Lasagna-Stuffed Garlic Bread

I struggled a lot with what to call this recipe. The original title was “Crescent Roll Lasagna” but it’s not technically lasagna. Not that I’m, like, a lasagna snob or something.

It does have all of the elements of lasagna in it, though, minus the noodles. So I decided to call it Lasagna-Stuffed Garlic Bread, because that’s pretty much exactly what it tastes like. So, yeah: As you can probably imagine, it tastes pretty darn good.

Basically, it’s a layer of seasoned ground beef mixed up with some tomato paste, topped with a layer of jazzed-up cream cheese (you could also use ricotta or cottage cheese), topped with tons of mozzarella cheese, all wrapped up in crescent rolls that are doused with Italian-seasoned butter. Needless to say, this was a huuuge hit with everyone in my family, and Joe’s already clamoring for me to make it again. I think this will become a fixture in our house pretty quickly.

Lasagna-Stuffed Garlic Bread
adapted from The Peppered Pantry

1 package crescent dinner rolls
1 pound ground beef
1 medium chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Unroll crescent rolls onto a greased cookie sheet. Divide into two squares consisting for four rolls each; press edges together and set aside.

3. Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Reduce heat, add tomato paste, and cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, parsley, grated parmesan cheese, and a dash of black pepper. Set aside.

5. Spoon meat mixture down the middle of one square of crescent rolls, leaving one inch at each end. Spoon cream cheese mixture over meat and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining square of rolls and pinch edges to seal.

6. Combine melted butter, garlic powder, and remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Brush over the surface.

7. Bake 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Buttercream

It’s been a long week at our house. My littlest man has been sick (again), so no one has been sleeping and everyone is cranky. This is the first time I’ve even looked at my blog all week.

Since I don’t have a lot of energy left to devote to posting, I’m just going to share a recipe that speaks for itself. These chocolate cupcakes are filled with fresh raspberries, topped with chocolate ganache, and frosted with raspberry buttercream. What’s not to love? They’re rich, decadent, and delicious. I made them for a coworker’s birthday, and everyone raved about them.

They do take a while to prepare, so make sure you have a few hours free if you want to make them all at once. But you could definitely do this process in stages if you needed to. And they’re worth every single second it takes to make them!

Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Buttercream
cupcakes and buttercream adapted from Baked Perfection; filling and ganache from me

For the cupcakes:

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water (which I now realize I forgot to add…whoops! They turned out fine though.)

For the filling:

2 cups fresh raspberries
1/3 cup sugar

For the chocolate ganache:

1 cup heavy cream
1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:

2 sticks butter, softened
6 cups powder sugar
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup reserved mashed raspberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and water. Pour batter into lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, combine filling ingredients (raspberries and sugar) in a medium bowl. Gently mash raspberries, leaving some whole. Reserve 2/3 cup for the frosting, and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Make the chocolate ganache: heat 1 cup heavy cream over medium low heat until simmering. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir in a figure-eight motion until chocolate chips are fully melted. Cool slightly.

4. Make the frosting: Beat the butter and vanilla until creamy. Add a pinch of salt and reserved raspberries. Slowly add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

5. Using a knife, gently cut a hole out of the center of each cupcake. Add about 1 teaspoon of the raspberry filling to each cupcake and top with a dollop of chocolate ganache. When ganache has completely cooled, frost cupcakes. Refrigerate to preserve freshness.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 3.7.11

I've been doing a great job of planning my meals this year, but not such a great job of sticking with the plan. This is partly due to factors outside of my control, but it's also partly due to plain old exhaustion. We've reached that point in the winter when I'm just over it, it makes me really unmotivated to do just about everything -- including cook. So here's hoping that spring comes very soon!

Monday: Cheesy stuffed shells with spicy sausage tomato sauce, garlic bread (on the menu for the third week in a row, sheesh)

Tuesday: Steak fajitas with chimichurri and drunken peppers (carry-over from last week)

Wednesday: Pesto parmesan chicken, noodles, steamed broccoli

Thursday: Buffalo chicken tender sandwiches and fries

Friday: Taco salads

Saturday: Chicken cordon bleu soup (carry-over from a couple of weeks ago)

Sunday: Asian meatball subs with hoisin mayonnaise (carry-over from last week)

Pizza Macaroni and Cheese

I have a two-and-a-half-year-old and, like most kids his age, he has some very definite ideas about what he wants for dinner. Also like most kids his age, usually what he wants is macaroni and cheese, pizza, or chicken nuggets. But unfortunately for Andrew, I don’t cook these things all the time, and the rule in our house is you eat what’s put in front of you -- or you don’t eat. Some nights this is easier than others, but Mommy is stubborn, too, and Mommy almost always wins. :)

I created this pizza macaroni and cheese specifically with Andrew in mind, because it combines two of his favorite foods in a made-from-scratch, balanced dish. I snuck in lots of veggies -- mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes and onions -- so it would taste like a supreme pizza. We all really enjoyed this, and thought that the finished dish really did hit all the same notes as a big slice of pizza. It was definitely easy to get Andrew to eat his dinner the night I made this, and since I’m all about making things easier on myself, I’ll be making this one a lot.

Pizza Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound mini penne pasta
1 green pepper, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/4 cups mini pepperoni slices, divided
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
3 cups shredded pizza-blend cheese, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons pizza or Italian seasoning

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to directions on box; drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large skillet. Add green pepper, mushrooms, and red onion to skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until vegetables are softened. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 secons. Stir in tomatoes and 1 cup pepperoni slices; remove from heat and set aside.

4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly for 3 seconds. Stir in milk; heat to boiling and cook until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pizza seasoning. Reduce heat and stir in 2 cups of cheese until melted.

5. Stir cheese sauce and vegetables into pasta. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese and remaining 1/4 cup pepperoni. Sprinkle with additional pizza seasoning, if desired.

6. Cook under broiler until cheese is bubbly and pepperoni is slightly crisp. Serve.

Green Egg Candies

Did you know that tomorrow is Dr. Seuss’s birthday? Unless you have a kid in school, you probably didn’t. My sons’ daycare always celebrates Dr. Seuss for the entire week of his birth, with fun themed days like Silly Hat Day and Pajama Day. Today happens to be Green Eggs and Ham Day, during which they’ll march up and down the halls of the daycare reciting lines from Green Eggs and Ham. What I wouldn’t give to see that. I can’t even imagine how cute it must be!

Anyway, as a former English major who will do just about anything to inspire the love of books in my boys and their friends, I decided to make a little themed treat for them today. Last year I made these fun cupcakes, but this year I went for something even simpler than that: green egg candies.

If you have two ingredients and two minutes to spare, you can make these too. They’re beyond easy, and they’re such a fun little treat. These are a great way to get your kids interested in reading. You could even use yellow M & Ms for the yolks to make more traditional eggs.

I know I saw a yellow-yolk version of these on a blog, but it was a long time ago and for the life of me I can’t remember where. If you know, please let me know in the comments so I can give proper credit for the idea!

Green Egg Candies

6 ounces (half of a 12-ounce bag) white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
20 green M & Ms

1. Mix vegetable oil and white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments until fully melted and smooth.

2. Using a spoon, dollop 20 circles of white chocolate on a baking sheet lined with wax paper (they don’t have to be perfect circles; they look more egg-like if they’re not).

3. Top each “egg” with a green M & M yolk, slightly off-center. Refrigerate until completely cool.