Polish + Italian = This

One thing I miss being away from home is having pierogies every other Friday. Sure, I could buy a box and make them myself, but it isn't the same because my dad drenches and fries onions in butter until brown. Soooo bad but sooo good!! I usually ask for it every time I come home. That and gyros. When I stumbled upon this recipe from The Cookbook Junkie, I knew it was perfect for my family. I made this recipe during winter break, but I finally got around to posting it. I adjusted the ingredients slightly because I didn't want to add cottage cheese. Although Paula refers to it as a casserole, I see it more as a lasagna. This probably isn't the healthiest meal to make because of the butter, but it would make a great addition for Lent.

I really need to organize my bookmarks, almost as much as I need to organize my cookbooks. lol

Also, my package from Marye arrived today!! I bet the mail room was jealous because of the smell. I'll be posting a review after I try everything, hopefully next week.


Pierogie Lasagna




9 lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onion

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles for 10 minutes or until flexible. Do not cook throughly because it will cook more in the oven.

2. Melt 1/4 cup butter. Spread on the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch pan. Place 3 noodles on bottom on pan. Combine cheese and potatoes. Spread 1 1/2 cups on top of noodles. Top with 3 more noodles. Spread remaining potato mixture on top. Cover with remaining 3 noodles.

3. Saute onions in remaining 1/4 cup butter until golden brown. Pour on top of lasagna. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes for easier cutting.

Makes 8-12 servings, depending on size of each piece.

Source: Modified from The Cookbook Junkie

This Is So Going In My Dream Kitchen

I have plenty of recipes to add from Christmas break, but I haven't gotten around to typing everything out yet. But in the meantime, I am so adding this spice rack to my dream kitchen someday. Maybe it'll go nicely with a cookbook book case. Ooo I know!! I can get one of those walk-in closets, but instead of clothes, it would be cookbooks and pantry items. Haha I know, I'm a dork. Hopefully my future husband loves food as much as I do.

Eek, I've been tagged!!

I never thought this little blog would be popular enough for me to be tagged in a meme, but Megan had be kind enough to include me.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
1998: Hm, well I was 10 years old, so I wasn't doing much. I was in 5th grade, so I was taking clarinet lessons, participating in a stamp club, and getting ready for middle school.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Getting ready to study abroad in Ireland.

Five snacks you enjoy?
1. Carrots
2. Cheese curls
3. Chocolate
4. Crackers (not saltines)
5. Cookies

Anybody else noticed they all being with c? LOL

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to?
1. Way Back Into Love from Music and Lyrics
2. She Rides Wild Horses by Povertyneck Hillbillies
3. Go Crazy With My Heart by Povertyneck Hillbillies
4. Mr. Right Now by Povertyneck Hillbillies
5. Lullaby by Will Bowen

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
1. Take my dad to Naples, Italy for what would've been his dad's 100th birthday in 2009.
2. Travel the world with friends and family..
3. Buy an RV.
4. Pay off family debt and student loans.
5. Go to film school.

Five bad habits
1. Too much sugar
2. Too much caffeine
3. Procrastination
4. Not answering the phone
5. Not blogging when I have a new recipe

Five things you like doing
1. Baking
2. Cooking dinner
3. Blogging
4. Travel
5. Grocery shopping

Five things you would never wear again
1. Pink and blue corduroy pants (not kidding, I owned both)
2. Mini skirt with boots (at least have the skirt at knee length)
3. Bright blue eye shadow
4. Band uniform
5. Suit jacket (although I have to. I hate it)

Five favorite toys

1. Laptop
2. Digital camera
3. MP3 player
4. Espresso maker + grinder
5. DVD player

Ok now I am tagging:

1. Anna
2. Anj
3. How To Eat A Cupcake
4. The Delectable Word
5. Eat Me, Delicious

A Way To Start The New Year Right

Ok, so technically this recipe is what I made for Christmas Eve dinner, but I haven't gotten around to posting it yet. And since The Weekend Cookbook Challenge's theme is veggie meals, now is a good time to post. This lasagna was made by me, sorta. I took my mom's meat lasagna recipe and subbed spinach and mushrooms for the meat. Another great dinner for a veggie lover's menu.

