Pepperoni-Provolone Crusted Lasagna

Yes, it's been quite a while since I posted up on here...this is basically my recipe blog now, where I'm going to store some good eats for everyone to enjoy.

There are approximately 17.9 trillion lasagna recipes floating around in cyberspace, and you might be overwhelmed because of this.  Don't be!  The more recipes you find, the more you realize that there's no one way to make this dish.  Rock it how you like it.  Once you get the basic concept down, you can change around the ingredients to your heart's content, to suit the preferences of you and your loved ones.

A'ight, here we go with our lasagna recipe.  We're going to lay out the ingredients in stages:  Noodles, Sauce and Assembly(Assembly requires cheese.  Lots and lots of cheese of many different varieties.  If you're not grinning at this, you might not want to follow this blog).

First, we start making the Sauce.  You will need:

@ 3# ground beef
1/2c chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp oregano
1 c water
1 bay leaf

For today's recipe, I used about 2.8lb pure ground beef, 85/15.  You can use about 2lbs beef and 1lb Italian sausage, or all sausage, or however you want to make it.

Fire up your cast iron skillet, dump in a good splash of olive oil and toss in the onions and garlic.  Saute that mix until the onions are soft.  Add your meat, whatever it may be, and brown it.  Add the next six ingredients and stir thoroughly.  Crack the bay leaf and place it in the center of the pan where you can find it later.  Cover and simmer for about one hour.

When 50 minutes have gone by, start making the Noodles.  You'll need 12 lasagna noodles; I generally make a couple more because I always end up tearing one or two.  Make them according to the directions on the package.  If you can't handle that, you might not want to follow this blog.  At this time, get your oven preheating to 350*.

Now we're going to perform the Assembly.  ( Yay cheese! )  You will need:

16oz ricotta
7oz shredded mozzarella
8oz shredded parmesan/romano
12 provolone slices
1 pkg thinly sliced pepperoni

Grease the usual 9x13 baking dish.  Throw down four noodles, layered.  Pull the bay leaf out of the sauce.

Cover the noodles with a fairly light layer of sauce, and cover that with ricotta.  Some folks swear by cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and that's OK.  Use whatever you prefer.

Throw down four more layered noodles.  Cover evenly with more sauce, mozzarella and parmesan/romano.  Once again, if you find a cheese combination you prefer, use it,  There's no right or wrong answer here.

Throw down the final four noodles , cover with the rest of the sauce.  Then layer the provolone slices over the lasagna and layer pepperoni over them.  Bake at 350* for one hour.

When it's done, let it stand for 10 minutes and serve.  If you alter this to suit your own tastes, especially if you've done something most folks wouldn't consider trying....I'd like to know!

Cajun Pesto Chicken

Do what?  Yes, it actually worked out very well, and it's one of those quick-and-dirty 10-minute recipes that you can pull off on short notice.

Serves two, multiply the ingredients as you see fit.

Take a chicken breast and slice into strips about the size of those on a chicken salad.

Season with Zatarain's or your favorite Cajun spice mix.  Cook thoroughly in a couple tsp. olive oil--about 3-4 minutes on high heat.  (Strips don't take much time.)

While this is going on, boil up a pot of water and drop in about 8 oz. of pasta.  I had some spinach linguine lying around, but you can use whatever style and flavor you prefer.  Even plain pasta will work--I promise I won't track you down and set your house on fire if you use it.  (If you're into Miracle Whip, however, we're gonna have us a talk.  Repent now.)

Once the pasta's done and the chicken's seared, drain the pasta, throw it and the chicken back in the pot and toss them with pesto.  Serve.

Sorry, no pics.  I came home from work and had to throw dinner together at the last minute, since my wife was doing something frivolous like pursuing her Bachelors' degree.  I know, I know, what a waste of time.  But this really turned out well, and I'd recommend giving it a shot if you have nothing better to do.

Should have done this in the first place

Well, Annie is now equipped with Kuryakyn forward controls, which I should have bought from the get-go instead of screwing around with that bargain-basement crap.  Still decent on the price, but much better quality.

 

It was also time for the 5K service, so while I was changing the fluids, I took the opportunity to replace the chrome primary cover with a wrinkle black one($150 on eBay.  Good deal).

