Sarah's Famous Lasagna

Lasagna  

Makes two 13"x 9" pans. 

Serves 18 large servings or 24 smaller ones.

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained.

Add 3 jars sauce 26 oz each. I use 2 tomato basil and 1 Four cheese Classico. Any would be fine.

I jar water.

Simmer in large pot.

Meanwhile mix in 2 batches each:

3 eggs (total 6 eggs)

1 15 oz tub ricotta (total 2 tubs)

16 oz shredded mozzarella (total 2 lbs mozzarella)

Use 1 full dipper sauce (about a cup) on bottom of each pan.

Layer dried noodles (no boil is best.  Just lay them in dried and crisp and they become soft in baking), 1/3 cheese mixture, 2 dippers sauce. Repeat twice.

Use total 4 layers noodles, ending with noodles and topping with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Can freeze at this point and thaw before baking.

Bake about an hour at 350 until bubbly. Bake longer if coming from fridge.

Let set 5-10 minutes before cutting.

To try: Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients
Makes 24

For cupcakes
2 c. cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Kosher salt
½ tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. roasted butternut squash or pumpkin puree
½ c. canola oil
¼ c. buttermilk
2 tbsp. fresh grated ginger root
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar

For frosting
4 oz. butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp. milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325º.

2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and set aside.

3. Mix pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, and ginger root, and set aside.

4. Whisk the egg with the sugars until creamy; add to the pumpkin mixture. Add the flour mixture until just incorporated.

5. Pour the batter into lined muffin tins, bake 20-25 minutes (or until cupcakes spring back when touched), and let cool completely.

6. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice, and salt; mix until combined. Stir in vanilla extract.

7. Frost the cupcakes, and then garnish with fresh grated nutmeg or toasted pecans.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

From Stop and Smell the Rosemary, Junior League of Houston cookbook - best dessert!!!

Crust: 3 cups oreo cookies crumbs, 9 tbsp butter (melted), 1 cup sugar

Filling: 4 8 oz packages of cream cheese, 1 ½ cup sugar, 6 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 ½ cup oreo cookies crumbs/large pieces

Combine cookie crumbs, butter and sugar. Mix well. Press mixture into bottom and 2 inches up sides of a greased 9” springform pan. Chill. Preheat oven to 300^o. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Carefully fold in broken pieces and pour batter into the crust. Bake 1 ½ hours. Turn off oven, open door slightly and let cool in oven for another hour. Remove from pan and chill before serving.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

(photo credits to Deb, Smitten Kitchen chef, baker, photographer, and mom extraordinaire, of whom I'm in complete awe)

I'm honored that Lauren has asked me to post favorite recipes to her blog! This awesome pumpkin brownie recipe comes from my favorite food blog (til now; I'm sure coup de cupcake will soon take that ranking!) - Smitten Kitchen.

Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar (the original recipe calls for the larger amount; I think it could be dialed down a bit)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Cut a length of parchment that will cover the bottom and two sides (makes it much easier to remove), and line the pan with it. Butter the lining as well. (Deb note: I used an 8-inch square, because it was what I had. It works, too, but the brownies are crazy thick and take much longer to bake, just to give you a heads-up.)
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
4. Pour half of batter (about two cups) into a separate bowl and stir chocolate mixture into it. If you find that it is a little thick (as mine was) add a little more batter (a few tablespoons or so) until it is more pourable. This is important because mine was quite thick, and the pumpkin half was quite thin, so I had trouble swirling the two together.
5. In other bowl, stir in the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set.
6. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Be sure to get your knife all the way to the bottom of the pan–I didn’t, and ended up with a chocolate base, not that it is such a bad thing. Sprinkle with nuts, if using.
7. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.