Category Archives: Cooking

Lazy ‘Veggie’ Lasagna

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I really “love” Italian food! I mean what’s not to love: pasta, spicy sauce, cheese, veggies, and meats all cooked together in a sea of Mediterranean delight!

Mamma Mia or my mother, boy could she cook. I think she had tomato sauce running through her veins! Me, not so much, but at least I try. She did give me a few recipes, one of which was called One Step Lasagna. I like to call it Lazy ‘Veggie’ Lasagna, because you do not have to precook the noodles, and it is really easy to make.

Just walking into an Italian deli is a treat for me.

Here’s the recipe – written out ‘old school’ style:

This isn’t really cooking, but more assembly than anything else. Below are a few pics to show the assembly process.

Of course, you begin with the sauce.

Yep, just spread the ricotta cheese right on the noodles, and set on top of the sauce.

Begin to add the toppings. Don’t be afraid to use leftovers. I’ve added some yellow squash from last night’s dinner.

Now, add more sauce, another layer of noodles. and more toppings.

Cover with foil, and bake in the oven. When done, remove and let it sit for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Semplicemente Fantastico – Simply Fantastic!

Positively Pizza

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I’d been thinking about making a pizza on my outdoor gas grill. So while shopping at a big box store, I found Molinaro’s pizza kit.

The kit contained 4 crusts and 2 pouches of sauce. It wasn’t ideal as I’d planned to make my own crust, but I figured this would get me going. Plus, the kit was under $8.00 dollars.

I decided that I wanted 3 cheeses and black olives. For spice, I included some red pepper flakes and diced green chilies. I also added fresh garlic cloves (not shown).

I used one sauce pouch, and then added my toppings.

I don’t have a pizza stone, so I placed the pizza on a piece of foil. I recommend a double layer of foil. This helps prevent the crust from burning.

I kept the temp at about 400 degrees. I frequently lifted the pizza from the foil to ensure that it was not burning or sticking.

Well, here it is! Amazingly, pretty good.

Here is another pizza that I made a few days later. Since you get 4 crusts in the kit, you can really experiment with the toppings.

I had my doubts, but it is… Positively Pizza!