I just didn't like the black inner primary coupled with a chrome outer.  Go all chrome or all black, but not half-and-half.  (I feel the same way about chromed Softail swingarms.)  For that reason, I also replaced the raw aluminum clamp that rests on a black riser...

...and the aluminum levers protruding from black control perches.

(Yes, my garage is a mess.  First World Problems.)

It may seem like a contradiction to leave the chrome access plate and derby cover, but it's not.  Those are accent pieces, not one half of a unit.  Once I get around to installing a belt primary, I'll probably do something interesting with those bits, but one thing at a time.

You get what you pay for...

So, as I posted a while back, I got myself a Harley.  She was beautiful when I bought her...

...but I wanted to make a few changes.  The turn signals are gone, replaced by integrated mirror LED lights...

...the barn-door windshield has been replaced by something sportier, the bars are now black T-bars with Avon grips...

...the wimpy Fox shocks were ditched in favor of stouter (and lower) Progressive Suspension units...

...the taillight is now a smoked LED box and the rear signals are smoked red LEDs at the ends of the fender struts...

...and I have forward controls.  Or, I should say, I had forward controls.

I figured they were a great deal.  About $280, and they'd bolt right up to my Dyna.  Yeah, well, they did bolt right up, but that was the best thing about them.

A couple of weeks after I put them on, I was riding to work, went to downshift and...nothing.  The lever went right down and stayed there.  Oh, crap.  I nursed it into the Maverick station with much swearing and clutch abuse, parked it and tried to figure out what happened.

OK, the pinch bolt on the lever worked loose.  No big, I'll just get that sucker tightened up.  I had a set of 4" grip pliers, so I clamped them on the bolt and gave it some muscle.  They did nothing but chew the bolt up.  I couldn't get enough grip to close up the gap properly.  I'd find out why later.

First things first, I had to get to work.  So I grabbed the linkage, put it in second and headed for the hardware store, powershifting by hand all the way and getting there seven minutes before they closed.  My tool bag now has a complete set of allen keys, which I should have had in the first place.  I cranked the bolt down, finally getting enough purchase, and headed to work.

So now the pinch bolt looks like the north end of a southbound dog.  I figured I'd get a new one and replace it.  This was the point where I should have left well enough alone.  Here's what these cheap Chinese pieces of junk ended up looking like.  Not only did the threads inside the lever strip out, but the splines rounded right off the inner lever!!

See all those dents?  That happened when I was desperately trying to close the gap by smacking the lever with the only tool I had:  a cheapo 4" monkey wrench.  I could see scratching the chrome, but flat-out denting the thickest part of the lever??  And now, looking at those splines, it's small wonder I couldn't get the freakin' thing to grip.

This is not metal.  This is chrome-plated cheese.  Until the Chinese get a handle on how to make actual steel, I'm buying American, thanks.  New forwards are on the way, and I'll post an update when they're on.

GenOne Penguins

RX: "It bothers me because the existence of a Gentoo penguin implies there was a Gen One penguin, and you never see them."
Me: "They were recalled for safety reasons."
RX: "They tended to explode?"
Me: "No, they were twelve feet tall with razor-edged beaks and cranky dispositions."
RX: "That explains why expeditions to the South Pole used to be so dangerous."

How penguins fly

Yes, in a sense, they actually do fly.  By supercavitiation--creating a tunnel of air around themselves underwater.  Amazing little critters!


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(HT BRM)

'Tis the season

I'm not arachnophobic.  I generally leave most spiders alone, outside of Black Widows, Brown Recluses and Wolf Spiders.  I don't really have an issue with tarantulas--in fact, I kind of like the creepy little hairballs.


However, when one crawls up out of the defroster and starts running around on my dashboard at 70mph, I don't like 'em that much.  Yes, a bit of a freakout occurred, I pulled over and commenced swatting at him, and he lost a leg before disappearing down the vents again.  Hopefully he left the premises, or at least died quickly.  It was only an adolescent, and I kind of feel bad, but you scare the humans at your own peril, dude.


