Baby its cold outside!

the wind chill is currenlty -37... that sucks...
  Here is one of my favorite recipes! now I didnt make it tonight but I made it a little while ago and never shared it. I love pasta and bread and well almost any carb out there. So here is a fun spin on classic Lasagna

Lasagna Ciabattas (found on Picky Palate)

2Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Lb ground Italian sausage (I often use ground beef)

1 26 oz jar of yoru favorite pasta sauce

15 oz container of Ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

8 ciabattas

1/2-1 cup grated mozza cheese

parm cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Place oil in a med pot and cook sausage until browned. Remove 1/4 cup of the meat and set aside. Reduce heat and stir in pasta sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Place reserved meat, cheeses, salt, pepper and italian seasoning in a bowl and stir to combine

Split each ciabatta and place cut side up on a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll and top wiht a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce and top with grated mozza cheese.

bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parm. cheese and serve!

YUMMY



Another week

here we are at the start of another week. Not only that but its the start of a new month... and that means I looked over my budget from last month...that is always a crappy task! Somehow I managed to completely blow my grocery budget during the shortest month of the year...that takes skill im sure. Since I blew my budget so badly last month Im going to try extra hard to stay on budget this month... which means this week Im still trying to use stuff up in my house.
Monday - Curry Cajun Chicken
Tuesday - Sausages and Crepes
Wednesday - Chicken Parm.
Thursday - Dragon Fire Chicken
friday - sausage and potatoe has
Saturday - Japanese grilled chicken
Sunday - Soup and grilled cheese

Cute Read

I have finished another book... actually two but the other one was a total flop and not even worth the time reviewing... But this one was really cute. Its Holes by Louis Sachar. It was a young read which was what I needed lately as my little monster is not sleeping... again. But I will admit that I got really into it and had a really hard time putting it down.
  Its a tale about a boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up in a work camp as punishment for a crime he didnt commit. There every boy has to big a 5foot hole everyday. They say its to help build character but really there is more to that story...
  The novel weaves in some fun tales about the past history of the place and the reader soon notices that connection the history plays to certain young men at the camp.
  Now most of the connections should be fairly obvious...especially to someone like me who figures things out 95% of the time... but the end chapter helped make a few connections for me that I missed. Im blaming the lack of sleep on my poor foreshadow catching. The connections I missed didnt ruin the story at all. It was a really fun, cute tale to begin with then when it was all laid out in black in white it was even cuter.
  Yeah I hear you out there in cyber space "Cute...how can a book about deliquints be cute?" But really read this and you will see what I mean... its CUTE.
  This is a book I bought and as I added it to my teen/young adult shelves of my book cases I realized I need to expand to shelf three (which is currenlty housing my 3 yr olds toys... so we are hunting for a new home for either the books or the toys) I LOVE BOOKS.
  Holes was made into a movie and i have it on hold at the library. Once I venture over there Ill tell you how the movie stacks up to the book.
  All and all I think its a worthwhile, quick easy read.

What am I reading now??? The Red Badge of Courage!

Pretzels

You are all aware of my LOVE of the Food Network Magazine right?? Well here is one more recipe for you from the Jan/Feb Issue... which means I can now really focus on the March issue I got the other day! I have flipped through it a few times already but now I can pick the recipes to try!!!
  This recipe for Pretzel recipe was just ok... they were good... I just wasnt blown away. Its a recipe from Guy Fieri (who is fabulous by the way!)

Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast

1 Tbsp agave nectar

2 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour (I used a multigrain flour)

2 3/4 cups white flour

1 tsp sea salt

2 Large eggs

1) Mix 1 1/2 cups warm water, the yeast and agave in a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2) In a mixer, fitted with a dough hook, pulse the whole wheat flour and 2 cups of white flour and salt. Add 1 egg and yeast mixture and pulse for 10 second intervals until dough comes together (about 3 times) Turn out on a floured surface and knead 10-12 times, adding up to 3/4 cup more flour if the dough is sticky. Cut into 4 even sections and cover with a clean towel

3) on a floured board roll out one piece of dough to 14x11 inches and 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 7 strips.

4) Pinch together the long ends of the strips and roll like a snake until it is 12 inches long. Twist into a pretzel
5) Beat an egg and brush egg on top of pretzels. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 475 on a parchment lined baking sheet for10 minutes.

