I probably wouldn't have chosen April's menu, at least not all of it. I don't think I would have ever chosen anything on May's menu on my own! I love to cook, and to eat, but I am not very adventurous. After only two months of our cooking club, I think one of the best parts about it, is that it has forced me to think outside the box and try new foods!
Those who know me well know that I have a phobia of creamy/mushy/slimy/soft white foods. May's menu included a lot of creamy white foods! Never the less, I dove right in.
The ingredient list this month seemed shorter but there were a few things I had trouble getting hold of. My two biggest issues were the special equipment needed; 10oz. ramekins. I had to do a little substituting and instead of 10oz. ramekins, used 15 oz. Pyrex bowls. And secondly, the ingredients I found a little expensive/challenging to find were the mascarpone cheese and the sharp provolone. I used ricotta cheese and the shredded Sargento Italian cheese blend instead.
Same as last month, I also cut all the recipes in half since it is just me and Mr. 2 that have to eat all this fabulous food.
The first thing I did was make the lasagnas. Instead of butter, I sprayed the Pyrex bowls with Pam. Aside from the afor mentioned cheese substitutions, I followed the recipe for the filling exactly! However, despite cutting the recipe in half, I still had a lot of cheese filling left over! Since my bowls were a bit wider I had to use 3 lasagna noodles instead of two. I also added a little something to my lasagnas! Mr. 2 is not a huge fan of cheese. So to help placate him, I added about 1/2 lb. of Italian seasoned turkey sausage. I think because of the added room the sausage took up, I only got 2 layers out of my lasagnas. No big deal!
I made my lasagnas a bit ahead (earlier in the afternoon) and refrigerated them until I was ready to make dinner. Great if you wanted to make several of these for a party! When I baked them I put them in on a foil lined cookie sheet because they were FULL!
Those who know me well know that I have a phobia of creamy/mushy/slimy/soft white foods. May's menu included a lot of creamy white foods! Never the less, I dove right in.
The ingredient list this month seemed shorter but there were a few things I had trouble getting hold of. My two biggest issues were the special equipment needed; 10oz. ramekins. I had to do a little substituting and instead of 10oz. ramekins, used 15 oz. Pyrex bowls. And secondly, the ingredients I found a little expensive/challenging to find were the mascarpone cheese and the sharp provolone. I used ricotta cheese and the shredded Sargento Italian cheese blend instead.
Same as last month, I also cut all the recipes in half since it is just me and Mr. 2 that have to eat all this fabulous food.
The first thing I did was make the lasagnas. Instead of butter, I sprayed the Pyrex bowls with Pam. Aside from the afor mentioned cheese substitutions, I followed the recipe for the filling exactly! However, despite cutting the recipe in half, I still had a lot of cheese filling left over! Since my bowls were a bit wider I had to use 3 lasagna noodles instead of two. I also added a little something to my lasagnas! Mr. 2 is not a huge fan of cheese. So to help placate him, I added about 1/2 lb. of Italian seasoned turkey sausage. I think because of the added room the sausage took up, I only got 2 layers out of my lasagnas. No big deal!
I made my lasagnas a bit ahead (earlier in the afternoon) and refrigerated them until I was ready to make dinner. Great if you wanted to make several of these for a party! When I baked them I put them in on a foil lined cookie sheet because they were FULL!
Next I whipped up, literally, the dessert. I was pretty excited that the store had very nice looking raspberries for this. I was also going to do a little something extra, bake some fillo dough cups and put the mouse in them, but I couldn't find any! I think next time I will make sure to get them especially, to add some crunch. I like crunchy foods.
This recipe was very easy to follow and the ingredients were easy to find. It didn't take any time at all to make and was easy. Again, a great dish to make ahead if you are having guests and it's nice for summer. My only question: could you freeze it?
This recipe was very easy to follow and the ingredients were easy to find. It didn't take any time at all to make and was easy. Again, a great dish to make ahead if you are having guests and it's nice for summer. My only question: could you freeze it?
I made the green beans while the lasagnas cooked. I had a little tip from Gal 3 and so steamed my beans before adding them to the seasonings in the skillet. I also didn't add as much crushed red pepper flakes as it called for since we are not lovers of hot or spicy foods.
The final results! I absolutely LOVED the lasagna! Once Jared was able to put his tomato and mushroom sauce on, so did he. ;-) I thought it had a great flavor, but it was lighter than traditional lasagnas which I appreciated. You didn't feel full after 3 bites. I also love the fact that you could make these up, freeze them and have a really nice dinner for one! Will be making these again. The beans were just OK. Neither myself or Mr. 2 were thrilled with them. Even though I cut back on the spices, we found them too hot for our taste. The dessert was a bit divided in verdicts. we both agreed the taste was excellent! The texture ... not huge fans. Mr. 2 ate his entire dessert while I only ate a bit. Wondering if I wouldn't like it better frozen?
Overall this was a great meal! That lasagna is going into the keeper pile for sure. It was delicious!
I think the verdict is the texture of the dessert with the creaminess of the lasagnas is too much. Maybe they would be better separately? Wonder if you could make the dessert into a sherbert of some kind? Hmmm let's investigate! Going to try your sausage next time!!
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