pumpkin lasagna (AKA lots of dishes)

I adapted a recipe I had for butternut squash lasagna with a pumpkin lasagna recipe I found online, here. 

This is also a good one to follow, this is where I got the escarole part and how long to cook it all. I would read these recipes first, since they are much easier to read than mine, but if you want to know exactly what I did here you are.

First, Chop up a clove of garlic. You'll need a lot, so I used the cheater kind from Costco, already chopped and ready to rock.

Garlic Béchamel sauce is next:

 In a medium saucepan, heat 8 TBLS butter until melted and bubbly. Add 1/4 cup chopped garlic until slightly brown. Now slowly sprinkle flour into the mix and stir (constantly) until smooth. You'll want to put about 5 TBLS flour total. Then, add 3 cups of milk to the mix, and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, but don't let the milk burn. It will probably burn a little. Its okay. Now, salt and pepper and then set this aside.

Pumpkin Mash:

On medium high hear, saute 1 heaping TBLS of garlic with 2 TBLS olive oil. Add crushed rosemary, a good pinch, and stir until the garlic is browned. Now take one can of pumpkin puree and add to the pan until you've stirred everything together and it smells really garlicky. Add a heap of salt and pepper to this and then set aside off the heat.

Escarole:

Lightly saute a good handful of escarole in 2 TBLS olive oil. Set aside.

Caramelize your onion:

Chop it up. I used a really big Walla Walla sweet, so there was lots of it. I used about 3 TBLS butter to caramelize and cooked it really slow, until its a nice golden brown and almost falling apart. Set aside.

Butternut Squash:

Peel and chop up your butternut squash. You'll need about 3 cups. Saute with 4 TBLS butter until just browned. Then add about 2 cups of butternut squash soup to the pan and continue to stir for about 5 minutes. Add sage (handful of leaves) and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then set aside.

Cheese:

Now its egg time. Get our your Ricotta (an entire container, bigger the better) and empty into a big bowl. Stir in 2 eggs, salt and a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside.

Okay, when the eggs are out, add 2 more eggs to your pumpkin garlic puree and stir in. 

Now its time to layer.

I used cooked lasagna noodles, only because I don't trust the no-boil kind. Anyway, boil your noodles and set in cold water before you are ready to layer.

In a giant lasagna pan, seriously there is a lot of goods going into this, pour a splash of olive oil into the bottom.

Layer in this order: 

noodles

pumpkin mash (1/2)
escarole

noodles

bechamel sauce

onions

noodles

butternut squash (all of it)

dollops of ricotta

noodles

bechamel sauce

the rest of the pumpkin mash (2/2)

noodles

layer of grated gouda and more ricotta

béchamel over that

noodles

If you have anything left over...  layer it up and end with noodles

Sprinkle parmesan over the top layer and 3 TBLS melted butter over that

Cover all of it with tin foil, bake 375 for about an hour, then take the tinfoil off, crank it to 400 and bake for another 15 to brown.

Delish!

xo

This pumpkin butternut lasagna was good. So good.

avocado baby

I miss living in CA., sometimes. Avocados I miss especially. And being hungry for toast and thick green slices on the sunny campus.

i heart cake

looking for a birthday cake for my grandpa's 90th in march...sending three choices, hummingbird cake, chocolate and chocolate peanut butter.

He's going to taste test and tell me which he would like more of ;)

the frosting I will use is swiss buttercream from smitten. I fucking love making giant birthday cakes!

I am thankful for...

cranberry sauce

recipes such as this

sweet charity

happiness, health, family, friends + love

happy thankful day everyone! xoxoxo

gnocchi mac + cheese?

sold.
click here for a bowl of pure deliciousness

dark + stormies

I am having some of my best friends over for supper on friday! Hand made pasta via smitten kitchen (this recipe really breaks it down), my own secret recipe for vodka sauce and for drinks... dark + stormies. I was introduced to these delicious concoctions a few years ago by two good friends from the east coast, and while we were on vacation at their beautiful lake house in new hampshire. Even though this cocktail is totally a summer drink, I think the dark and stormy weather we are having lately in the pacific northwest counts as a good reason.

also... check out these sexy pics

enjoy your neko, i sure do ;)

Sunday Love

It was such a beautiful day in Tacoma! Sunshine and summer... I spent the day in the garden, planted tomatos, lettuce, eggplants, pole beans and sugar peas... will post progress photos soon I hope!

In the meantime check out this amazing collection of prints amd jewelry at one of my favorite studios, Piano Nobile. Love it!



And what's for supper?

Let's start with desert, this beautiful spring cupcake via Cupcakes Take the Cake...
From New York's Magnolia Bakery, here is the recipe.

Okay, and dinner... I found this site via A Cup of Jo (which is a lovely blog, and I am jealous of her blogging skill!) But, here is the site, its called Sunday Suppers. Really gorgeous photos and all of the recipes make me want to put on my apron asap!



enjoy :)

near and dear

I love Portland. Every time I am lucky enough to have an excuse to make my way south, I am rewarded with finding new bakeries, delicate boutiques and smart outdoor tech shops. Such a great mix of nature and culture, still small enough to feel like its put there just for me. That feeling reminds me of this dress, which reminds me of finding something secret and fresh. Designer SarahSeven's elegant and totally woodland creature frocks hail from Portland where the label is inspired by ..."Old Hollywood Glamor, pearls, recycled fabrics, romance, nature, lace." Tres Portland.

Also, can't help think of my favorite beer, the dead guy ale, which also hails from Stumptown. Looove this brew, and on a warm summer day on an outdoor patio it does not get any better than this.

This is my family recipe for Caponata. I am going to make it for our open studios event which is on Friday. My family is from Cirella, a small village in Calabria, Italy. Cirella is close to Plati, and some of my family is from there as well.

Most of the food in Cirella is a mix between Italian and Greek, because of the heavy Greek influence. In Cirella, Griko is spoken, which is a hybrid language between the two cultures. However, Cirella is its own special place, and has a taste all of its own. This recipe is the Calabrian version of the dish, but there are many variations of caponata throughout the Mediterranean.

• 2 medium eggplants (cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or a bit more)
  
• 2 onions sliced
• 1can tomatoes (16oz) chopped with liquid ( I use overripe tomatoes instead of canned).
  
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced zucchini
  
• 1/2 cup sliced pimiento stuffed olives
• 1 can sliced ripe black olives
• 2 tbs. capers
• 3tbs.sugar
• 1/2 cup wine vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

In a large skillet, saute eggplant in very hot oil for about 10 min. or until soft and slightly brown. Transfer eggplant with slotted spoon to large saucepan. Reduce heat under skillet and saute onions about 3 min., adding a little oil if necessary. When onions are golden brown, add tomatoes and celery. Simmer about 15 min, or until celery is tender. Add olives and capers. Dissolve sugar in vinegar in small saucepan. Stir into eggplant. Cover and simmer over medium heat 30min. stirring occasionally. Remove from heat: cool. Refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature over crusty bread