Random thoughts
I've been cooking a fair amount at home, though it's nothing but the standard stuff I've been cooking over the last year. I guess the stress of a new job and planning a wedding is taking precedence over everything elseThe first batch invitations we're printing ourselves are finally done. We had to do them a little earlier to accommodate our overseas guests. They look pretty good I have to say, and I have to thank my brother for lending us his printer. Who knew embossed paper doesn't agree with laser printers? I almost had a heart attack when I saw the streaks of black ink on the first test print - I doubt the paper store would have taken back the 180 custom cut sheets of paper we'd purchased!Made chicken soup recently. I'm lazy so I use packaged chicken stock, which can be good if you find a decent brand. Sadly, the ones I've tried have been gross so I haven't found a suitable brand yet. Oh how I'm missing Swanson's Chicken Broth. Best stuff on the planet.I've paid a deposit on a dress. The problem for me was trying on a gorgeous US$6,000 dress in Saks when I first started looking - everything else I've tried on since doesn't come close. Anyway, I've found a suitable dress which I like, I love the fabric and the way it looks, but 6 months of eating and not going to the gym have rendered me a little wobbly in certain areas, so it is a little difficult to say I love it just yet. So yes, I'm on a diet now. Well, maybe not a diet, but I need to start going to the gym again. I doubt I can ever go on a full diet, I love my food too much!!
Irene's lasagna
J's mum made the most incredible lasagna for us when we returned from our trip to Italy. The fact that we had had pasta for almost 2 weeks non-stop didn't dampen the fact that it was the most delicious lasagna I'd ever tasted. She was kind enough to give me the recipe a few weeks ago and I've made it twice with terrific results. I usually make it on a Sunday night with a serving of salad, and we have the leftovers midweek, when you're feeling too lazy to cook!(The metric conversions took some getting used to again!!)Irene's Lasagna
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Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients:
1 lb (1/2kg) mince beef
2 onions, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tin tomato puree
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried herbs (like oregano or basil)
1 oz (2 Tbsp) butter
1 oz (2 Tbsp) flour
1/2 pint (1 cup) room temperature milk
Handful grated cheddar or Gruyere cheese
Ready cooked lasagna
1 -2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
You'll need a 2 pots, a saucepan and a baking dish.
Meat sauce:
* Heat some olive oil in a pot and saute half of the garlic and half of the onions
* Add mince and cook until brown. Add puree, cover and cook very gently for 10-15 minutes
Tomato sauce:
* Heat some olive oil in a pot and saute the remaining garlic and onions until fragrant
* Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and dried herbs and cook, uncovered for 20 minutes
White sauce:
* Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan, add flour and whisk 1 minute
* Add milk (I usually just add it all in one go), and whisk vigourously until thick (about 5 minutes)
* Remove from heat and add grated cheddar/Gruyere. You can add more milk if the sauce is too thick
Preheat oven to 170/180C (350F). Put a layer of lasagna sheets in the baking dish. Add some meat sauce and a layer of tomato sauce. Add another layer of lasagna sheets, the meat sauce (if any left), the tomato sauce and finally the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 30 - 40 minutes until brown and bubbly on top. I usually cover the dish with some foil while baking and remove it about 15 minutes before it's done.
