Hello, dear readers! I'm so excited to be back in the blogging world after my winter absence. Although I thought I would come back with plenty of spring inspired desserts, I felt like making some comfort food last week due to the dreary weather. (Thankfully, this week is sunny and beautiful, so I have plenty of light and lemony recipes on the way!) In my eyes, next to Macaroni and Cheese, Lasagna is the best possible comfort food. This has been my go to lasagna recipe for years, and it never fails to impress. The prep time is fairly minimal, and it perfect to prepare in advance or put in the freezer for a rainy day. If you are having gloomy weather, or just feel like curling up on the couch with something warm and comforting, give this lasagna a try.

Every time I see a pizza dough recipe, I think, "I really should go out and get a pizza stone." Then I don't. Then we order pizza/buy a frozen pizza and tell myself I'm going to go out and get a stone the next day. Then I don't.

I saw this recipe a few weeks ago and was excited to make it because I could use my cake pans instead of stoneware. I am a huge fan of this dough. It rose beautifully and had wonderful taste, and really didn't take a lot of preparation. I will definitely be making this dough again (at least until I finally get off my you-know-what and buy a pizza stone).

Deep-Dish Pan Pizza

6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
3/4 cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons
2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for handling and kneading
2 1/4 tsp. active-dry yeast
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup pizza sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Additional toppings of choice

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. While oven is preheating, lightly grease large bowl with cooking spray.

Mix milk, sugar, and 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 1 tablespoon oil. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Roll and shape each ball into 9-inch round and press into oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot until puffy, about 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from dough, and ladle 1/2 cup sauce on each round, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and top with desired toppings. Bake until cheese is melted and dough is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges.

Source: adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking, originally America's Test Kitchen

Nothing says Italy like good food, and nothing says Italian food like pasta. So after I made homemade sauce and meatballs, I knew I had to take the plunge and try my hand at pasta making. I was afraid to attempt it on my own, so I called Mrs. Walk and said, "Let's have a pasta party!" She and I made the pasta together while our husbands played pool and drank beer patiently waited for dinner.

This bread definitely doesn't look like the picture in the recipe on PW's blog. I was a little nervous when I took the lid off my cast iron pot, but my fears quickly vanished when I got a whiff as I sliced into it. This bread was extremely easy to make and was the perfect accompaniment to an Italian dinner. I like this recipe because you can throw in whatever herbs you have on hand. Next time, I won't cut so far into it so it can "bloom," but otherwise it tasted wonderful and was very easy to make.

Pastor Ryan's Herb Bread

4 cups bread flour
1 cup warm water
4 oz. melted butter with chopped herbs of choice (I used thyme)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. active yeast
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Pour water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over water, and let stand until frothy. Combine all ingredients, with the exception of the kosher salt and olive oil, and mix on low until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch to the dough hook, and knead on low speed for about 10 minutes, or until you can successfully achieve a windowpane through the dough. (This where you can pull off a small chunk of the dough and stretch it gently to see if it's somewhat translucent. If you can do this without tearing, it's ready.)

Once this elasticity has been achieved, let the dough sit out with plastic wrap over it for 1-4 hours to double in size. After it has gotten bigger, it should be kneaded for a minute or two so that the yeast can redistribute.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place heavy cast iron lidded pot in oven. Cut a large "X" into the surface of the bread dough so it can bloom. Carefully tip bread into hot pot and coat the rounded dough with olive oil and a tablespoon or two of kosher salt.

Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for another 15-30 minutes, until browned as desired. (My bread was finished after the first 30 minutes, so adjust cook time as necessary.) The bread can get brown on the bottom if it’s too close to the heating element; if that happens, just slice it off with a sharp knife.

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

I love cheese on anything and everything - so when I saw some recipes floating around for cheese stuffed chicken I knew to try my own version. This is one of those recipes that I just made up as I went along and it turned out wonderful. This was perfect for a weeknight meal, and I'm sure would be great with different kinds of cheese or other fillings. (Although is anything better than cheese? If so, I have yet to find it.)

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken

2 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
3 Tbsp. bread crumbs
1 egg white
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. dry oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut each chicken breast (lengthwise) about 3/4 of the way through and stuff mozzarella inside. Close and secure with toothpicks, if needed. Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, oregano and garlic powder in small bowl. Dip the chicken breasts in the egg white and coat with breadcrumb mixture.

Heat olive oil over medium heat, and cook chicken until it has a brown and crispy appearance, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Place chicken in a greased pan and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Source: Me!

