Honey, I Shrunk the Lasagna

What other one-dish meal is as versatile as lasagna? You can make it vegetarian, vegan, paleo, or clean (whatever the hell that means these days). In college, my best friends liked my lasagna, but oy vey was it a pain in the ass. I can’t imagine anyone who lives a busy life wanting to deal with that kind of prep work. So I have some tips and tricks that I have used to adapt my lasagna into something that suits me.

•       Oven-Ready Noodles: I cannot even tell you how much easier this makes it. Eliminates one whole prep step.
•       Cut the size. I used to make a 9x13 pan, but with just the Hubby and me, it made no sense to make that much. Now I make a 9x9 pan unless I’m planning to freeze half. Seems to work very nicely.
•       Use your leftovers. Red sauce is great refrigerator Velcro for any aging veggies or even leftover turkey meatloaf. You can even get cans of seasoned tomatoes at the store. It whittles the sauce-making portion down to negligible and it thwarts food waste. (PS- stick blender and no one knows about the spinach you slipped in there)
•     Skip the ricotta. Unless you absolutely love it and have to have it. It’s expensive and messy as all get out. I usually grab two bags of shredded cheese, one mozzarella and one Italian blend, and use that for all the layers.
•      Prep it ahead. For instance, since I’m unemployed (ugh!) I tend to prep for dinner in the mid-morning. I have more energy and find the cooking more enjoyable and less of a chore. But I know people who do this on a weekend as well.
•       If you are using eggplant in lieu of pasta, slice it length-wise, thin as you can, and salt it. Put it on a rack over a baking sheet and let it sit. The salt will pull out the excess water. Runny lasagna= calling for takeout.

So these are just things that I’ve done to improve my lasagna skills, since it is one of the few things I make that my hubby actually asks for (well done, me). I know all my hardcore traditional Italian folks are out there twitching at the idea of “fast” or “skinny” lasagna, but hey, what do you expect? I’m American.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

A Grill of One's Own

Once upon a time, many years ago, I had a house. It was smallish but it had a tiny patio on which I placed my grill. I wasn't a chef at this point in my life, but I knew how to grill. In Florida, that is how you cook in the summer time. It's too hot to crank up the broiler/oven and who wants to stand over a hot stove? Fast forward and four apartments later, I have learned to live my life without a grill. Being without one does not deter me from steak though. It just means I have to improvise.

The broiler is a good choice, but you have to keep your eyes on it, it can get a little carried away. Cast iron skillets are great, but mine is small. Enter: the grill pan. I bought this one for about $40 about two months ago. It's 13" with a good offset handle and low sides, so you can easily flip burgers or fish.

I bought a nice steak from the local market here and decided to try my luck with it. The only obstacle that needed to be overcome was the fact that the steak was thick, and by the time it was cooked to the center, the outside was going to be blackened. Not tasty. Grills have lids you close, basically creating an oven inside. My grill pan has no lid. What to do?

Solution: Cake pan. Square aluminum cake pan. Pop it on over the steak and it will contain the heat and create a mini-oven. Steak is medium rare in the middle, which is how I like it, and not charcoal on the outside. And that's a beautiful thing.

And so we have lovely steaks, even without a grill, and we lived happily ever after.

The End.