parties at my house because they know they will get a ton of homemade food...no matter what I may say in an invite. I believe in basically not using pre-fab and processed foods. I'm Greek, which means that there will always be a LOT of whatever I make. When we bought our house, I knew a full-size deep freeze was going into our basement. I'm all about freezing anything I can, to use on a night or event when I have no time to put in the effort. I enjoy experimenting with sometimes complicated recipes so my mindset is "why make one when I can make six?". About two years ago, my friend, Becky went into great detail with me on how to best freeze cookies and well, that basically turned a whole new dimension on my baking. Then, my friend, Amy turned me onto Bakerella and the world of cakepops was opened to me. I also took some cake decorating classes. Since then I have developed a passion for candy making and my freezer has never been the same. Being the crazy obsessive/compulsive person I am, my freezer now has a complete inventory log on it! (Yes, I know I'm insane.)

 

So, you probably want to know what you will find here. Great recipes, for one. New ideas and twists on old favorites will be included as well. I discovered the great wide world of Pinterest and now I'm so hooked on cooking that I decided I wanted to create this blog in the first place. That link is to MY Pinterest boards, so you might get an idea of recipes to come by looking at it. I don't really know how far I'm going to go with giving out my "secrets" yet, so to my friends maybe salivating about getting my lamb recipe, don't get your hopes up just yet. I am a professional photographer, so the photo aspect of this will be a learning process. I do a lot of cooking at other people's houses too so I'm not going to be lugging my Nikon and all my equipment with me wherever I go. For now, I don't want this to be "work". Documentary styling, was also never really my thing. So, the photos will show you important prep details. They will be in focus, color correct, correctly exposed, somewhat visually pleasing, (oh and copyrighted) but don't expect art from probably my IPhone. Anyone wanting to see that can visit my website. Again, this may improve as the blog grows. Also, please don't judge my blogging or web design abilities at this time because I know nothing about Blogger at this current moment. Lastly, thank you to my friend, Jen, with a great blog, that gave me advice on all of this. I promise this is the last "rant" you will see here.

I hope you will be back to steal some great recipes from me! Subscribe, pin away, and tell your friends. Thanks for reading!