Also, I'm doing a search for internships in video production. If anybody can hook me up with somebody this summer, preferably in the Pittsburgh area (although I'm willing to travel if housing is arranged), please send me an email at mooseymoosecc[at]hotmail[dot]com. The changes of anybody helping me in the food world is very slim, but it's worth a shot. I had an offer, but it'll depend if any films are being made this summer. I haven't heard back from any tv station yet.

Wouldn't it be cool if I could help produce or even edit shows on Food Network? Especially Iron Chef America. It's amazing how many camera angles they can get. I would ask them for an internship, but that means living in NYC for the summer. I wouldn't mind that, but I doubt I could rent an apartment for three months, nor could I afford NYC.


Spinach Mushroom Lasagna




9 lasagna noodles
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and patted dry
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
16 oz ricotta cheese
6 slices mozarella cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups spaghetti sauce

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil noodles for 10 minutes or until flexible and somewhat chewable. You don't want to cook them completely. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking process.

2. Saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in spinach and mushrooms. Add ricotta cheese. Stir until hot.

3. Spread 1/2 cup sauce onto the bottom of 13x9 pan. Place 3 noodles on top. Divide 3 slices of mozarella cheese in half. Place over top the gaps between the noodles. Top with half the spinach mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on top. Repeat once.

4. Place remaining 3 noodles on top. Spread rest of the sauce on top. Top with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Cover in foil. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Source: My family

A Little Late In Posting, But Oh Well

This really is a holiday recipe, but I suppose it could be made any time of the year. Every year, we bring out our pizzelle maker and go through a couple of batches. This year, I decided not only to make vanilla, I would also make chocolate.

For those of you who don't know me well enough, my absolute hated ingredient is anise. I can't even stand the smell, let alone the taste. Traditional pizzelles are made with anise extract, but I won't go near the stuff, so I use vanilla instead. You can experiment with different extracts, but our family sticks with vanilla and chocolate.



Even the cat wanted some. He even ate a piece.

Pizzelles




1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (only for chocolate pizzelles)
1/2 tsp. baking powder

1. Melt butter. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. In a large mixing bowl mix eggs and vanilla. In a separate mixing bowl sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and cocoa (optional) together. Add melted butter to the egg mixture; beat together. Add flour mixture and mix well.

3. Warm up pizzelle iron. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions. Mine take 30 seconds for each batch.

Source: Pizzelle iron's instructions

Happy New Year!!

Wishing everyone around the foodie world a happy 2008. I encourage all of you to set five food/drink challenges to complete this year. Mine are:

1. Make espresso-based drinks as good as the coffee houses - I want to be able to make lattes without spending $3 each time and without leaving my house.

2. Make Baked Alaska - I have made one before, but that was...3 years ago?

3. Eat something new - Let's see, in 2007 I've eaten kangaroo, springbok, and goat.

4. Bake a pie from scratch - That includes the dough crust.

5. Bake biscotti - I may be Italian, but I've never made biscotti.

A big thank you goes out to Marye of Kettle and Cup because I won her big giveaway. Not only do I get some of her custom-made coffee, I also get a few of her favorite things.

Also, I'm going to be a bridesmaid in January 2009, and I agreed to bake cookies for the wedding to cut down on catering costs. I'll find out for sure later how many people will be attending, but I'm thinking 80-100 people. I have one year to gather my cookie recipes. Preferably ones without nuts because I don't know who has food allergies. I'm thinking one tray of basic cookies such as chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar, snickerdoodles, etc. and one tray of fancy cookies. If I need a third tray, then maybe I'll do a nut tray so I can include peanut butter. What do you think I should make for the wedding?

And I love Michael Symon as the new Iron Chef, but damn he laughs too much. I'd love to meet him. And everyone else on Food Network, even the runner-ups in The Next Iron Chef and The Next Food Network Star.