Vegetable Lasagna

Trying to eat better....Maybe try this! I made this for a lunch a few weeks ago and it was a hit. Jason told me that the clients were a little hesitant but after they tasted it they were pleasantly surprised that it was so good. Usually people think vegetable....no flavor. I saw a recipe for a Veggie Lasagna in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook but it called for a lot of previously frozen vegetables. I thought we could do better than that so I improvised! I decided to use fresh ingredients and sauté them for some much needed flavor.

Here is my recipe:



10-12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (3/4 cooked)

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups low fat cottage cheese

1 15 oz container of Ricotta cheese- I used part-skim

2 1/2 cups fresh sliced Cremini mushrooms

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

6-7 oz of baby spinach

2 large heads of broccoli

1 cup shredded carrot

1 cup parmesan

1 8-oz package of mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Panko breading

2 TBS of parsley



What I did was coat a large stockpot with olive oil and let it get nice and hot. I added the onion and let it sweat for about 5 minutes and then started to sauté all the veggies. I added S&P to taste and let it all cook together. Meanwhile, I combined all the cheeses (except the mozzarella), the egg, Panko, parsley, and S&P. After all the veggies were all soft and delicious I layered the noodles, veggies, and cheese. Top all layers with the mozzarella. I let it cook in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes until nice and golden brown and bubbly. Super delicious!



If you have any question let me know!



Have a wonderful week,



Cecilia

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with a Lemon Glaze

I decided to make these cookies as dessert for my dinner guests this week. I will be doing a lot of cooking and I wanted a dessert that can last through a few dinner parties. Of course this recipe is not my own and I must give the chef her thanks. So, thank you Giada!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients


Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.



Cookies:



In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.



In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.



Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.



Glaze:



Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.



I will post some pics of the final product as soon as possible.

Have a wonderful week,

Cecilia

Coconut Macaroons

I LOVE a good Coconut Macaroon. I actually prefer it drizzled in chocolate....a lot of chocolate. As I was feeding the baby today and feeling particularly uninspired, Ina Garten was effortlessly whipping up a batch of lovely Coconut Macaroons on her show. They looked so good and I just had that feeling… the "I want macaroons right now" feeling. I decided to go through the cabinets and gather ingredients. I figure all I can do is try and if I mess up, I bet they will still be good and no one needs to know but me and well, you.


I also decided at that very moment that I want to try and expand my recipe horizons. I want to try new and more difficult recipes that will test my culinary know how. Depending on how busy I am I would love to try a new"out of the box" recipe a week. So, in that spirit here is recipe #1 courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa.


Ingredients



14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.


I'll let you know how they turn out!

Cecilia

Greenling

I was introduced to this fabulous website the other day thanks to another fabulous website, Groupon. I love getting a deal or even just feeling like I get a deal for that matter. Most of the time I am not because I am just not that darn savvy. As a matter of fact, I am going to write that down on my things to work-on list. Anyways, about Greenling. I recieved a $25 coupon for $50 worth of amazing organic or sustainable food from this cool website who delivers. I love, I think I may have said this a time or two, using fresh from the garden and organic food. To me it just tastes different and it makes you feel so much better. Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I just felt some sort of duty to eat better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you can find pictures of me stuffing my face with Whataburger French Fries or pizzas by the box but I really try. I also watched the movie Food Inc. and I watch way too much Oprah, so I felt inspired to slowly change the way my family eats. I also just love food so trying out great food seemed like a no-brainer. 

Tuesday I made my order and by Friday my Greenling box was waiting for me on my doorstep. I was so excited. I had ordered bone-in ribeyes, quinoa, veggies, and the Farmstead Box. The Farmstead Box was supposed to have local and non-local artisan favorites. This box just so happened to have fresh homemade pasta, 2 of the most lovely smelling and tasting french loaves, some kind of woodsy cheese, and this amazing Sesame Garlic dressing. The best thing was knowing all this food we were eating was supporting local farms and we actually knew were our food was coming from. Sorry, not trying to get all hippy on you or anything.

