Sriracha Popcorn | Friday Night Bites

Real butter, fake butter or no butter?  Microwave or stove?  White or yellow?  Plain or flavored salt?  How do you like your popcorn?  I prefer white popcorn that is popped in a large pot over the stove and lightly salted with a drizzle or two of real melted butter.  I pop it the old fashioned way over the stove, the way my Mom taught me and shake it in a paper bag to ensure the salt and butter distributes over all of the popcorn.

With the resurgence of popcorn onto the culinary scene; it has been claimed as the snack of 2013.  It is light, crispy and versatile.  Among the savory flavored popcorns - I have seen it dusted with various herbs, parmesan cheese, truffle, garlic, bacon, chili, lime, dill or curry.  The classic sweet variety is caramel and kettle corn.  Popcorn has gone gourmet!

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If you put on your creative hat for a few minutes, how many various varieties of popcorn flavors can you device.  I have to admit that my mind is spinning right now and the flavor combinations are exploding in my head right now.  No pun intended. Smile.   Don’t be surprised to see some of these flavors in future Friday Night Bites features.  Today I have for all of you a super simple yet incredibly flavorful combination.  One of my favorite, okay obsessions, is Sriracha sauce. Why not use it to flavor some freshly popped popcorn?  My thought exactly. 

The result was magnificent and addictive creation.  Perfect to enjoy with a glass of crisp sauvignon Blanc, dry bubbly or a chilled glass of beer.  A perfect Friday Night Bite in my opinion and hopefully yours too.

Sriracha Popcorn

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

½ Cup White popcorn kernels

Salt

Use a large stock pot with a lid to pop the popcorn.  Over a medium to high heat, add the vegetable oil and kernels to the pot.  Once the first kernel pops, add the lid and shake frequently to prevent burning.  When the popping has almost stopped, dump into a large paper bag and sprinkle with salt and shake.  Next add the Sriracha Butter to the popcorn and shake really well to ensure popcorn is well covered.

Sriracha Butter

4 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce

2 Garlic cloves, finely minced

In a medium sauce pan, add the butter and let it melt over medium heat.  Next add the sriracha sauce and minced garlic.  Stir until combined.  Turn off the heat and let the flavors meld for 5 to 10 minutes.  Pop the kernels while the butter is infusing.

Winter Minestrone Soup

Winter is still here.  For many parts of the country, it is more extreme than others.  Here in the Bay Area, it has been relatively mild, except for very chilly evenings.  You know what that means – time for soup.

There is something satisfying, gratifying and comforting about making soup.  The combination of flavors, the simmering and the beautiful fragrance that is exudes throughout the house is simply wonderful.  Recently I purchased the Ina Garten cookbook – “Foolproof, Recipes You CanTrust”.  And oh how I trust Ina.  She has honestly never steered me wrong.  I have collected all her books and adore each one.  Her recipes are straightforward, simply and extremely tasty. My bucket list includes meeting Ina one day in person. Smile.

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Her recipe for Winter Minestrone was no exception.  It was divine and the flavors were even better the next day. Honestly the only thing that I changed in this recipe was to double the pesto and added a parmesan rind to the soup.  It is a trick that I do with most soups.  The flavor is enhanced and the creamy salty quality is there.  Simply remove the rind prior to serving. You will want to decide if you want more or less pesto in the version you make.

The original recipe calls for it to be served with a garlic bruschetta which I opted not to make.  Instead, I was craving beer bread and whipped up a batch to serve along side this delicious soup.  Bon Appetite!

Winter Minestrone Soup

Olive Oil

4 ounces Pancetta, ½ inch dice

1 ½ C. Yellow Onion, diced

2 C. Diced Carrots

2 C. Dice Celery

2 ½ C. Diced and peeled butternut squash

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme leaves, chopped

26 ounce Canned or boxed chopped tomatoes

6 to 8 C. Chicken stock

1 Bay leaf

Salt and pepper

1 (15 ounce) can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 C. Cooked small paste, (Tubetti)

8 to 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves

½ C. Dry white wine

4 Tablespoons pesto

1 parmesan rind

Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, parmesan rind and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be quite thick but if it’s too thick, add more chicken stock. Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the spinach, and toss. Cook just until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste.

Serve large shallow bowls of soup. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and serve hot.

NOTE: To cook the pasta, put 1 cup of pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook according to the directions on the package, drain, and set aside. You can make this soup ahead and reheat it before serving. It will need to be re-seasoned.

