Lasagna Cupcakes

Yes, it has finally arrived, Lasagna Cupcakes. Quick, easy, simple, and impressive.


For all you confused men (and women) out there, here is a recipe that you can do real quick.


What you need:

• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 36 wonton wrappers
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces Ricotta cheese
• (optional) basil for garnish

What you do:

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. I also use italian seasoning to give it more flavor, but you don't have too. Brown the beef and drain. Set this aside, you'll need it later.
2. Preheat the oven to at least 375 degrees (I use 400).
3. Use a cooking spray on a muffin tin (it's used to make cupcakes).
4. So now comes the fun part, the layering.
1. Wonton Skin - place in the tin, and press it down to the bottom.
2. Parmesan - sprinkle just a bit, followed by
3. Ricotta - then
4. Mozzarella
5. Meat
6. Marinara
7. Repeat (quick tip, once you place the next skin on, press down to pack down the bottom layers.
5. After putting on the final layer of sauce, place about 1 teaspoon of mozzarella and parmesan each on top.
6. Bake for about 18-20 minutes (edges should be cooked well). Take it out and let cook for 5 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the edge from the tin and remove.

All together this should take more than 35 minutes to complete.

Pesto for Two

One of my favorite things is Pesto. You can always by it in the markets, but I find that making it fresh always tastes best. Now I'm going to share a couple of recipes here, but they all fit in the same theme, Pesto.


If you search the web for pesto recipe, you're going to get a bunch of hits, but the basic recipe is generally the same, with a few changes here and there.


Basic Pesto Sauce

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 dash salt and pepper


Food Processor
Add the garlic to the food processor and mince. Next, add the basil leaves, pine nuts, and a dash of salt and pepper to the bowl of the processor. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in olive oil through the feed tube until all the ingredients are pureed.


You may need to stop the processor at this point and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to get every mixed together. Now add Parmesan cheese and mix it into the rest of the mixture. If the pesto is too thick, add a tablespoon of water.

Blender
Add all the ingredients (except salt and pepper) into a blender in the order above. Start the blender off at a slower setting then increase to the second to the fastest speed. Blend for about a minute.


You should have enough sauce to cover about 1 pound of pasta. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. This should keep for 2 - 3 days in the fridge but freezes well if you want to keep it longer.


Now that you have the pesto, you can make the meal, which consists of two three parts, the Pasta, the Veggies, and the Salmon.


Pasta is the simplest part...just cook it according to the directions on the package. Veggies as simple as well. I recommend a squash medley of some sort.


The salmon is what would/could take the most time to prep.


Pesto Salmon


1 Salmon Filet
1/4 cup of Pesto Sauce (just made)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 stick of butter

1 Lemon (or Lime)
Fresh Dill
salt and pepper


Pesto Butter
Take the butter and pesto and put it into a mixer. Mix until pesto and butter is thoroughly mixed. Set aside in the refrigerator.


Once you have made the Pesto Butter you can finish this dish. Take your salmon filet and place in a bake safe dish. For those that don't bake on a regular basis, the disposable trays. Pre-heat the over to 350º. While the oven is heating, sprinkle the salmon with the parsley flakes, salt and pepper. Place a lemon slice on the the filet along with the dill.


Cook covered with foil for about 20 minutes (or until cooked to desired).


Sever the salmon with the pasta and veggies on the side. Enjoy.