Hearty Lasagna

1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped
2 links precooked chicken sausage, diced
1/3 c. 2% milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. pasta sauce
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425. Mix ricotta, basil, sausage, milk, garlic, pepper flakes, and salt in a bowl.

Spread 1/2 c. pasta sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Lay 2 noodles over the sauce. Cover with 1/4 of the cheese mixture and another 1/2 cup of sauce. Repeat with noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce 3 more times and sprinkle the last layer with parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes, until the top is golden.

This recipe is from Cook This, Not That.

All three of us enjoyed this lasagna. It was easy to make and quick in terms of lasagna. It woudl be easy to double if you needed it for a larger crowd. I did make a couple slight modifications. I bought uncooked chicken sausage at Sprouts (2 of them which are quite large). I think I got the "basil" flavored type. Before cooking them I sliced open the casing and just put the meat in a pan to brown. The recipe calls for "Muir Glen Basil Pasta Sauce". I just used what we have on hand, which was Ragu Chunky Garden Vegetable. I also used 1% instead of 2% milk because that is what we have at our house. I recommend the Barilla no-boil noodles. I've used the American Beauty brand for other recipes and think that for this particular one, the Barilla work better due to the fact they are the perfect size for an 8x8 Pyrex glass baking pan when laid side by side.

*Sorry no picture:( I'll try do get one when we eat leftovers!

"Boeuf Bourguignonne" Crockpot Style

2 strips bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 c. flour
Salt and Black pepper to taste
2 lb chuck roast, excess fat removed (cut into 1" pieces)
1/2 bottle dry red wine
2 c. low-sodium beef broth
2 T tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 c. frozen carrots
1/2 lb mushrooms

Preheat large skillet or nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating, combine flour, salt and pepper (I used about a T of each) in a Ziploc bag. Place meat in the bag and shake to coat.

In the preheated pan, cook the bacon until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside for later. Add the meat to the pan and cook just until all sides are browned. Remove the beef and add to the slow cooker.

When all the beef has been browned, add 1 c. wine to the hot pan and scrape up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Pour over the beef in the crockpot.

Mix the remaining wine, tomato paste, and beef broth. Pour over the beef in the crockpot. Add the bay leaves and bacon pieces.

Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 4 hours, until the beef is tender and falls apart when pressed with a fork.

In the last 30 minutes add the carrots and mushrooms. Discard the bay leaves before serving. Serve by itself, or over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

This is a recipe that I modified from my "Cook This, Not That" cookbook. In there it is called "French Pot Roast". The recipe calls for peas and pearl onions, and no carrots. I also modified the directions a bit to make it a bit easier to follow. A person could easily change the vegetables to suit their tastes or to try different flavors.

**My husband and I both really enjoyed this meal. We ate ours with mashed potatoes on the side. The next time I make this I will try cooking on low for 8 hours. The 4 hours on high was great, but it's hard to do that unless you're home. I use my crockpot for the ease of preparing dinner before I leave the house and being able to eat it when I get home. I will sometimes use a timer plugged into the outlet, but that doesn't work with my larger crockpot (since I have to push buttons instead of flipping one switch).

Pesto Chicken Florentine

2 T. Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into strips)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 (4.5oz) pkg dry alfredo sauce mix
2 T. pesto
1 (8oz) pkg dry penne pasta
1 T grated Romano cheese

Directions:
1.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute, then add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add spinach and saute together for 3-4 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, boil penne in salted water. Drain when done.

3.While the chicken is cooking, prepare Alfredo sauce according to package directions. When finished, stir in 2 T pesto.

4.Add chicken/spinach mixture to pasta. Stir in pesto/alfredo sauce mixture. Mix well, top with cheese and serve.

This recipe is from the website "allrecipes.com".

My husband and I both loved this (we didn't try to get our 2 year old to eat it, he had pasta with red sauce instead). You pretty much have to get the pasta cooking before starting the chicken. I found that my chicken cooked really fast and I had to wait for the pasta (though I started it at the same time as the garlic/chicken). As soon as the chicken is in the pan, start making the alfredo. This dinner is really quick (less than 30 minutes from start to finish). I happened to have some homemade pesto on hand so I used that. I also didn't buy the romano cheese. I justed used parmesean since I already had some in my fridge. Delicious!