Saturday and Sunday I went to work creating meals made of most of my new ingredients and this is what I came up with.

This was Saturdays dinner.

This was the most delicious bone-in ribeye I have ever had. I simply seasoned it with salt and pepper and threw it on the grill. About 4-5 minutes on each side and it was medium-rare perfection. The fingerling potatoes also came from Greenling and I just dressed them in olive oil, S&P, and thyme. I have never made artichokes and I really haven't had one since I was a kid so they threw me for a loop. I was pretty much confused by them all together. Jason looked at them like they were some some sort of alien creature and was even more upset when I told him that we were having these awesome looking vegetables for dinner. Thank goodness he is such a sport and always tries what I make or he wouldn't eat anything but Totino's pizzas. So, I steamed the suckers and made a fancy sauce of mayo, my new sesame-garlic dressing and lemon juice. Not bad! Jason was not a fan of them because he said they were too much work and I have to agree so any ideas are so welcome! :)

Sunday night I was really looking forward to the fresh pasta and the bread, I told you I come from a long line of carbaholics, right? I set out to try and create something since I hadn't put much thought into dinner until we were all starving. I hadn't set out any meat so I had to tell the ol' hubs the worst news possible, there would be no meat in tonights fare. I had a left over yellow bell pepper, spinach (of course!), the onion, and plenty of olive oil, parmesan cheese, and garlic. I started by carmelizing the bell pepper and the onions. It takes a little while but so worth it.

Then I added the spinach....

This was the pasta, it was a little spicy so I'm guessing it had red pepper flakes in the dough. Pardon the terrible picture.

Yes, I know I should have taken a picture of the actual pasta but I have a 9 month old and my brain just doesn't work like everyone elses.

AND...... finally, time to EAT!!!

It was truly delicious. So delicious in fact that Jason asked for seconds. Incredible! AND, it didn't have a single dead animal any where near the plate! I could of passed out.

 It was really satisfying too. The carmilized onions and yellow bell pepper added a sweetness that really matched the subtle heat of the noodles. DELISH!

I really can't wait to experiment again and try out some new dishes. This was an amazing weekend and I really look forward to this week coming up. I have a new client and I really have my work cut out for me so I have a lot of work to do! Wish me luck....

Till next time,

Cecilia

Something More

What a great week so far! I feel like I have no idea where it's gone...Where are you week? I feel so very bittersweet about the weeks, months, and years flying by like this. On one hand, we get the weekend/family time here fast and on the other hand it means the faster Brayden grows and the older I get. Don't get me wrong, I love watching Brayden grow but for goodness sake boy, SLOW DOWN! I just know he is going to be walking any day now and then it's over for me. I will never sit down or for that matter see my baby be a baby ever again. I fear the day that he no longer needs me and that day is inevitably approaching.

On the business front, the time passing means more experience and jobs. I am so excited about the things to come. The possibilities are endless! On that note, that brings me to the headline of my post. The Sugarland song,
"Something More",  has really stuck with me. These are the lines that spoke to me:

I could work my life away, but why?

I got things to do before die

some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate

I believe that happiness is something we create

You best believe that I'm not gonna wait

'Cause there's gotta be something more

What it said to me was that I have to take my life in my hands and do with it what I can. I have recently had the chance to expand my "business' and possibly take on more clients than just the one who can't fire me. Now, this just scares the pants off me. Why would I want to take a chance and fail? Why would I possibly think I can do this after only being in the business for 2 months. Jason and I had a talk the other night and we had to talk about taking this business to the next level. We had to ask ourselves important questions like, "is this what we want?", "what could we do with this?", and more importantly, "is this what I want?". I had to really think. This would be huge, lots of work, and dedication. All I do know is I like to cook and I know that this is all I really want to do. Luckily Jason loves business. So I can stick to what I do best.

I guess this means we will be jumping in this fire and becoming a full fledged baby business and heck, what's the worst that can happen?  Fail? Yes, it's very possible. Would I hate myself if I didn't take the chance? Absolutley.

