KiKi and I like a lot of the same things, though we look nothing alike. She is tall and blonde, while I am stereotypically Asian-- short, with dark hair and dark eyes. But we both love to cook (obviously), play with puppies, do DIY crafts, drink wine, watch documentaries (seriously), dance to 80's music and, most recently-- we're both in love with aerial ribbon dancing, though neither of us is particularly good at it.
Aerial ribbon dancing is exactly as it sounds-- there are silks ribbons/streamers hanging from the ceiling, and we dangle and spin in them. The hope, at the end of our series of classes, is to be able to do something similar to this:
So graceful. Aerial ribbon dancing, of course, can be much more taxing and fast-paced than this-- think Cirque du Soleil-- but we're not delusional.
We're inevitably famished after aerial ribbon dancing class, so it should come as no surprise that we've rekindled our culinary romance.
"You Spin Me Right Round, Baby" Butternut Squash and Sweet Sausage Lasagnaa recipe by The Kitchn
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash (about 2-1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (or loose sweet Italian sausage)
1 pound fresh spinach
1 pound dry lasagna noodles
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Butter, to grease the dish
Directions
1. Cook the butternut squash. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel the squash and cut the neck into round slices, 1/4-inch thick. When you get to the bottom of the squash, slice it in half, remove the seeds and pulp, and slice each half into 1/4-inch thick half-moons. Place the slices on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to evenly coat. Spread the squash in an even layer and roast until tender, about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
2. Cook the sausage. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and, once hot, add the sausage to the pan. Once it begins to brown, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into small pieces. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until uniformly browned and cooked through.
3. Cook the noodles. While cooking the sausage, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the noodles and cook until al dente. Remove using tongs and place in a single layer on clean kitchen towels or, in multiple layers over drizzled EVOO. (The EVOO needs to be between each layer to prevent sticking.)
4. Blanch the spinach. Fill a bowl with ice and cold water, and place it near the stove. Bring the pasta water back to a boil and add the spinach. Cook until wilted and bright green. Scoop the spinach from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water bath. Once cool, drain the spinach, squeeze it of excess water, and then chop finely.
5. Make the bechamel. In a deep saucepan or medium pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking to combine smoothly. Add the nutmeg and salt and continue cooking, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6. Assemble and cook the lasagna. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Add a single layer of noodles, and spread about a fourth of the bechamel over top. Top with half the spinach and a third of the mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, a fourth of the bechamel, half the sausage, half the squash, and another third of the mozzarella. Add a third layer of noodles, a fourth of the bechamel, the second half of the spinach, the second half of the sausage, the second half of the squash, and the final third of the mozzarella. Add one more layer of noodles and the final fourth of the bechamel. Finally, sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano over the top of the lasagna.
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Bake the lasagna until hot and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. If you'd like, finish for a few minutes under the broiler until the top develops golden brown spots. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
I've started a new tradition of hosting Sunday Suppers—part of my 2015 vow to do things-- a la Jamie Oliver. It's fun and relaxing—I love having guests around the dinner table, drinking wine, laughing, unwinding. There are, however, a few challenges involved in planning and hosting, including, but not limited to, the following:
1. Space (meaning that only so many people will fit around my dinner table);
2. Quantity of food (meaning that it's difficult to gauge for and cook for even a small group of people);
3. Quality of food (meaning that I want to feed people well and do not, unfortunately/fortunately, follow the advice not to use your guests as guinea pigs);
4. Complexity of food/prep (meaning that time can be a serious constraint); and
5. One of my friends is a vegetarian, so I always try to make one main meat dish that everyone else can dig into and make sure there are plenty of vegetarian sides.
Today's recipe is amazing because it's delicious, super-simple, vegetarian, filling, and deceptively sophisticated. As anyone who has ever made pot pie entirely from scratch can tell you, pot pie is not generally an easy task, nor is it a particularly cute food. This, however, is both, and goes perfectly with a simple salad. (I served these with my "Pick of the Harvest" Butternut Squash and Apple Salad to start.) They would also make a great appetizer/finger food (if a bit substantial) for a bigger cocktail party.
"Simple Sophisticate" Veggie Pot Pie Muffins
a recipe by A Million Moments
I stumbled across this recipe, interestingly enough, not for a dinner party per se but because I am a huge nerd who wanted to celebrate "Pi Day." Yes. 3.14.15. But I'm known by my friends and have been for years as someone who tends to make a lot of muffins and cupcakes, not because I'm necessarily obsessed with them but because they are really easy to bring in to share. So, naturally, I took to the Internet to see whether it was possible to make pies in muffin tins. The answer is, of course, yes, but in the midst of my quest I also stumbled across these muffins, which really intrigued me because, despite my penchant for baking, it's savory foods, not sweet, that truly interest me.
Ingredients
2 cans Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits
10 oz. frozen classic vegetable medley (corn, peas, green beans, carrots, etc.)
1 can sliced potatoes
1 can cream of broccoli
shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dice the vegetables (bite-sized pieces) and put them in a medium-sized bowl.
* For simplicity's sake, this recipe called for (and I used) instant/frozen/canned vegetables, but of course you can saute a medley of vegetables simply in butter or olive oil, lightly salted, instead.
2. Add the can of cream of broccoli soup to the bowl and combine.
3. Prepare a surface to roll out the biscuits by sprinkling a bit of flour on top so the dough won't stick. Each biscuit in the can will make one muffin-- roll each biscuit into a 6-inch circle. Place the rolled biscuits into the muffin tin and add a spoonful of vegetables to each one. Be careful not to overfill-- keep the vegetables level with the top of the muffin tin.
5. Sprinkle a little bit of cheese on top, then pinch the excess dough together in the center to cover your filling.
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they're golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes.
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