Blooming onion garlic bread
- Isn’t it lovely how simply cutting a dish differently can completely change it? And somehow, a dish always tastes better when it looks better.
- 20 oz flour
- 12 oz water
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp yeast
Knead for 10 minutes. Let rise for about an hour. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes and then 375F for 15-20 minutes.
- For the blooming onion variety, just shape into 4 small loaves and when cooled slightly, slice almost through to the bottom in inch segments. Add butter and garlic to each piece. Yum!
Even just keeping the vibrant colors of salad toppings separated in a bowl somehow make it more cheerful before hitting the plate. Love it.
Mini wonton lasagnas – Dinner, bentos, or midnight snacks
What does it mean to find a huge tub of ricotta cheese on clearance for under 3 bucks? Lasagna time, of course!
Knowing that we were limiting dairy, I assumed I would toss these lasagnas straight into the freezer. Instead, I only used a thin layer of ricotta and no other cheese, and they turned out too good to not eat fresh.
Wanna make your own? Just use your favorite lasagna recipe and sub in eggroll or wonton wrappers. As Squirrel Bread says, wontons are the new black, and I use ‘em like crazy around here. For these, I just cut my wrappers in half, layered as usual, and skipped the fuss of precooking noodles or wondering if I cooked the dish long enough to avoid crunchy pasta.
When I originally bought these tins (on major sale, might I add), I thought they’d be great to fix all sorts of mini-this-or-thats in. I assumed I’d cut them in half and be able to toss various dishes into the girls’ lunchboxes.
Instead, I realized they’re roughly 2-cup tins and they’re perfect for building fast bentos right in them. Maybe not the most creative, but it opened up a whole new set of ideas of foods I could bake, toss in the freezer, and have ready in a flash for lunches.
And yes, I snacked on these a few times. Leaving them cold or barely heating them up turned them into easy, hand-held craving-satisfiers. Yum!
Back of the box recipes- Penne Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes
I always see the recipes on the backs of boxes and insides of labels, but I never actually use them. I tend to think they’re there just to make the food look good. Plus, I usually don’t even have the ingredients on hand that those funky recipes tend to call for.
Well for whatever reason, I decided to change that and try out some of those dishes that are supposed to be oh-so-good.
Success! I already had everything and it turned out delicious.
I even got the dingy orange/yellow color going on to match the picture on the box, woo! Really, though, the pasta was more this color and was much more appetizing than the grainy box image let on.
Recipe, in case you can’t read the box:
Penne Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes
Ingredients:
8 oz penne rigate
3 oz chopped pancetta or bacon (about 4 or 5 slices)
2 T olive oil
2 cups baby spinach (I used frozen and it was fine)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 red wine vinegar
1 1/3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup parmesan (good without it, too)
Prepare pasta according to package. While cooking, saute pancetta in olive oil until crisp. Remove from pan, leaving oil in pan, and set aside. Add spinach and garlic to pan, sauté until wilted. Add vinegar and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until softened and hot (2-3 minutes). Add drained pasta and bacon to pan and gently toss. Sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.
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