Lasagna Rolls

 INGREDIENTS

  

• 12 lasagna noodles (cooked to instructions)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoon olive oil (2 x 1 tablespoons divided)
• 24 ounces marinara spaghetti sauce
• ½ cup yellow onion (diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese (finely shredded)
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese (2 x 1½ cups divided)
• ¼ cup parsley (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
  
• In a large skillet, over medium high heat add 1Tbsp of olive oil. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart with a spatula or spoon. 3-4 minutes. Add ⅓ cup of yellow onions and cook until transparent. 3 minutes. Add ¼ tsp crushed red pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp salt and garlic. Mix well and saute for 1 minute. Pour in 24 oz of your favorite marinara sauce, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.
  
• In a large pot bring water to a boil and add 1 tsp off salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Cook lasagna noodles to al dente according to directions listed on package. Then drain noodles and put them back in the pot and cover with cold water.
  
• While pasta is cooking prepare the cheese mixture. By adding ricotta cheese, 1 large egg, ½ Parmesan cheese, 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese and parsley to a large bowl. Mix until fully incorporated.
  
• Lay out cooked lasagna noodles and divide ricotta cheese mixture over noodles and spread evenly. Add a large spoonful of meat mixture to each noodle and spread evenly. Spread ⅓ cup of meat sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Roll noodles up jellyroll style and place seam side down in baking dish.
  
• Cover roll-ups with remaining meat sauce then sprinkle remaining 1 ½ cups Mozzarella cheese over roll-ups.
  
• Cover with foil and bake for 38 minutes in preheated oven. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 2 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Strawberry shortcake icebox cake

 

INGREDIENTS

  

• 2 cups crushed vanilla sandwich cookies, I used 20 Golden Oreos
• 6 tablespoons crushed freeze-dried strawberries
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3 cups heavy cream, very cold
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup strawberry preserves, I used Smucker's brand
• 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
• 11 ounces vanilla wafer cookies
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced (¼-inch slices)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Divide the crushed vanilla sandwich cookies evenly (1 cup in each bowl) into two small mixing bowls.
• Add the crushed freeze-dried strawberries and 3 tablespoons of melted butter to one of the bowls of cookies. Stir to combine.
• To the second bowl of crushed vanilla sandwich cookies, stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of the melted butter until evenly coated.
• Combine the strawberry-coated crushed cookies with the plain crushed cookies to create a strawberry shortcake crumble topping. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the very cold heavy whipping cream. Using a handheld mixer, starting on low, beat the heavy whipping cream for 1 minute. Gradually increase the speed on the mixer up to high, and beat the heavy cream for another 2 to 3 minutes or until it reaches soft peaks.
  
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip your heavy cream. Your whipped cream should be soft but able to hold its shape on the tip of your beaters. Set aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed, using a handheld mixer, for 2 minutes until the cream cheese is fluffy and smooth.
• To the bowl of beaten cream cheese, add the strawberry preserves and strawberry extract and beat for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until you have a nice creamy strawberry cream cheese mixture.
  
• Add half of the whipped cream to the bowl of the strawberry cream cheese mixture. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese until you have a light and fluffy strawberry cheesecake filling and you no longer see streaks of whipped cream. Reserve the other half of the whipped cream.
• To the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish, add half of the strawberry cream cheese filling to the bottom of the dish and spread it into an even layer.
• Using 42 to 44 vanilla wafers (about half the box), cover the bottom layer of the strawberry cream cheese filling so that you have a single solid layer of cookies.
  
• Layer the sliced fresh strawberries over the top of all the vanilla wafer cookies so that they are in a single layer.
• Spread the remaining strawberry cheesecake filling evenly over the fresh sliced strawberries being careful not to disturb the fresh strawberry layer. Top this layer with the remaining half box of the vanilla wafer cookies in a single layer.
• Spread the other half of the homemade whipped cream evenly over the top of the final layer of vanilla wafer cookies.
• Finally, top the homemade whipped cream with an even layer of the reserved strawberry shortcake cookie crumble.
• Chill the strawberry shortcake icebox cake in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours or up to overnight.

Mexican Breakfast burrito

 

• 1 (8-oz) package Mexican chorizo
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 8 eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 10 ounces shredded potatoes (see note)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro, optional
• 6-8 Fajita sized flour tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the chorizo, breaking it apart with a spatula, for eight to ten minutes or until it’s cooked through. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Remove the chorizo from the pan (leaving the reserved fat in the pan) and transfer it to a bowl.
2. In the same pan, melt one tablespoon of butter. As it melts, stir to combine it with the reserved fat from the chorizo. Pour the whisked eggs into the pan and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook the eggs, frequently stirring, for about ten minutes or until the eggs are cooked but still very soft. Add the shredded cheese and stir until it melts into the eggs. Transfer the cooked eggs to a bowl.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the chorizo, breaking it apart with a spatula, for eight to ten minutes or until it’s cooked through. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Remove the chorizo from the pan (leaving the reserved fat in the pan) and transfer it to a bowl.
2. In the same pan, melt one tablespoon of butter. As it melts, stir to combine it with the reserved fat from the chorizo. Pour the whisked eggs into the pan and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook the eggs, frequently stirring, for about ten minutes or until the eggs are cooked but still very soft. Add the shredded cheese and stir until it melts into the eggs. Transfer the cooked eggs to a bowl.
3. To roll, fold the edge of the tortilla over the top of the filling and tuck in the sides. Roll the burrito up. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
4. Wrap the burritos in tin foil and place them on a baking sheet. Pop them in a warm oven for five to ten minutes to warm them through before serving .
5. Chile this can be meal prep . They will last all week in the freezer when you make them Sunday night.