This recipe was inspired by Sew Liberated’s post, I saw her Tortellini recipe and had to try it out! After several months of testing and mixing it up a bit, I’ve  nailed down our version of the recipe.  It’s a hit with everyone (although Etta eats the tortellini & peas and leaves the rest for me) and a super quick dinner.

Have you ever wondered what people REALLY eat for dinner? Or really what they eat on a given day?

Call me crazy, but I do wonder these things… I don’t know why (it might have to do with taking a nutrition course at my local community college),   maybe it’s because I’m a food-a-holic, or because I just love to cook…. Anyhow.. It occurred to me that maybe if I shared what I’ve been making for dinner, it would catch, like a kitchen fire, and others too would share all those yummy things they put in their mouths…

Due to budget constraints we’ve omitted eating OUT from our diet, except for a special weekend brunch or something of that nature. This week the cooking was 100% homemade by me.

So what the HECK are we eating… for dinner?

Sunday: Veggie Enchiladas (black bean & yam) with Spicy Red Sauce & Brown Rice

Monday: Shiitake Mushroom & Pea soup with Rice Noodles & Garden Salad*

Tuesday: Butternut Squash Lasagna & Garden Salad

Wednesday: Creamy Parsnip, Yukon Potato & Leek Soup with Roasted Asparagus & Garden Salad w/ Blue Cheese

Thursday: Zucchini bake (onions, garlic, tomato, a little cheese  & lots of zucchini) with Jasmine Rice (this was inspired by the summer’s promise of many little zucchini in our garden).

Friday: New Sammy’s Whole Wheat Pizza with Sun Dried Tomato’s, Ricotta, Spinach and Onion w/ Garden Salad!

*=Garden Salad normally is red or green leaf lettuce mixed with purple cabbage, carrots, red onion, sunflower seed and balsamic dressing, but it does vary daily by what’s in the fridge!

So, what did you eat this week?

Inspired by Soule Mama…

A weekly post capturing a single moment from our wild life, to savor.

This recipe is the most requested one I have! It was originally from food network, but I’ve changed it so much (FOR THE BETTER), that I think it deserves it’s own post!

• 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes, we grow ours and store in the pantry over the winter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• 12  lasagna noodles
• 2 1/2 cups grated cheese (your favorite blend, mine is whole-milk mozzarella, aged white cheddar & Parmesan).
• 1 small container of ricotta cheese

Directions

SQUASH PUREE: Heat a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the water and  squash . Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor (or blender if you don’t have a food processor). Blend until smooth.

NOODLES: Cook the lasagna noodles according to directions (I normally start the squash & noodle water at the same time). When the water is boiling I start the cream sauce (next paragraph).

CREAM SAUCE: Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat the oven to400 degrees F.

ASSEMBLY TIME: Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of  cheese mixture and 1/3 of the ricotta. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times, reserving a little cheese for later. If you have extra squash puree we freeze ours for the next recipe, or freeze in ice cube trays for a quick baby snack!

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil!

Bake the lasagna for 50 minutes.

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 10 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving (if you can bear it).

This recipe does use almost every pan & pot in the house (okay I’m exaggerating, only 3 plus the food processes) but it’s SO worth it!

ENJOY!

DISCLAIMER: If you consider yourself a coffee snob or coffee enthusiast, you may want to navigate away from this page. What I’m about to share with you might be hard to handle.

You’re at the office, it’s about two hours till the day’s over, YOU NEED COFFEE, but not just any coffee you need that magical mystical chocolaty mocha.  Your stuck AT your office, breaks are over, there’s no way for you to obtain a “quality” mocha before you break down into a pathetic mess of mocha cravings.

Enter the latest greatest instant office mocha.

You’ll need three ingredients for this crude yet effective drink.

Here comes the technical part, add HOT water & stir.

Enjoy.

An amazingly delightful mocha, instantly! Just hide the evidence, and don’t tell your coffee enthusiast friends!

Here are some recent treasures I’ve received from friends…

A little bag from Haruna, she blogged about here too!

What do I keep in this little beauty?

USB thumb drives! I love it, thanks Haruna!!!

This next bag is from my sister-in-law, it was my Christmas present this past holiday season, one of my favorites (she’s also one of my sewing inspirations,  she was making clothes in high school that are still cooler and more complicated than anything I’ve ever made!)!

What’s in this beauty?

My lifeline, the laptop! It also can hold my school books, pens, pencils and yes, that left pocket fits the iphone perfectly!

Handmade + Tech = Happy Tiffy!

A little valentine’s love.

A little late… but perfect!

Our Bogle Bib Rosa, has been featured on the blog “Only the best of Etsy”

Isn’t she darling!?

I hinted a couple weeks back that we were working on something! Well it’s time for that something to be reveled!

www.bogleface.etsy.com

Auntie Rene & myself have formed a crafty partnership!

Phase 1: Monster bibs for Toddlers!
After many afternoons of dreaming, drafting monsters, pattern making, sewing, prototypes, and photo shoots with our own monster we have launched our first 6 bibs! Each Bogle Bib is unique and individual as the child who wears it! Including ribbon teeth, giant mouths to keep the droppings contained and amazing personalities!

Here’s our day in pictures!

Making cookies for Papa!

Intrigue.

The Attack!

The withdrawal. If she could speak more words, they would be “Yuck! What’s on my hands?”

A solid fabric bonanza, from craigslist!

Baby destruction of said fabrics. Currently waiting patiently for the 7am Yosemite Camping Reservation sale!

AND still waiting for my valentine… Etta’s full mouth kisses, are sweet, but I like flowers…