These can also be stuffed... Once you have rolled out the dough add toppings to bottom half of the dough and fold over a flap to cover. then on top of the flap add more toppings and fold over the top half. Then re roll and cut into strips to form pretzels like before.

I made a nutella stuffed one which was really good. I also made a ham and cheese one... which was ok...it needed more filling but when I tried added more it didnt roll nicely...



A Nice Read

My friends had started to realize that I have an obession with WWII. One of my good friends, Claire, is a reader (YAY) and she let me borrow a book I had never heard of to read. It is called the Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society by Mary Ann shaffer and Annie Barrows. It was a nice relaxing read.
  This book is just a collection of letters (all fictional). It is set in post World War two London and in a small town names Guernsey on the Channel Islands. The Main character Juliet is an author trying to figure out what to write her next book about when she receives a letter from a man in Guernesy looking for a book. (its a fun story as to why he is asking her... but Ill leave that for the book to share with you!) Anyways... the Channel Islands had been occupied by the Germans during the war and  Juliet soon realizes that she wants to gather all the stories she can about what they people there went through during the Occupation. While looking for a story Juliet finds everything that has been missing in her life... its a sweet story.
  Reading a story written as letters is really interesting to me. I found I had to keep reminding myself that these were not real people. It was nice because you got so much of the story but also a really personal feel through out the book. I also found it really relaxing. See I am a reading who CAN NOT stop in the middle of a chapter. But I do most of my reading at night once the kidlets are in bed... which often means Im exhausted and I will admit that at times I rush through a chapter so I can go to sleep. But since this novel was all letters it was nice because a long letter was 2 or 3 pages long. so I could read a few letters and then if I was starting to head bob (at no fault of the book) then I could finish the letter and go to sleep.
  Reading this novel has made me wish for a pen pal!
  Thanks claire for such a sweet read!

Lets use it up

I have once again collected a rediculous amount of open packages in my fridge and freezer... so this week I am determined to use it all up... even though there are new recipes I want to try... I am going to resist and use up stuff. (Wish me luck!)
Monday - Nacho Party (its Tims birthday so we are going to have friends over and Im feeding them a few different types of nachos for dinner)
Tuesday - toasted Sesame Chicken and rice
Wednesday - Bang Bang shrimp
Thursday - Chicken Burgers and fries
Friday - Egg Sammies
Saturday - Chicken fingers
Sunday - Soup and Grilled Cheese

I love the BBC

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the BBC. It's fantastic. At first I didnt fully realize just how much I adored the BBC, but then I had one of those light bulb moments and realized that pretty much all the documentaries I have fallen in love with are BBC productions. Life, Blue Planet, Planet Earth, etc etc etc.
  I recently finished another BBC production. This one is called Aushwitz; Inside the Nazi State. I have been on a WWII kick lately. I am really intrigued. Ive been reading fiction and non fiction on the matter and have come to learn alot and have formed even more questions regarding that time. I had taken this book out at the library and then one night when I was searching around Netflix (another great love of mine) I discovered that it was a documentary from the BBC. OF COURSE I WAS THRILLED and started watching it right away. It was 6 1 hr episodes. It was INCREDIBLE. I learned so much in those short 6 hours. and of course it filled me with more questions as I am now left to search out more info on Drachau, Dr. Melegee, Himmler, and others.
  It was very humbling to see how small steps can lead to the largest and most horrific mass killing scene in WWII.... I say WWII because I have heard of other geneside sites and dont feel informed on those enough to weigh them against Aushwitz. But I think we all can agree that the murders there were devastating!
  I learned so much like;
-Aushwitz was orginally a POW camp for Polish prisoners and Soviets
-It was meant to be a slave workers camp for some huge Scientific company
-They had 'special' jewish workers who's job was to lead the other jews into the gas chambers and then clean up afterwards (disgusting eh?)
  It saddened me while watching this documentary to hear those who survived those days talk about it. They had Nazis, Jews, and polish prisoners all who lived at Aushwitz give accounts from that time. It saddened me to hear the hatred that the Nazis had and how they truly believed they were right. And it broke my heart to hear how much hatred filled the victims that survived. yes they are as justified as anyone to hate, but can you imagine carrying that baggage around. And how that must of effected their children to have grown up with those scars in their parents.
    Maybe I am morbid and warped but I loved this documentary. I thought it was fair to both sides and full of interesting history. I am so glad the BBC made this little gem. Now Im off to find another great and insighful documentary from the BBC!