Whiskey Apricot Meatballs | Friday Night Bites

Hubby loves meatballs.  They can be with or without sauce.  He just plain loves those little nuggets of joy.  He prefers my homemade ones but the mini party meatballs from Trader Joe’s work just fine too.  Of course, those need to be sauced up.  With the simplicity of the frozen variety, a great sauce is just what the doctor ordered. 

Since 2013 kicked off, work for both of us has been crazy busy and stressful.  Our Friday nights are sacred to us and highly cherished.  Recently we had some friends join us for our weekly tradition.  I wanted to go simple yet pack a “punch of flavor” and create my own sauce recipe.

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While driving to work, I often pass the time by creating new recipes in my head and then test them out over the weekend.  This recipe for Whiskey Apricot Meatballs was just one of those creations conjured up while in commute traffic.  The result was one tasty meatball.  Let’s just say that both hubby and friends were smiling.

If you want a quick and simple appetizer to serve for a cocktail party or simply watching your favorite sports game over the weekend, this is a winner. 

Whiskey Apricot Meatballs

12 oz. Jar of Chili Sauce

18 oz. Jar of Apricot Preserves

1/3 Cup Whiskey

½ Cup Dried Apricots, small dice

1 Lb. Frozen Meatballs (I used the Mini Party Meatballs from Trader Joe’s)

In a medium pot, add the chili sauce, apricot preserves, whiskey and diced dried apricots and heat over medium until slightly bubbling.  Add the frozen meatballs and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.  Serve in a bowl or in a small chaffing dish to keep warm.

Note:  Feel free to add additional whiskey if that suits your palate.

Lemon Scented Olive Oil Cookies | Secret Recipe Club

Spring seems to be in the air in the Bay Area.  The weather topped almost 70 degrees on Saturday.  Despite lemons being available year round in the Bay Area, I tend to associate them with spring, since they are bright yellow, fresh, and vibrant. 

Today is the reveal for group C of the Secret RecipeClub.  If you are not familiar with it, let me enlighten you for a moment.  The Secret Recipe Club is a group talented food bloggers who love to share recipes.  Once a month we are paired with another food blogger to select a recipe from their blog to make and we all post on the same day.  The really fun part is to see who received your blog and what they chose.

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For February I was paired with Manuela from Manu’sMenu.  The really fun part of this pairing is that Manuela had my blog in April 2012 and chose my Coconut-Chocolate Chip ShortbreadCookies.  Now it is my turn to tour her blog to select a wonderful recipe to make.  After many times viewing her blog, I finally made a decision to make her Lemon and Olive Oil Cookies.  They simply intrigued me. 

Manuela was born and raised in MilanItaly by Sicilian parents, which is a large part of why the direction of her blog is authentic Italian recipes.  In 2006, she relocated to Sydney Australia with her hubby Clint and raises their two daughters Victoria and Georgia there.  She loves Australiaso much, that she is now a naturalized Australian citizen.  Manuela loves traveling which influences her cooking along with her families Italian recipes that have been passed down from generations.  Please take a few moments to browse her extensive collections of tasty recipes – I am sure you will find several you will bookmark to make.

After carefully reading her recipe for these lemon and olive oil cookies, I determined I needed to translate it into measurements that folks in the united stateswould more easily identify with.  I adapted the recipe but kept the integrity of the ingredients.  Weighing ingredients is a very accurate way to bake and many may prefer this. This is a unique dough in that it is doesn’t use butter, which in turn makes it a bit greasy if you will.  When you roll out the dough, have plenty of flour on hand to keep the dough from sticking to your board and rolling pin.  The beauty of the olive oil is that you have an extremely tender dough and a rich unique flavor.  I decided to create a lemon sugar to top each cookie with to add a bit of sweetness along with more lemon flavor.  The result was one divine cookie!  Enjoy!

Lemon Scented Olive Oil Cookies

Makes approximately 30 cookies

8 fluid oz. Olive Oil

2 fluid oz. Water

6 Egg yolks

2 ½ C. Flour

½ C. Cornstarch

½ C. Sugar

Grated zest of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon Vanilla

¼ teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a stand mixer, add the egg yolks and water and  mix well with the whisk attachment.  Next slowly add the olive oil into the egg yolks until the mixture is thickened.

Add the sugar, salt, lemon zest and vanilla and whisk for a couple minutes.  Slowly add the cornstarch to the mixture until combined.  Finally, slowly add the flour until well combined.  Take the mixture out of the bowl and knead by hand for a couple minutes on a well floured surface.  Make it into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.

