Friday, October 25, 2013

My Forecast May Contain a Storm

This needs to be documented for the sake of argument. lol. Jordan and I are hopeful to become parents some day. Raising a family is a big goal for me. I know that there are many people struggle with having children and I pray that I don't have that burden to bare. With this preface, J and I often talk about raising our future kids and how we want to teach them. This morning Jord comes out of the shower BEAMING and explains to me that he had an epiphany in the shower. I completely thought it would be about anatomy, since he spends his days studying for that class, but the rest of the conversation went somewhat like this:

Husband: When our sons start dating I have the perfect guidelines for them.

Wife: (At this point I'm thinking about things like no sex ect. and date in groups) Yeah?

Husband: The first thing our sons will do when they date a girl is find out if she's a good kisser. This is my reasoning, you can get to know someone and take it slow and fall for them, but if you wait until then to kiss them and they are a bad kisser, you are stuck.

Wife: (rolls eyes) This is not happening

Jordan continued to argue that this was a good idea. The conversation lasted at least 30 minutes. Neither of us folded. I really hope he is just teasing me, but my logic tells me that he actually thinks this is a good plan. At least he is a good kisser;)



Monday, October 21, 2013

Weeknight Lasagna Roll-Ups

I don't know about you, but for me cooking can become a huge chore. Deciding what to cook is the worst part. I love to eat vegetarian, and although the husband pretends he likes it he is a carnivore. BIG TIME. I could eat a salad of kale, massaged with some salt, delicious feta and a chopped up apple and be in HEAVEN. J would look at it, pretend smile, and choke it down. I also feel like I am feeding an army of one. Jord and I like to stay fit, and that means burning a lot of calories. For Jordan's big muscles, this means he could eat three plates of food in one given meal. I hope you are empathizing with me at this point;) For my birthday I got lots of birthday $ and to deal with this food issue, I got myself a cookbook that i have been drooling over for some time.

The cookbook looks like an art project at this point, but I am really enjoying trying the fun new ideas. The book claims to have "more than 200 flavorful, foolproof recipes that cook in 30 min or less." The key word in this is "cook." They aren't always ready in 30 min. They have been super flavorful and yummy though. Tonight I made this...

Compared to my normal lasagna recipe, these roll-ups were a breeze! They would have been ready in a very rushed 30 min, but the first "oven proof" noodles (Great Value why do I always trust you?) weren't pliable even after doubling the cooking time. Lucky for me, I had another brand on hand. They cooked like a dream and coupled with a crusty side of garlic bread, the people in this house enjoyed their dinner. The recipe will follow, and if any of you want to barrow this new book of mine, let me know. I'm sure I could part with it for a day or two:)

Weeknight Lasagna Roll-Ups

8 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried)
1/2 t salt
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
3 T Extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely minced

1. Turn oven to 475. Place noodles and hot tap water to cover in 2-quart casserole dish (microwave safe). Microwave until noodles are soft, 3-6 min. Discard water and dry dish. Lay noodles in single layer on clean kitchen towel to dry.

2. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, 1/4 cup basil and salt in one bowl. In another bowl, combine tomatoes, oil, garlic and remaining basil. Spread half of tomato mixture in dried casserole dish. Spread 1/4 c cheese mixture on each noodle, roll, and arrange seam side down in casserole dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over roll-ups. 

3. Microwave, covered, until roll-ups are tender and heated through, 6-10 min. Uncover and sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over roll-ups. Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 5 min. Let stand 5 min. Serve. 

If you try it, let me know! I gave it 5 stars, but this is just a simple girls opinion.