Lasagna Rolls

I like this fun way of serving lasagna.  My kids loved having their own individual rolls of goodness. This recipe was taken from "Giada's Family Dinners" by Giada De Laurentis.  The recipe calls for 3 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto. I always order from my deli in grams, so I converted from ounces to grams and it works out to 85 grams.  The recipe asks to be sure to squeeze the spinach totally dry in order to avoid a watery dish.  The " Quick Marinara Sauce" recipe is also on this blog.

Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Lasagna
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 dried lasagna noodles
Butter, for baking dish
2 cups "Quick Marinara Sauce"
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)

To make the sauce:
1. Melt the butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking continuously.  Whisk in the milk.  Increase the heat to medium-high.  Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.  Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the cream sauce.

To make the lasagna:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, egg, the 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper until blended.
2. Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.  Spread the cream sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.
4. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll the noodles up and arrange the rolls, seam sides down and not touching one another, atop the cream sauce.  Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.  Spoon 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the lasagna rooms, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.  Cover the dish tightly with foil.  Bake until the rolls are heated through and sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the cheese on top is golden, about 15 minutes longer.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot.  Transfer the sauce to a sauce boat and serve alongside.

Makes: 6 Main-course servings

Killer Coleslaw

This coleslaw is so crunchy and good!  Perfect for a summer picnic!  This recipe is taken from The Best of Bridge "The Best of the Best and More".  I use Ichiban original noodles.

Salad Ingredients
1/2 cabbage, chopped
5 green onions
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted (or sesame seeds)
3 oz. pkg Japanese noodle soup mix, (save seasoning package for dressing)

Dressing
1/4 cup rice (or white) vinegar
1/4 cup salad oil
Seasoning package from noodles

1. Combine all salad ingredients except noodles.  Before serving, crush noodles, combine with salad ingredients and toss with dressing.  Serves 6. If there's any left over -save it!  Kids love it the next day!

Beef or Chicken Lo Mein

This recipe is so easy and super yummy.  It is taken from the cookbook Cooking with WOW!  This recipe is taken from the restaurant Hu's on First.

Beef or Chicken Lo Mein
2 Tbsp sesame oil
12 oz sliced beef or chicken
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 tsp chopped ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp water
1 lb fresh, cooked egg noodles
Lo mein sauce (see recipe below)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water


Lo Mein Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
In a bowl, combine soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and chicken stock.  Set aside.


1. In a wok, over high heat, add sesame oil, then add meat, cook until brown.  Remove meat from wok and set aside.  Add vegetables, ginger and garlic to hot wok for 1-2 minutes, add water to steam broccoli.  Cook out water.  Add meat and sauce to wok, bring to a boil, then add noodles.  In a bowl, combine cornstarch and water to create a slurry, add to boiling sauce 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve desired thickness.