I feel any good Italian cook should be able to make a great spaghetti sauce. I have wanted to try for some time, but was concerned it wouldn't taste good enough for Justin, who is particularly picky about his "red sauce." He may be only 25% Italian, but his taste buds seem to claim otherwise. When I saw this recipe, I decided to go out on a limb and give it a try. When Justin finally went to the stove to give it the official taste test, I held my breath in anticipation of him saying, "Oh. It's... good," which in Justin-speak means, "thanks for cooking, but it's not quite what I was hoping for." After taking a heaping spoonful, he looked at me square in the eye and told me it was the best sauce he has ever had. I was shocked! We had a leftover jar of store-bought sauce in the fridge, and Justin was upset we have to eventually use it, instead of using my homemade sauce. The meatballs were also fantastic; they were the perfect compliment to the sauce. I will definitely be making this over and over again. Next time, I will double the batch so I can jar some in addition to freezing a couple individual batches. Definitely give this one a try!

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

For the sauce:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (29 oz.) can tomato puree
1 (29 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup of water
1 bay leaf (optional)

For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion to the pot and saute' until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Add bay leaf and let simmer with tilted lid for at least 2 hours.

To make the meatballs, in a medium mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs with the milk. Let the bread crumbs soak for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Form the mixture into meatballs (I was able to make 20). Add the meatballs to the simmering sauce about 45 minutes before the sauce will be finished cooking. Let simmer with tilted lid for 45 minutes.

Remove bay leaf from sauce and discard, then remove meatballs with a slotted spoon. Using an immersion blender, blend sauce until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, scoop out 2 cups of the sauce and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Add meatballs back to sauce. Serve over freshly cooked pasta, with shredded Parmesan and fresh basil, if desired.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats, originally Brown Eyed Baker

As promised, I am finally blogging about my shrimp lasagna rolls! I usually make a ground beef/ground turkey lasagna, so I was so happy to try a different base in these rolls. I added quite a bit of seasoning to the shrimp when I cooked them, and it really added some kick. I will definitely be adding these to our rotation. (If you didn't see my earlier post, check out my prosciutto and spinach lasagna rolls.)

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

6 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (plus more for seasoning shrimp)
Pinch of nutmeg
1 3/4 cups marinara sauce, divided
Shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a roaring boil. Boil the noodles until just tender, but still firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet, and generously season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add the garlic to the pan and saute' shrimp, stirring often, until cooked, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a bowl with 1 cup ricotta cheese, the Parmesan, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and the nutmeg. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce with the remaining ricotta cheese. Stir until smooth.

In an 8x8 baking dish, spread the remaining 1/4 cup marinara sauce to cover the bottom. Lay lasagna noodles on a work surface. Divide the shrimp mixture evenly between the noodles and spread over the full length of each. Starting at one end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. (Make sure not to squeeze or the filling will come out the sides.) Lay the filled lasagna noodles seam side down (without touching) in the baking dish. Spoon the creamy marinara sauce over the top and add shredded mozzarella.

Cover tightly with foil. (If you are making these ahead of time, you can put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.) Bake until heated through(about 20 minutes). Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees, uncover lasagna rolls, and bake until cheese on top starts to brown, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with additional marinara sauce.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats originally from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis.

Justin and I are hosting Easter at our house for the second year in a row. I don't like ham, so it's always a challenge to decide what food to serve. I prefer something I can cook either in the oven or the crock pot, because I don't like to be chained to the stove while everyone is eating appetizers and salad. I also need to be able to make it ahead of time, so we are free to do what we want during the day. (Last year, I didn't get dinner on the table until 8:00 pm, because we didn't get home until 6:00 from sightseeing around Baltimore. I was a little stressed that evening, so I think the easiest thing to do is just prepare everything early so I can just pop it in the oven.)

"Heaven. I'm in heaaaven..." Fred Astaire MUST have been speaking about these garlic rolls. They are unbelievable! Not to mention incredibly easy. I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier they were than other rolls I have made. The dough was easy to work with and all the measurements were spot on. This is a great recipe for those who are a little nervous experimenting with yeast - it's fool-proof! I truly recommend giving these a try.

Soft Garlic Knots

For the dough:
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. active yeast
1-1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. lukewarm water

For the glaze:
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

To make the dough, combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the milk, olive oil and water, and mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch to the dough hook, and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a slightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. (I recommend using a bit of flour on your hands because the dough will be extremely sticky.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 8-12 equal pieces (it depends on how big you want the rolls - I did 8, but next time I will do 12 for smaller rolls). Roll each into a rope, about 10 inches long, and tie each into a knot. Take the end that is lying underneath, and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Then take the end of the knot that is lying on top, and tuck it underneath and into the center. Transfer rolls to a baking sheet lined with a lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise for 45 minutes, until very puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic and combine with the melted butter and Italian seasoning. Brush or drizzle the glaze onto the shaped rolls. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned.

