This weekend we ate… lots.
We started our feasting on Saturday with having some friends over. We did a pre-pre-Thanksgiving dinner 🙂
It was my first “dinner party” and I think it went very well. I mean, the house was still standing and everybody was full so that spells success!
HBear had dance so I got the house ready while they were gone.
I AM THANKFUL FOR NINJA.
I don’t use Febreeze or anything like that… no fake scents in the house. So, I added 8 cinnamon sticks, a handful of cloves, a handful of cranberries, a sliced up orange and a couple of bay leaves into a pot of water and simmered it on the stove for the day. Everytime the water goes down, just fill it back up 🙂 It smelled holiday awesome!
For appys I did a platter of fruit for the kids.
For the adults I shaved off the top of a small Brie and baked it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350. I sautéed some cranberries, a shallot, 1 clove of garlic, some red wine vinegar, fresh thyme, and some Saskatoon honey and poured it on top of the baked Brie. We served it with a sliced baguette.
I AM THANKFUL FOR CHEESE.
I set the table, I even got to use the glasses I painted for my Mom last Thanksgiving.
I AM THANKFUL FOR SO MANY AMAZING FAMILY MEMORIES.
For dinner we had homemade Caesar salad, my delicious Feta/spinach/roasted red pepper muffins (seen here) and spinach caramelized onion lasagna.
Caramelized Onion and Spinach Lasagna
2 sweet onions, sliced
1.5 lb lean ground beef
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, pressed
2 cups ricotta cheeses
1 egg
¼ cup parsley, chopped
½ cup Parmesan
2 cups spinach
12 no cook lasagna noodles
2 cups mozzarella, shredded
4 cups marinara
Preheat oven to 375
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
In another skillet cook the beef over medium heat, breaking it all up.
Add basil, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic.
When cooked through drain any grease.
In a bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley ½ cup of mozza, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
Coat your pan with Pam. Start layering by adding a few tablespoons of marinara on the bottom of the pan. Lay 4 noodles down and top with half the ricotta mixture. Next, ground beef, onions, some mozza, then spinach leaves. Add 4 more noodles and top with more sauce. Repeat layers. Finish with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Mozza.
****I ran out of sauce and cheese… I would make sure to use 2 jars of marinara and the FULL 2 cups of cheese next time.
Bake covered for 30 minutes. Take off cover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let set for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
This IS the best lasagna ever. Ninja loves it! I make it all the time and it is so good. It even freezes well.
I AM THANKFUL FOR GOOD FOOD.
I AM THANKFUL FOR PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE.
HBear wanted to make presents for the girls coming for dinner so we made owls. I got the idea from my nextdoor neighbor. She dropped off the instructions and a paper towel roll in our mailbox last week LOL
I AM THANKFUL FOR GOOD NEIGHBORS. (HBear actually wrote that on a “secret” note and put it in 1 of the owls and delivered to our neighbor for Thanksgiving)
So what we did is:
We cut the paper towel roll into 4. Then we took wallpaper samples and glued them onto the rolls. We pushed down 1 side and the other to make a little “box”. I drew circles and she cut them out. We made 2 eyes, a belly and 2 wings.
Then we filled them with Thanksgiving treats!
I AM THANKFUL FOR GOOD FRIENDS.