Funny how this has never happened to me before, and now, right around Halloween?  Try and tell me I didn't just get punked by God.  :)

Enjoy the Silence

Depeche Mode taken to a whole new level.  Have some tissues handy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-5yXA6jiCZg

A dose of truth

Guys, are you desperately trying to get laid, without success?  Or, maybe you're successful in your endeavors, but it just doesn't seem to be satisfying?  Heed the words of this gentleman:

If you want to get laid, reverse this concept and instead, choose to be a gentleman. It pays dividends in the long haul. Everyone is trying to get laid. In fact, most girls are completely aware of this stereotype. Do you know what will throw her for a loop? Well, I believe a guy who genuinely desires building a connection, as opposed to getting laid will be different. 

I know, I know. I completely get it. To have sex with 1,000 women sounds like winning the sexual lottery, ten times over. In case you have never heard the saying, pardon my French, but I cannot count the number of times I have heard that new p**** is better than old p****. However, I will tell you from personal experience something many will have difficulty understanding, unless they have discovered a love such as mine: the mere sight of my wife’s hand gliding through her hair is an act, which eclipses all of the body exploration experiences from my past. Her hair stroke drives me that crazy. 

How is that possible? Every gesture she makes and her very presence triggers a positive memory. With this memory, I enter a sense of euphoria and while in this state, I am always in a mental realm of arousal. In this state, there is no other sexier, more beautiful and able to trigger a similar reaction. In summary, I will agree that having sex with 1,000 women sounds epic, but it pales in comparison to being in love with my wife.

I am no gentleman.  I've been around the block...let's just say, a lot.  So I can tell you from experience that this guy is spot on.  Being with one woman whom you truly love more than anything, beats banging a thousand women that you really didn't care much about when all was said and done.

Time flies...!

Mea culpa, I haven't been keeping up on this blog as much as I wanted.  But I had to share my 3rd Anniversary gift:

For those who don't know, Cardhu is the base of every Johnnie Walker blend.  It's a truly awesome whiskey, and my lovely wife sought it out for me just to be that wonderful.

(As an aside, part of why I haven't been updating is that I couldn't post pics for the longest time.  I figured out that I have to use Chrome, whether I want to or not.  Grr.)

Midlife Crisis

Yep...after riding Jap bikes for almost 30 years, I finally did it...I'm a Harley boy now.  '97 Dyna Low Rider with 11,000 on it for $5500.  Pretty nice score!

When Gleeks go off

Yes, Jen's a Gleek.  But the way the show's gone downhill lately has her about to give it up.  Especially tonight's episode.  I'm sitting at the computer and I suddenly hear:

"Omigod!  You didn't just jump the shark...you jumped a whole mess of sharks!  And then got torn apart and eaten!"

Is it possible to actually sprain something laughing?

Mashed Cauliflower and Cajun Parmesan Chicken

Let's have dinner! 

I got the original mashed cauliflower recipe from Albert Burneko at Foodspin.  He cusses a lot, but that's because he's one of those East Coast city boys who's trying to compensate for the fact that he actually lives there by choice.  Whatever--the dude can cook.  I've tweaked his recipe a little because that's how I roll.

I started with orange cauliflower, since it was on sale, tastes the same, and has lots of that Beta Carotene that us old folks need in order to put off the day when we run our Cadillacs into the side of a building because we didn't see it.  On top of that, you'll need whole milk, or heavy cream, or evaporated milk(which I went with).  Also, a heapin' helpin' of cream cheese, some black pepper, a whole mess of grated Parmesan and a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic because, garlic.  Preheat the oven to 400.

The first thing to do is shave all the leaves and trunk off the cauliflower(which I swear has been genetically altered to be fully half leaves and trunk), and then chop it up into sections, which will reduce your steaming time.  I realized, just before I started, that I did not, alas, have a steamer pot.  However, I do have an electric wok, a large pot screen and some water, so with a bit of redneck engineering, I had it steamed in a little under 30 minutes.

Now, let's toss our steamed cauliflower in the blender with the rest of the ingredients:  about a cup of milk, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, a dusting of black pepper, a pinch of salt and the garlic.  Blend to a smooth consistency and pour into a baking dish.  Break out some grated mozzarella or whatever cheese crust you fancy, and top your cauliflower with a layer of cheese, a bit more black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  Bake about 20 minutes, or until the surface starts to brown and bubble.