Use a large board that is well floured to roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick.  Use a ravioli cutter to make 2 by 2 inch squares.  Place them on a cookie sheet and top with about a teaspoon of the lemon sugar.  Recipe below.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges.  Let cool on cookie sheet for at least a minute, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

Lemon Sugar

¾ C. Granulated Sugar

Zest of one lemon

Mix together in a bowl until well combined.  Set aside until you cut the cookies out.

Meyer Lemon Brown Butter Bars

Meyer lemons are in season.  Oh how I love the sweetness and unique flavor of these beauties.  We have a meyer lemon tree in our backyard and this year it began to produce these little gems again.  I have to say, I thought the tree was done producing and to my surprise, it still had some life in it.  Yeah.

When a fellow food blogger and friend, Laura from Tutti Dolci created these Meyer Lemon-Brown Butter Bars, I had to make them.  I actually doubled the crust portion of the recipe, since that is one of my favorite parts and with the brown butter, the more the better.  Right?

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Yesterday was a perfect entrée day to spring here in the Bay Area.  The weather was simply perfect – near and perhaps a tad over 70 degrees.  Let’s just say the flip flops came out of hiding.  I took a quick trip up to Napa to attend the launch and book signing and cooking demonstrationfor Lindsay and Taylor’s new book – “Breakfast for Dinner”.  It was so wonderful to finally meet Lindsay in person.  If you have not heard of it or grabbed your copy, I would encourage you to.  It is chalk full of great recipes that are classic but have a spin and twist added.  As I turned the pages, I kept adding to my list of “must make” soon.

What would a trip up to Napa be without a stop to Bouchon Bakery?  I stood in line for close to 25 minutes but the time spent in line was certainly worth it.  I picked up some goodies for hubby and myself.  For hubby, a couple large linzer heart cookies and for me, a couple Bacon Cheddar Scones – okay – that scone was something that was made in heaven. Each bite was outright delightful.  Luckily, I have the new Bouchon Bakery cookbook and the recipe is included.  Expect a post soon.  Smile.  Until then, enjoy these wonderful bars – you won’t be disappointed.  Thank you Laura!

Meyer Lemon-Brown Butter Bars

Crust
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cup flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Meyer lemon zest (zest of 2 lemons)
1/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
2 Tbsp flour
pinch of salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes. Pour browned butter into a glass bowl and chill in the freezer until solid, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Dice solidified brown butter into 1/2-inch pieces; sprinkle over flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add dough to prepared baking dish; use a piece of parchment to press dough into an even layer. Bake for 23 minutes, until crust is lightly golden.

Meanwhile, prepare filling. Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, and salt until smooth. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and slowly pour filling over hot crust; return dish to oven and bake until filling is firm, about 22 minutes. Cool completely in dish on wire rack, then cover and place in the refrigerator until chilled.

Carefully lift parchment to remove bars from dish and place on a cutting board; cut into squares using a sharp knife and dust with powdered sugar just before serving. Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.  Makes 12 to 16 bars, depending how you cut them.

Adapted from Tutti Dolci

Friday Night Bites | Sriracha and Honey Cashews

Sometimes life throws you curveballs. Not sure why, but they happen.  I recently learned that a long time friend that I have known from kindergarten just lost her father a little over a week ago.  The part that makes it even more difficult is that ten weeks ago she lost her mother.  If that wasn’t enough, her beloved little pug passed away two days after her father.  I have to sit back and reflect as to why all this is happening to such a sweet person.  I wish I could take all of the pain away for her.  The best I can do is support her through this challenging time with positive thoughts, many prayers and be there as a friend.

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As I fight back the tears, I wanted to express myself since this is weighing heavy on my mind right now.  I can only imagine at this point what my friend is going through right now.  I am fortunate enough to still have both of my parents and honestly cherish each moment with them.  It is moments such as these that remind me of what is truly important in life.  It is the people and the time you have with them.  I have reached out to her with a quick note to share my thoughts and support for her, along with sending a big virtual hug.

I would like to dedicate this post to my friend and her sister who are going through such a difficult time.  I know their strong faith, supportive family and friends along with personal strength will progress them through this tough time in their lives.

For this week’s Friday Night Bites, I am sharing my recipe for Sriracha and Honey Cashews.  They are sweet, spicy and savory.  When you first take a bite, your taste buds sense sweetness then the heat comes from the rear.  I must warn you that they are addictive and if you are a Srirachi addict, then these are the perfect bite for you.

 Sriracha and Honey Cashews

1 lb. Dry Roasted and Salted Cashews

3 Tablespoons Honey

1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay the cashews onto a cookie sheet with sides.  Heat the cashews in the oven for 5 minutes.  In the meantime, in a large bowl mix together the honey, sriracha sauce, olive oil and salt together. 

