Looking for a good lasagna recipe and a easy pie recipe?!
does anyone know how to make that pasta salad with the italian dressing you get in restaurants? what all in that?
im new at cooking and i want to cook for my family. about ten guests.. im looking to impress them a little.. does anyone know of any creative drink recipies. things you would make to put in a punch bowl sorts thing?
Answers: i have been experimenting with lasagna recipies and i cant find anything good to season the beef with. any suggestions? im also looking for an easy pie recipe. i want to make a dessert but im not sure what to try. anything different then the tradtional chocolate or pumkin pies?
does anyone know how to make that pasta salad with the italian dressing you get in restaurants? what all in that?
im new at cooking and i want to cook for my family. about ten guests.. im looking to impress them a little.. does anyone know of any creative drink recipies. things you would make to put in a punch bowl sorts thing?
************Quick and easy Lasagna
2 containers (15 oz.ea) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
? cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs
2 jars (1lb. 10oz each) Ragu Old World Style
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1. Preheat oven to 375. In bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ? cup Parmesan cheese and eggs.
2. In 13x9 inch baking dish, spread 1 cup pasta sauce. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, then 1 cup pasta sauce and ? of the ricotta cheese mixture; repeat. Top with remaining 4 uncooked noodles and 2 cups pasta sauce.
3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining pasta sauce, heated.
* or use 1 jar (2 lbs. 13 oz..) Ragu Old World Style Pasta Sauce.
VARIATION: For a twist on classic……. Add 1 lb. ground beef or sausage, cooked, to Pasta Sauce.
NOTE: Recipe can be halved. Bake in an 11x7 inch baking dish 1 hour. Continue as above, omitting last 10 minutes of baking.
go to receipezaar you will find any receipe you want from around the world
For my lasagna, I brown the meat with minced garlic. As far as the rest of the recipe, I use ricotta, mozzarella, pamesan, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and pasta sauce.
Instead of pie, try this recipe, unique, easy, and delicious:
Pineapple Souffle
1/4 cup butter (melted in pan)
MIX TOGETHER:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 large can of Pineapple (drained)
3 slices of bread (cubed)
1/4 cup milk
Pour into baking dish with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. sugar. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.
For pasta salad, this recipe is pretty easy:
ITALIAN PASTA SALAD
3 to 4 c. cooked pasta spirals
1 head cauliflower
1 pepper
1 lg. bunch broccoli
1 red onion
Tomatoes (optional)
1/2 lb. crisp fried bacon
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
1/4 to 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Cook pasta, drain and cool. Cut up broccoli, cauliflower, pepper, onion, tomatoes, and crumble bacon into large bowl. Add pasta to vegetables. Pour salad dressing, sugar and salt, stir well. Will keep 3 to 4 days in refrigerator.
Here's a Good Punch
HOLIDAY PUNCH
1 quart cranberry juice
1 c. sugar
2 c. orange juice
1 c. pineapple juice
3/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 c. chilled ginger ale
1 pint rainbow sherbet
In a large drink container, blend cranberry juice, sugar, and other fruit juices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
At serving time, stir in the rainbow sherbet and ginger ale.
Variation: If your crowd is over 21, you can stir in 1 c. vodka or gin for the cocktail hour. Add sugar to taste.
You can make ice cubes in advance out of any fruit juice thinned with water (3 parts fruit juice to one part water) which you have on hand.
for the lasange,I add oregano,basil,garlic,red pepper,grated carrots,onions,mushrooms,celery sometimes.a tin of tomatoes and tomatoe puree.
cayanne pepper gives it a bit of spice.
cook the mince in olive oil,with the onions,then add the rest of the ingredients.
I use this as my base recipe and then I 'tweak' it a bit - I use a pound of ground beef AND a pound or more of both sweet and hot Italian sausage; I also use cottage cheese in place of the ricotta because I like a creamier filling, and I use a combination of Parmesan and Romano cheeses plus more mozzarella than called for. I brown my ground beef with onion, garlic, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper and a bit of chili powder.