Anyways back to the fun stuff, I made some great looking trays for a client meeting this week. They came out wonderful and I am so proud. Take a look.

These were some good last minute wraps that I threw in as a taste test. I thout they were so good so I needed feedback. I really loved doing these party trays and I would love to try out more. I thought they were 1,000 times better than the last ones.

We had some great dinners this week and if I ever own a restaraunt one day I fully plan on adding the quesadillas I made last night. Monday I made Herbed Chicken with Orzo. This was definitely not one of my faves. Too much parsley equals HOT MESS. Literally. Who knew parsley could create some heat? I always thought it was some garnish herb, WRONG. Do not underestimate parsley. It comes packin'. Tuesday was Salmon Florentine with Rice, Walnut Pilaf. So good. The recipe came from a really good cookbook I have called So Easy by Ellie Kreiger. She is a chef on Food Network but is also a nutritionist and mother of 4. There are a ton of easy, fast, full of flavor and lower fat recipes. I modified this recipe a little and it came out so yummy.

That pale looking poridge thing is mashed red potatoes. Not attractive but pretty tasty.

 Wednesday, I was this close to going to Chic-Fil-A and pulling out my hair when Jason and I could not figure out what to eat. I offered to make spinach and mushroom quesadillas but the carnivore also known as my husband  shouted, "WHAT ABOUT THE MEAT? NO MEAT? NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Oh for heavens sake. I had thankfully defrosted some chicken (I heavily advocate buying in bulk and using Ziplock freezer bags with the little pump thing) the night before so I went to work. I had spinach, cremini mushrooms, a red pepper, left over corn, scallions, sun-dried tomato tortillas, and swiss cheese. I know it sounds wierd but the jack cheese went bad and I had to use what I had. For a hodge-podge of a meal it was freakin' g-o-o-d! I also added a little chipolte spice and it added a little kick. I'm tellin you, on the menu at my future restaraunt.

 

Thank you so much for the support I have been getting lately, you have no idea what it means to me. To be following a dream while having the support of peers and loved ones makes it that much more meaningful.

I look forward to updating you on what I am going to try and concoct this weekend after my Greenling box gets here tomorrow. I have organic ribeyes, quinoa, fingerling potatoes, challah bread, and a Greenling Farmstead box on the way. I'm excited! :) 

Till next time,

Cecilia 

Marketing Bags

Yesterday I had a fantastic oppurtunity to help out a dear friend who is an Austin apartment locator. I asked him, knowing that he has to market himself, if I could help and suprisingly he said yes. I felt that once being in the Apartment Industry myself, I might know what the office ladies would like. He took a chance on me not knowing what I could do or having any ideas, so I knew that I had to really step up. He really let me have free reign to try whatever I wanted.

I found some really cute gift bags on sale at Target and started to put together an idea. I wanted them to look elegant and I really wanted them to stand out. I was nervous because I didn't want this be the end all of this fanastic oppurtunity. So I went to work. Jason really loved my Dark Chocolate-Almond-Cranberry Mounds and they were so beautiful but yet simple to make so I decided they were perfect for these bags. They came out perfect, I realized where I went wrong the last time and they were so tasty.

I also made a few batches of chocolate chip cookies to add to the bags.

Here are the bags.

These bags were really fun and I look foward to creating many different varieties. Last night I couldn't sleep thinking up great ideas. I was thinking of coconut and almond, marshmallow and graham cracker, cranberry-cherry, I'm so excited. I also saw some really cute boxes online.

After I delivered the bags, I was pleased to hear that they were a hit! I have to go today to drop off cards and samples to all the agents that are interested in using this form of marketing for their business. I couldn't be more excited, thrilled, thankful, and ready to create some wonderful treats!

I couldn't close this post without showing off my little amazing, now 9 month old Brayden. Wow, it has been such a ride and each day gets better and better. We are so blessed.

Have a wonderful day!

Cecilia