Next add the warm nuts to the bowl and mix well until all nuts are covered.  Return to the cookie sheet.  Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.  Midway through the cooking process, toss the nuts to ensure even cooking.  Let cool and store in an airtight container until ready to enjoy.

Conversation Heart Cookies

Love is in the air.  With Valentines Day around the corner, you can’t help think about love - whether you are in love or seeking the love of you life.  You may love this holiday or despise it.  Hopefully it is the first.

Hubby and I joke that it is a Hallmark Holiday.  We certainly don’t go overboard by going out to a super expensive dinner.  Hubby always says to me, I have my own personal executive chef at home, so why dine out.  I am always flattered.  I do like to balance eating at home and dining out.  However, for Valentines Day, a delicious dinner at home by the fire is at the top of my list.  We exchange small gifts, a mushy card and simply enjoy each others company for the evening.

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I understand that this holiday can bring on different emotions depending on your personal situation.  Since I am internal optimist, I hope that each of you celebrate in a way that makes you happy.  Whether it is with your loved one, friends or with family, it is a day to enjoy some sweets and good wishes.  If you need some ideas, I did a bit of scouring the internet for ideas and thought I would share:

• Need ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day with your loved one that are both unique and romantic, then check out 100 ideas here.
• Do you want to make your own Valentine's Day gifts, then click here to gain some cleaver and cute ideas.
• Need some new ideas for Valentine's Day - here are 8 great gift ideas for married couples.
• Trying to save money, here are numerous ideas that are inexpensive or free.
• Are you crafty?  If so, here are several cute ideas that you can make this week.
• If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, here is a list of restaurants with Valentine's Day specials
• Though I have not been single for quite sometime, I know there are fabulous single ladies and wanted to share 20 ideas you can choose from to celebrate the holiday
• A couple years I made Jam Filled Heart Cookies and shared 40 ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day and thought I would re-share.

I wanted to make some special cookies for hubby to put a smile on his face and came up with these conversation heart cookies.  I found some edible color markers that made writing on each cookie a breeze.  You can certainly be creative and personal with your little messages.  Happy Valentines Day1

Sugar Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

3 cup flour

1 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1.2 t almond extract

Preheat oven to 375.

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and salt and mix together until incorporated.  Add the almond extract and vanilla extract in the mixture and combine.  Slowly add the flour one cup at a time until all flour is incorporated. 

Take the dough out of the bowl and put onto a cutting board.  Knead together any extra bits.  Divide dough into two balls and flatten into a 1 inch disk.  Wrap each one individually and chill for 30 minutes.

Use a large board and sprinkle with flour.  Unwrap one of the balls and flour lightly the top.  Use a rolling pin to roll out until ¼ inch thick.  Use a 2 inch heart shaped cookie cutter for cookies.  Repeat until all dough is used.

Bake at 375 for 8 to 9 minutes until bottom edges are slightly golden brown.  Remove to cool onto a wire rack. 

Royal Icing

3 t. meringue powder

4 cups powdered sugar

6 T. water

Food paste coloring

Add the meringue powder and sugar to a stand mixer along with the 6 tablespoons of water.  Slowly beat until combined.  Mix for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly fluffy.

Divide evening the number of colors you want to make into small bowls.  Add a touch of the food paste and mix.  Add water (about 1 to 2 teaspoons) to make it more spreadable and it should have a glossy look.

Use a knife to spread evenly all over cookie.  Let dry completely on a wire rack.  Use edible color marker to write on each cookie.

Friday Night Bites | Parmesan and Caramelized Shallot Crackers

Most of you have probably seen or least heard of the movie – “Meet the Parents”.  Last weekend, hubby and I had a “meet the parents” night at our house. Not quite like the actual movie.  Let me explain.  A good friend of ours is single.  He doesn’t have a hard time meeting girls, just meeting the right girl for him.  Over the years, he has brought over various girlfriends to meet us.  Many we have actually become friends with despite their relationship did not move forward.

After several months of dating along with things moving into the next stage is when he will typically bring them over to our house to “meet the parents”.  I am actually flattered that he respects my hubby and me so much, that he wants us to give him the “stamp of approval”. Last weekend, we had the pleasure of meeting his current girlfriend.  We had been hearing about her for a while and now it was the official “unveiling”.

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As you know by now, any reason to entertain, I am there.  And of course, whipping up an appetizer feast is right in my wheel house.  I wanted to make it a special evening along with making both of them feel as comfortable as possible.  I love, love, love making homemade crackers.  I had been on a kick lately by making the Cheddar Jalapeno Crackers all during the holiday season but now it was time to mix it up.