Lasagna
Prep: 45 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Ingredients
12 ounces bulk Italian or pork sausage or ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 egg, beaten
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese or 2 cups cream-style cottage cheese, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
1. For sauce, in a large saucepan cook sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is brown. Drain.
2. Stir undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds (if desired), and black pepper into meat mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, cook noodles for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain well; set aside.
4. For filling, combine egg, ricotta, and the 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
5. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the cooked noodles in the bottom of the dish, trimming or overlapping as necessary to fit. Spread with half of the filling. Top with half of the remaining meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. If desired, sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over top.
6. Place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
7. Makes 8 servings
8. Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through Step 5. Cover unbaked lasagna; chill for up to 24 hours. To serve, bake, covered, in a 375 degree F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake about 20 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
9. Quick Lasagna: Substitute 6 no-boil lasagna noodles (one-third of a 9-ounce package) for the regular lasagna noodles and skip Step 3. Omit the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. For sauce, stir a 26-ounce jar pasta sauce into the browned meat mixture. Do not simmer. Continue as directed in Step 4.
Fresh Pear and Cranberry Pie
8 servings
Prep: 35 minutes
Bake: 70 minutes
Cool: 1-1/2 hours
Stand: 1-1/2 hours
Ingredients
1 recipe Single-Crust Pie
8 cups sliced red and/or green ripe pears (7 to 8 pears; 3 to 3-1/2 lb. total)
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. apple cider or water
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. caramel-flavored ice cream topping, plus additional for drizzling
Directions
1. Prepare and roll out Pastry for Single-Crust Pie (below). Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Arrange half of pears in prepared pastry; sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cranberries. Arrange remaining pears atop cranberries. In bowl stir together 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, cider, and nutmeg; drizzle evenly over pears. Cover pie with foil.
3. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes more or until pears are tender and juices are bubbly. Remove from oven and place on wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, in small saucepan combine remaining cranberries and 2 tablespoons caramel topping. Bring to boiling. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Spoon over hot pie.
5. Serve warm. Drizzle with additional caramel topping. Make 8 servings.
6. Pastry for a Single-Crust Pie: In bowl stir together 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender cut in 1/2 cup shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon water at a time (4 to 5 tablespoons total), until flour mixture is moistened. Form dough into ball. On floured surface flatten with hands. Roll dough from center to edges into a 13-inch circle. To transfer pastry, wrap around rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Ease pastry into plate without stretching it. Trim pastry to 1 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry.
Potluck Pasta Salad
Prep: 30 minutes
Chill: 2 to 24 hours
Ingredients
3 cups dried wagon wheel macaroni, rotini or other desired pasta (8 ounces)
2 cups yellow summer squash or zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (1 medium)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed; shelled fresh peas, cooked and cooled (page 000); or frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into strips (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese, cubed (2 cups)
1 6-ounce can pitted ripe olives, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red onion (1 medium)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano or basil or 2 teaspoons dried oregano or basil, crushed
1 cup bottled balsamic vinaigrette or red wine vinaigrette salad dressing
Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.
2. In a large bowl combine pasta, squash, peas, sweet pepper, cheese, olives, tomatoes, onion, and oregano. Add dressing to pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.
3. Makes 16 side-dish servings
Lime-Tea Punch
Prep: 10 minutes
Chill: 4 hours
Cool: 15 minutes
Stand: 15 minutes
Ingredients
8 individual-size black tea bags
6 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons honey
1 12-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate
1 liter (about 4 cups) ginger ale, chilled
Ice cubes
1 lime
Directions
1. In large bowl or heat-proof pitcher steep tea bags in boiling water for 5 minutes; remove tea bags and discard. Let mixture cool for 15 minutes. Stir in honey until dissolved. Stir in limeade concentrate until melted. Cover and chill mixture for at least 4 hours.
2. To serve, transfer tea mixture to a large pitcher; if necessary; add ginger ale and ice. Garnish each serving with a lime slice. Makes 16 (2/3-cup) servings.
