Turkey Lasagna with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Kelley

It is still the season of comfort food. Winter storms are once again sweeping the country, and even though I am starting to get sick of winter clothes and even my Uggs are getting too difficult to pull on and off due to my growing belly…I still can’t see one blade of grass. Which means hearty dinners like this are still perfect!

This is a great recipe because you can easily prepare it in two pans and freeze one for another night. I received this goodie box from Red Gold to make a lasagna of my own. I used their basic recipe and just tweaked a little bit based on some ingredients I had on hand. Using turkey instead of Italian sausage lightens it up a little bit too. The flavor was good, but maybe lacking a little spice because I didn’t use Italian sauce. Maybe next time I’ll find a turkey or chicken Italian sausage to use, or add a few more seasonings to the mix. This basic recipe is nice and easy though, and it didn’t take much prep time either!

Stay warm!

Turkey Lasagna with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach, adapted from
Red Gold, makes one full or two half pans

1/2 cup water
1 (28 ounce) can Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, or 2 (15 ounce) cans
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes With Basil, Garlic & Oregano
Salt to taste
1 pound ground turkey, cooked and drained
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
5 oz fresh spinach
1 (16 ounce) box lasagna noodles, traditional, uncooked
1 (15 ounce) carton low fat ricotta cheese
3 cups sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large mixing bowl combine water, RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES and RED GOLD® DICED TOMATOES with BASIL, GARLIC & OREGANO, salt and ground turkey, stir to combine ingredients.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1½ cups of sauce mixture. Arrange 1/3 of noodles on top of sauce, slightly overlapped. Top with ½ of ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of ground turkey, 1/2 of spinach and 1 cup of sauce. Repeat layers and top with last 1/3 of noodles and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours; until noodles are cooked. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The recipe makes 12 servings, but you could divide the recipe into two 9×9 inch baking dishes and freeze one.

*I received a complimentary Red Gold lasagna kit to try. I did not receive any compensation for this post. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Posted in Food, Main Courses, Pasta, Products, Recipes | Tagged lasagna, pasta, red gold | Comments Off

Eli’s Wildflower Honey Cheesecake with Cherry Sauce – GIVEAWAY!

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Kelley

*Please note this giveaway has ended.

Valentine’s Day is the time for an indulgence in something sweet. And what better way then with a rich, creamy cheesecake? This cheesecake really has enough flavor that you don’t need to dress it up with a sauce. However, I couldn’t post Eli’s recipe so I had to add something! Plus, this sauce is a great way to use frozen fruit this time of year. And it’s delicious on ice cream too!

I’m not usually a big cheesecake person, but I do enjoy a bite here and there if someone else orders it. 🙂 The Husband is a big fan, so he was very excited to try this out since I don’t usually make cheesecake. It was nice and creamy, but the almonds in the honey topping gave every bite a nice crunch.

One of the great things about Eli’s is that they partner with a local high school in Chicago, the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, to get their honey. Check out the video here for details! As an added bonus, Eli’s is giving away one Wildflower Honey Cheesecake to a lucky reader. ~~Just enter below and you could have your own cheesecake to enjoy this Valentine’s Day!~~

Sour Cherry Sauce, adapted from about.com

1 lb frozen, pitted sour cherries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Bring cherries, sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often.

Stir 1 tbsp. lemon juice and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk into the boiling cherry mixture.

Return to a boil, stirring constantly. You don’t want to scorch the bottom. Cook until the liquid has thickened, which should take about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat.

Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature and serve over ice cream or cheesecake.

*Please note this giveaway has ended.

Click the link below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received a complimentary Wildflower Honey Cheesecake to review. I did not receive any compensation for this post. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Posted in Giveaways, Recipes, Sauces | Tagged cheesecake, dessert, Eli's Cheesecake, giveaway, honey, Valentine's Day | Comments Off

Baked French Toast

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Kelley

Sub-zero and/or snowy mornings call for baked goods for breakfast. Especially baked goods that you can put together the night before and have ready to pop into the oven first thing in the morning. We’re experiencing another snow storm here in the Midwest. We probably had a good four inches overnight, and it’s still coming down! My husband and I are some of those rare people in Chicago who get excited about the snow. I know that everyone is sick of it by now, but we love it! It gives me an excuse to stay inside and bake all day. Plus it’s actually a pretty warm day by Chicagoland standards, so we’ll probably do a little sledding later!

This French toast is big enough to feed a crowd, but will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator. We are only a family of three, so we enjoyed this breakfast for a few days. If you’re a cinnamon fan like I am, you’ll love how the top of this gets a nice buttery, cinnamony crunch. The fruit is optional, but it’s a nice touch in my opinion. You can use whatever fruit you have on hand. Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, apples, etc. would all work well.

Baked French Toast, adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
3/4 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch nutmeg
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit (optional)

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

In a medium sized bowl mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and cut them into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 F. Remove casserole from the fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.