A while ago, my good friend Jean from Lemon and Anchovies posted her recipe for Cheddar, Feta and Caramelized Shallot Crackers.  My mouth salivated when I read her post and drooled over the photos. She had me at the caramelized shallots.  I wanted to put my own spin on her recipe, so I used Grana Padano.  Though it is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, it is less crumbly, milder and has less complex flavor but equally delicious.

I created the handmade cracker to go along side the individual cheese plates that I designed.  On Thursday, I jaunted to the cheese counter at whole foods to select some proven favorites along with a few new selections for the cheese plates.  The accoutrements I paired with each cheese complimented the flavor profiles and added interest to the plate.  To kick it over the top, I designed a “cheese plate guide” for everyone to use to reference the type of cheese and accompaniments.

I know you are dying to know, how did the “parents” like the new girlfriend?  We liked her very much and think they are a wonderful match.  We wish them all the best!

Parmesan and Caramelized Shallot Crackers

8 Tablespoons Butter, room temperature

4.5 Ounces Parmesan Cheese or Grana Padano, grated

2 Shallots, sliced thin

Olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ Cup Flour

1 to 2 teaspoon water

Peel and slice thinly the two shallots.  Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium and then add the shallots.  Sauté until caramelized and golden brown, which should be about 10 minutes.  Take off the heat and let cool.

Use a food processor to make the dough.  Add all of the ingredients except the water and pulse until combined.  Add one teaspoon at a time of the water until the dough forms.  You should not need more than two teaspoons of water.  Take the dough out of the processor and form into a ball.  Next roll into a log with a diameter of 2 inches.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the log into roughly 3/8^th inch rounds and lay them on a sheet pan.  Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until very lightly browned.  Cool and serve at room temperature.

Adapted from Jean at Lemons and Anchovies

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Shiitake Mushrooms

A couple weeks ago I hosted an intimate dinner party at my house for friends.  At first I thought let’s go formal and sit in the dining room, then I changed my mind.  Several weeks ago, our “mini kitchen make over” was complete and why not enjoy the fruits of our labor.  The makeover began with the death of our refrigerator.  The counter depth fridge was replaced with my absolute dream refrigerator – the sub-zero.

To accomplish the installation, we needed to remove a cabinet, build a frame and add a small faux cabinet above.  The end result was a beautiful new refrigerator and with the removal of the cabinet, the kitchen began to appear larger and brighter.  When we purchased our house new eleven years ago, we opted for a Viking cook top with a built in BBQ.  Not until years later, did we realize the hood above was significantly underpowered.  Each time we would barbeque the house would fill with smoke and it became ultimately un-useable.  After doing some investigation, the builder has installed an under-powered motor with the hood.

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Next step in the remodel was to remove another cabinet and add a larger professional hood and a super powerful motor.  Now barbequing doesn’t produce any smoke and hubby can’t even smell what I am cooking. That is one powerful engine. Smile.

The house came with hickory cabinets, which would not have been my first choice, but I have grown to accept them and actually like them now.  We added a mahogany kitchen island with granite top from Crate and Barrel to offset the light cabinets.  The final step in this mini-remodel was to update the bar stools, kitchen table and chairs all in dark mahogany leather for the bar stools and kitchen chairs.  The end result is an updated kitchen that I now LOVE and we did it for relatively low cost versus starting from scratch.

The overall dinner party was a success and it was very rewarding to eat in the newly remodeled space with good friends.  The main dish was this Butternut Squash Lasagna with Shiitake Mushrooms from FoodieCrush who adapted it from Giada DeLaurentis.  I changed it slightly and the overall outcome was pure delicious-ness!

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Shiitake Mushrooms

¼ C. Olive oil

2 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup water

½ t. Almond extract

1 ½ pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup butter + 1 T. Butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour + 1 T. flour

4 cups whole milk

4-5 good grates of fresh nutmeg

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (use more if needed)

3 – 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Preheat to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, toss with oil, season with salt and pepper and then pour the water into the skillet. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender about 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the almond extract.

Heat another large skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more olive oil if needed. Season with salt. Remove from pan and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat and add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly about 5 minutes. Add in grated nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender and add the basil. Mixture will be hot so place a towel or cloth over top of blender so mixture doesn’t explode. Blend until smooth then return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly butter a 13 X 9 X 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles then 1/3 of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the ricotta cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times, ending with a layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Cover the baking dish with foil sprayed with Pam or other cooking spray and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for about 15 more minutes or until the top is golden. Remove from oven and let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.