Source: adapted from Amber's Delectable Delights originally from King Arthur Flour

After the chopping incident last week (which involved stitches), I have been avoiding any recipes that called for dicing, slicing or chopping vegetables of any kind. I decided to finally try again (just with a dull knife that usually doesn't even break the skin - yes, I know I shouldn't even be allowed to use the knives), and was successful! No limbs were lost, so I was happy before the soup was even ready to taste. Luckily, it was very good tasting, too! Justin really liked this soup, and had two big bowls, along side a grilled cheese sandwich. He did end up adding some hot sauce, so next time I think I will add a pinch of red pepper flakes to increase the heat. J said it was very authentic tasting and said to add it to the rotation. This recipe took longer in prep time than I would have liked - and was messy enough to make clean-up more annoying than usual - but I definitely think this recipe was worth the work.

Roasted Tomato Soup

10 tomatoes (I used cherry, but you can use a mix of heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 small onions, sliced
Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish (optional) (I omitted)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used vegetable)
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into fourths, removing all seeds. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions into two casserole dishes or jellyroll pans. (The original recipe used baking sheets, but after two tomatoes fell off my baking sheet and onto the floor of my newly-cleaned oven, then Justin had to fish them out with two wooden spoons, I recommend using something with edges to catch the slippery little suckers.) If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until caramelized.

Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven, and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later.) Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid has reduced by a third.

Remove bay leaves from pot, and add Italian seasoning. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. (If you do not have an immersion blender, measure out two cups of soup and blend until smooth. Repeat until you have blended all of your soup.) Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. (I did not need to add any stock to the soup.) Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.

Source: adapted from Tyler Florence

I have one word for this meal - YUM. I have been wanting to attempt calzones for a while, but I don't have much luck with pizza dough. I thought I would give it a try, and I still had a hard time (this was the better looking of the two!), but they were edible! And very delicious at that - Justin and I each ate our entire calzone. Forget leftovers!

Chicken Parmesan Calzones

Ingredients

2 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup marinara sauce, plus extra for dipping
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp. bread crumbs
1 egg white
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 can refrigerated pizza dough (I used Pillsbury), or homemade dough
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. dry oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Egg wash (1 egg beaten plus 2 Tbsp. water)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, oregano and garlic powder in small bowl. Dip the chicken breast halves in the egg white and coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet, and cook chicken until it has a brown and crispy appearance.

Place chicken in greased pan and cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked.

While chicken is cooking, cut dough in half and roll out two circles. They should be about 8-10 inches in diameter. (Easier said than done!)

Once chicken is cooked, turn oven up to 415 degrees. Cut chicken into small cubes. Pour 1/4 cup marinara sauce onto one side of each circle. Add half the chicken to each and then top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to each. Fold the dough over the mixture and pinch ends together to seal in the mixture. Cut three small slits on the top of each calzone to prevent air pockets. Brush each with egg wash and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Place calzones on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 415 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Adapted from Pizza the Pie

On this chilly Sunday, we wanted something warm and cozy. (Can food be cozy? I think so.) I had some leftover ricotta mixture from Lasagna I made earlier in the week, so stuffed shells sounded perfect. (Some of the proportions may be a little weird, because I had a third of my ricotta mixture left over.)

Ingredients

24 jumbo pasta shells
10 ounces ricotta cheese
2/3 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided
4 tsp. fresh parsley
1/3 beaten egg
3 cups canned tomatoes
1 cup broccoli (optional)

Cook shells al dente and drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 4 tsp parmesan cheese, parsley, beaten egg (discard remainder of egg), and broccoli (if applicable).

Pour 1 cup tomatoes over bottom of 13 x 9 dish, breaking up tomatoes with fork. Spoon one rounded tsp cheese mixture per shell and place open side up in one layer in pan. Pour remaining tomatoes over and around shells. Sprinkle the remainder of the parmesan cheese over the tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Now, onto red velvet cupcakes for dessert...

Source: Me!

I couldn't find my Chicken Marsala recipe, so I decided to search for a similar one online. I decided on Emeril Lagasse's Chicken Marsala - with a twist. Sorry, Emeril - I think I took the BAM out of your recipe. But it you want to kick it up a notch, you can find Emeril's recipe here.

This is a very fast-paced recipe, so I recommend having all of your ingredients handy.

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup green onions
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound thin with a meat tenderizer. (I don't have one so I just used a hammer.)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. While heating the oil, dredge the chicken halves through the flour, shaking off any excess. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and green onions to the skillet, and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides (about 4 minutes per side). Transfer the chicken to a warm plate and set aside. (Let the onions continue to cook.)

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have released their liquid.

Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. (Not only does it make the sauce taste wonderful, it makes it easier to wash the skillet!) When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for three minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened (about 5 or 6 minutes). Swirl in the last tablespoon of butter, 1 tsp of flour to thicken the sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. (You may want to add another dash of the Marsala wine.)

Serve immediately. I used the rest of the green onions and sauteed them with green beans, olive oil and garlic, and served the chicken with mashed potatoes and the green beans. So yummy! The only thing I will do differently next time is I think I will switch the proportions of the chicken broth and Marsala wine, so the wine taste is more distinct.