Saturday, February 23, 2008

When I make it nice and fluffy im going to add the rest of my ingredients

So its Saturday mornin' and im watching cooking shows and of course the clock cause the countdown has begun before I must make my last walk to the box office for the end of the season and the end of my career at Rutgers. I have been sad since I was layed off but tonight will pull it all together and be the official end.

Part of me wants it to be over so that I can really move on with my life but I will miss everyone at Rutgers and as much as I complain I will miss the phone calls to ask me what they should do in certain situations cause im going to say it I still felt needed.

On another note my Aunt is coming for a visit. When I was younger I used to love it when she would come but she has now turned into a bitter old lady who complains about everything I mean everything and her son who thinks he is a profit will probably also be here and he is just creepy damn creepy oh and he is def not a profit I always meant to check and see if he was wearing black nike sneakers and getting ready to ingest something so that he can go to another planet and hang out on the clouds and write my grandmom letters that he knows she isnt the devil even though her birthday is on halloween but I digress.

I finished knitting the bag for my cousin with wonderful help from my love here is a pic




So even though I know that only one of my buddies will be reading this I thought she might enjoy this recipe from the show im watching of course.

Asparagus Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
See this recipe on air Saturday Feb. 23 at 12:00 PM ET/PT.
Show: Everyday Italian
Episode: Dining In, With Style

9 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
2 (8.5-ounce) jars sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 3/4 cup
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.

In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.

In a large skillet brown the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Continue for 1 more layer. Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Dot the top with butter. Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.