(Sorry about some of the blurry shots--my camera's apparently decided to be slow on the uptake at random.) 

Now the Cajun Parmesan Chicken.  Ramp the oven up to 450, and break out your chicken.  I'm using tenderloins, but any Boneless Skinless Chicken Parts will do.  You'll need some grated Parmesan, some bread crumbs of some sort--Panko, Italian, Plain, whatever--and Boar's Head Remoulade, which I picked up at Fry's one day and decided I'd better do something with.

(Ignore the beer, it has nothing to do with the recipe...it was what I was drinking when I put all this together.)  Mix equal parts Parmesan and bread crumbs.  Coat your chicken with the remoulade, dredge it in the bread crumbs, and toss it on a lined baking sheet.  Bake 15-20 minutes.

Jen gave it a thumbs-up, and we definitely have leftovers on the cauliflower, which will give us side dishes for the rest of the week.

A few words about beer-boiled brats

Now, let's get things clear; we're speaking of bratwurst.  German sausage.  Under no circumstances should you boil your children in anything, even if they did just wreck the new Benz.

Jen was all nostalgic for a taste of the Northland, so we did up some beer-boiled brats(pronounced "brahts").  For those who are curious about this delicacy, a few tips are in order, thus:

1)  Johnsonville is synonymous with bratwurst.  Period, end of story.  Ask anybody from Minnesota, Wisconsin or any other north-central state--if it ain't Johnsonville, it ain't a real brat.

2)  When beer-boiling, use a real, straight-up German beer, such as Beck's.  This will add something amazing and wonderful to the brats, known as "flavor."  Cooking with American corporate beer is on the level of using soda water, for all the taste it ends up adding.

3)  Use just enough beer to cover the brats in your pan/skillet/whatever.  Boil, covered, for about 10-12 minutes and they're ready to go.

4)  Brat purists top them with sauerkraut only, though some people consider relish and/or mustard to be acceptable toppings.  If you put ketchup on a brat in Minnesota, I'm pretty sure you can be legally shot.

It's a simple and hearty meal.  Give it a try sometime!

Playing with fire

So I got a birthday present from my wife...something I've wanted for years.

 

Yep, it's a welder.  It won't build a battleship or anything, but it's pretty good for anything I'd need to do.  Once I got everything set up, I decided to take a couple of lengths of scrap rebar and an old washer and make my first project.

 

It now hangs on my garage wall.  Thank You, Lord, for all the blessings You've bestowed upon me.  Please help me never to take them for granted.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

At a friend's birthday party last week, I came across a killer hors d'oeuvre, and just had to get the recipe.

Ingredients:

one bag of sweet peppers

1 lb.  bulk sausage
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
8 oz .cream cheese

 



Halve, core and seed the peppers.  Mix the cheeses and sausage together, stuff them with the sausage mixture...

...and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

 

 

Oh, yeah.  Good stuff right there!!

XIX

Remember these names.

Andrew Ashcraft

Anthony Rose

Christopher MacKenzie

Clayton Whitted

Dustin DeFord

Garret Zuppiger

Grant McKee

Jesse Steed

Joe Thurston

John Percin Jr.

Kevin Woyjeck

Eric Marsh

Robert Caldwell

Scott Norris

Sean Misner

Travis Carter

Travis Turbyfill

Wade Parker

William "Billy" Warneke

These are the 19 men who died fighting the Yarnell Fire.  Every one of them died a hero's death.

Take a moment to remember and pray for those who stride boldly into hell on behalf of the rest of us.

May the Lord bless and keep your souls, gentlemen, and may He watch over your families and friends in this their time of grief.

Bach in an entirely new context

This is absolutely epic.

Another night at home

Jen:  There's a T-shirt of Schroedinger's cat vs. Pavlov's dog.

Me:  Who won?

Jen:  Looks like the cat.

Me:  But, being Schroedinger's cat, we don't know if he won, really.

Jen:  Well, we don't know until we check, but until then, he has both won and lost.

Me:  This is why I love you...!