Slow Food Sunday ...

I am fortunate to live in a state that raises and grows so much food, putting a local meal on my table is just a matter of stopping by my farmers market and family-owned grocer. This lasagna is prepared almost entirely from locally grown and produced food. Ohio and Cleveland Rocks!

Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

3 zucchinis, shredded (leave on the skin)
1 candy onion, chopped with leaves
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1# Italian sausage
Gia Russa Whole Wheat Lasagna
Fresh mozzarella
Parmesan cheese
Cottage Cheese
OhioMom's marinara sauce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions, drain. Sautee zucchini, mushrooms and onions about 4 minutes, place in drainer to drain off any liquid. Combine cheeses in a bowl, set aside. (you will need at least 3 cups of cheese) Crumble and brown sausage, drain off any fat, add marinara sauce to sausage.

In a 9X12 baking dish, layer ingredients. Pour sauce, just to cover bottom of dish; arrange a layer of lasagna noodles; spread vegetable mixture over top; top with cheese and a little sauce. Continue layering, ending with noodles on top. Cover top with layer of sauce and freshly-grated mozzarella.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned.

Strawberry Sherbet ...

As the temps slowly climbed into the 80's today with high humidity, I decided instead of doing my usual whine I would make handmade sherbet. Strawberries are still available here in NE Ohio, so there was no guess to what flavor I would make. This is a very easy to make dessert, the hardest part will be in sharing.

Strawberry Sherbet

Recipe:

Cut up and lightly sugar 1 cup strawberries, set aside. Place large metal bowl in freezer.

Mix in a saucepan ...
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cherry-flavored gelatin

Stir in gradually ...
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup crushed strawberries

Bring to a boil. Cool. Stir in slowly ...
1 cup whole milk

Pour into large metal mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for one hour. Beat in chilled bowl with rotary beater until creamy. Fold in ...
1 egg white, stiffly beaten.

Return covered bowl to freezer and freeze until firm (2 to 3 hours), stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally.

Marinara Sauce ...

With rising food costs, I look for ways to not only cook nutritious meals but at a lower cost. One ingredient in cooking that I use a lot of in this household is Marinara sauce, so I was delighted to find a simple and tasty recipe recently in "Garlic, Garlic, Garlic" by Linda and Fred Griffith who are fellow Clevelanders. If you are a garlic lover like me, you will love this cookbook.

As I have mentioned on this blog in the past, when following a recipe I never hesitate to use what is on hand in my pantry. Thus I made a few simple changes to the original recipe with the ingredients I had and still produced a good marinara sauce to use with pasta, pizza and my flat breads. I portioned out the sauce into two-cup freezer containers to freeze for later use. As soon as tomatoes are in season here in NE Ohio I will be adapting this recipe using fresh tomatoes.

Marinara Sauce Recipe

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 candy onions with leaves, chopped fine
2 28 oz. cans plum tomatoes, with juice
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne
Kosher salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. baking soda

In large saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add garlic and onions, sautee until tender, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano and cayenne. Bring to boil, simmer 30 minutes. Add salt, pepper and baking soda. Blend thoroughly and serve.

Loosely adapted from "Garlic, Garlic, Garlic" by Linda and Fred Griffith

Spinach Fettuccine & Vegetables

Zucchini was available at the Coit Road Farmers Market yesterday and, of course, I bought several. After a long winter, it is wonderful to see vegetables and fruits coming into season here in NE Ohio. So what did I do with my bounty ? Well, Lucy of Sweets, Savories, Etc. blogged about her Cheesy Zucchini Squares yesterday and let me tell you this is a must try recipe. Grazie Lucy!

I also bought some fresh, spinach fettuccine from my local family-owned grocer and sauteed some veggies to toss with it. Yummy!

Spinach Fettuccine with Veggies

Recipe:

1 pound fresh spinach fettuccine
1 candy onion with leaves, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. butter
2 zucchini, sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
8 oz. snowpeas
Basil
Oregano
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Bring pot of salted water to boil. Over medium heat in a large deep skillet, heat olive oil and butter. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add remainder of vegetables and cook just till tender. Add basil, oregano, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cook fresh fettuccine about 3 minutes, drain and toss with veggies, grate Parmesan cheese on top.

Archana of Archana's Kitchen is hosting a One Dish Meal Event, this easy to make meal is my entry. Thank you for your warm invitation Archana.