Category: Cooking

Cooking, Entertainment, Style

Barbie Pink Cocktail

Lora Knows...

Barbie is taking the world by storm. I absolutely loved my Barbie, and had all the wonderful clothes, shoes and accessories any Barbie could ever want or need. I can hardly wait to see the movie, but for now I have to settle for this festive Barbie Pink Cocktail.

At work we have celebrated Barbie the past two Friday afternoons, and then again today by our pool. All of our friends have loved the taste of the cocktail.

Here is the recipe so you too can celebrate Barbie too:

1 oz Malibu Rum

1 oz Orange Cointreau

1/2 oz Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

Pellegrino Sparkling Water

Raspberries for garnish

Wilton Pink Sanding Sugar

Get a cute glass like a highball, martini or champagne flute. Wet the edge of the glass with lemon juice or water, your choice, and dip into the pink sanding sugar. It will already look amazing and fun!

Put ice into your cocktail shaker and combine the rum, orange and raspberry liqueurs and lemon juice. Shake, shake, shake until it is icy cold.

Pour into the glass and add a bit of Pellegrino and then garnish with a couple of fresh raspberries.

NOTE: If you don’t want to take the time to shake the cocktails individually, you can multiply the recipe and make a pitcher and put in the refrigerator. When it is cocktail time, put some ice in the glass and pour the cocktail over, then add some Pellegrino and garnish.

If you want your cocktails stronger, add more liquer.

Cooking

Crunchy Sheet Pan Lasagna

Lora Knows...

I have been a fan of Giada for years, and I have made dozens of her recipes. When I came across this recipe I knew it would be amazing. If you think the best part of lasagna is the crunchy bit on top, then this is a recipe for you.

The first time I make a recipe I follow it completely, this version is what I’ve done over time to make it more to our liking.

16 ounces lasagna noodles broken into 3 pieces
1 pound Italian sausage
2 large shallots diced
2 cloves garlic minced
32 ounces Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce
1 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Salt to taste
1 cups ricotta cheese
5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pasta water
Olive Oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt to taste like the sea. Add the broken lasagna noodles and cook for 8 minutes. They will finish cooking in the oven.

In a small bowl mix together the ricotta, drained spinach and salt to taste. Set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, use a large skillet and add a tablespoon of good olive oil. Heat over medium heat and crumble the sausage as you add it to the pan. Let it cook for 3 minutes without stirring so it can get a layer of flavor. Add the shallots and garlic and stir well, breaking up the sausage into smaller pieces, then let it cook another 5 minutes or until the sausage is done. Turn off the heat and add the entire jar of Rao’s (my favorite brand) sauce and the Italian seasoning. Stir well.

Set aside 1/2 cup of the pasta water and then strain the pasta and put back into the pot it cooked in. Pour the sauce mixture over the noodles, add a handful of parmesan and mozzarella cheese, add the 1/2 cup of pasta water and mix well.

Take a 12 x 17 sheet pan and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray, or grease it with a thin layer of olive oil. Pour the entire mixture onto the sheet pan and spread evenly. Dollop the ricotta mixture onto the top in 6 to 9 places, then sprinkle the rest of the parmesan and mozzarella on top.

Place sheet pan in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

You can store your leftovers, if there are any, in a lidded container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze individual portions in the freezer up to 3 months.

NOTE: For the sausage you can use turkey, chicken or pork – mild, sweet, hot or a mix.

Cooking

Brownie Yumminess

Lora Knows...

Every once in a while we love to have something sweet in the house. OK, let’s be honest Dean loves sweets, but he is one of those who can simply say he isn’t going to eat processed sugar anymore, and he simply stops.

Since we have given up processed sugars among other things I needed to find an easy alternative to baking something sweet and yummy. During a Google search for sweet treats that didn’t have sucralose, aspartame or any of those alternative sweetners I came across Legit Bread Company.

I was immediately taken in by the ingredients. Most of the products are nut free, grain free, paleo, gluten free, soy free, dairy free and nightshade free. Reading through the directions the ease of being able to make bread, bagels, brownies and even cookies had me placing an order and hoping for the best.

The first thing we decided to make were the brownies. The ingredients are as followed: coconut palm sugar, cassava flour, cocoa powder, psyllium husk powder, baking soda and sea salt. All we had to do was add 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and a quarter cup of melted butter. We mixed it all together and put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, even though it was recommended 35 minutes. We loved the consistency with less baking, and they were yummilicious!