3. Make-ahead directions: Prepare tea mixture as above through Step 1. Cover and chill for up to 48 hours. To serve, continue with Step 2.
Eggnog Punch
Start to Finish: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1-3/4 to 2 qt. French vanilla or cinnamon ice cream
2 qt. dairy eggnog or canned eggnog, chilled (8 cups)
1 liter cream soda, chilled
Peppermint sticks, cinnamon sticks, and/or candy canes (optional)
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Place ice cream in an extra-large punch bowl. Add half the eggnog. Stir and mash mixture using a potato masher until ice cream is melted and mixture is well combined. Stir in remaining eggnog. Slowly pour in cream soda, stirring to combine. To each glass add a peppermint stick, cinnamon stick, or candy cane. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon (about 1/8 teaspoon per serving). Makes about 24 (6-ounce) servings.
I can't help you with the pasta salad.....I have tried it but mine never turns out right....I have tried the pasta salads in the boxes at your local grocery store and they come close...
When I make my pasta salad....I take the tri color rotini and cook it according to box instructions....I then add some of the zesty italian dressing and add some black olives and mix all of that up and let it set over night. I salt it a little just to keep it from being bland but it never compares to that you can find in a restaurant.
I have a couple of lasagna recipes that are good...one is regular lasagna and one is called Mexican lasagna....
Lasagna:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. butter
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
lasagna noodles
several slices of american cheese
cottage cheese
grated parmesean cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 6 lasagna noodles in boiling salted water. Boil for 15 minues and drain. Brown beef, garlic, onion, salt and pepper in 2 T. of butter. Add tomato sauce. Cook for 15 minutes.
Place 2 cooked noodles in buttered baking dish (12 in long). Spread slices of american cheese over noodles along with a thin layer of cottage cheese and 1/3 meat mixture. Continue same procedure for second and third layer of noodles. Top with grated parmesean cheese. Bake in over for 35 minutes.
Mexican Lasagna:
lb lean ground beef
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
1 T. chili powder
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/4 c. water
1 pkg 7-8" flour tortillas
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
sour cream
diced tomatoes
Crumble meat and pepper into a 2 qt casserole dish. Microwave 6-8 min, stirring twice. Drain. Mix soup mix, water, chili powder, tomato sauce and paste into beef. Microwave 5 min. Place 2 tortillas in a 12 x 7 dish, top with 1/2 meat mixture and 1/2 c. each of the cheeses. Repeat using 4 tortillas and 1 cup each cheese in all. Microwave 10 min or until cheese is melted. Top with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and diced tomatoes
As for as the pie goes, the easiest pie I have ever made is called a yogurt pie. All you take is a prepared graham cracker crust, a couple of the small containers of yogurt and a tub of whipped topping. Fold the yogurt into the whipped topping until well blended and then pour it into your pie crust. Put in the freezer and let it set up until nice and frozen. Remove, slice and serve. I like strawberry out of all that I have tried.
For the punch.....my cousin made this for me for my bridal shower and was a big hit. You take any flavor of kool-aid and mix how ever many packages as to how ever many gallons you desire and then add pineapple juice to the kool-aid. Take some sugar water and pour water into ice cube trays and place a marcino cherry in each cube. Let freeze and remove when getting ready to serve and let cubes float on top of punch. When punch is ready to be served, add ginger ale to the kool-aid/pineapple drink. It is really good.
I also have another that all you have to mix is cran-grape and apple juice together.....it is not really sour and not sickingly sweet either
I have a quick and easy lasagna recipe. Brown a lb of ground beef with a chopped clove of garlic. Add a 32 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Simmer. In another bowl, add 1 egg to a 16oz container of small curd cottage cheese and blend. Talk a small amount of the meat sauce and ladle into a 9x13 pan. Add 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, top with more sauce, on top of that add about 1/2 cup of the cottage cheese mix, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, add 3 more uncooked lasagna noodles, more sauce, 1/2 cup of the cottage cheese mix and repeat with 3 layers. Top layer, add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake additional 30 minutes. Remove from over and let sit 10-15 minutes and enjoy!