Laura Hunter's Prize Winning Lasagna

Kimberly's Comments: I've known Laura since we were both shrieking 7-year-olds scrambling around the YWAM base on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. I think I've written to her more than I've spent time in the same time zone with Laura, but there is something unique about friends that you've known as long as your memory will stretch. We saw each other during one blazing hot summer in 1997, touring around with the Mercy Ships and singing and dancing. Our parents did a better job at keeping in touch, and I would learn about her life's adventures through them. Facebook has rekindled that friendship, and she happened to follow my blog when I had a drawing for a free baking dish from Cookware.com. Since she's such a champion, she actually blogged twice about the event. Oh, and she graciously agreed to submit this blog entry as a followup for the prize. Thanks, Laura! The recipe and photo of the recipe are Laura's. Check her blog for more creative recipes and excellent photos!

Laura Hunter

Ever since the first Tupperware party to the first infomercial for the perfect knife set people have been on the continuous hunt for the perfect new addition to their kitchen. We want the latest and the greatest, but I find it hard to constantly sift through the ads and the reviews to find what I actually need. We all have different needs in the kitchen and what might be an amazing find to one person is dull and useless to the other. Over Christmas I won the Paula Deen 9" x 13" Stoneware Baker from Kimberly King Schaub’s blog, Cooking with the Schaubs. And I must say that without even knowing that I needed it I found something that is perfect for my kitchen. The greatest part of this pan is how evenly it seems to cook my food and how easy it was to clean up. The other day I made lasagna, and after the second day with leftovers in the fridge I thought I would have to soak it for a while before I could clean it. I was happy to discover that with a little bit of soapy water the dish cleaned right away, what a refreshing change. It is fun when little surprises come your way that you didn’t even know you wanted.

Lasagna
1lb of ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
5 oz can diced black olives
2 garlic cloves minced
1 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 package of whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 beaten egg
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

For sauce: In a large sauce pan cook beef, onion and garlic until meat is brown. Drain.

Stir in canned tomatoes, sauce, Italian seasoning, black olives and pepper into meat mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile cook noodles according to package instructions being careful to cook until tender but still firm. This is key to not over cook the noodles so that your lasagna has body to it. Drain noodles and set aside.

For filling combine, egg, ricotta and the 1/4 c. of Parmesan and set aside.

Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce at the bottom of your pan and then layer with your cooked noodles, trimming or overlapping as needed. Spread 1/3 of sauce and then 1/3 of filling over noodles, top with 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake at 375 in oven for 30-35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

* Special note from Kimberly *
Some stoneware pans, the unglazed pans, don't always require soap to clean them. Pampered Chef stones will actually be damaged, so be sure to check your manufacturer's labels.

Seared Salmon Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey with Smoked Paprika Roasted Red Potatoes and Caprese Salad

Fresh salmon is naturally sweet and creamy, and it doesn't need to be drowned out with super sauces and zippy spices. Since Joshua is on a gluten-free diet, I choose side dishes that are naturally gluten free, like red potatoes. Since the dish itself is rich, I wanted the vegetables to be simple and delicious on their own. You can choose a different side dish for your special dinner. This dish serves 2.

1 pound salmon filet, cleaned of bones, rinsed, and patted dry
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons clover honey
1 tablespoon, divided Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
6 small red potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium beefsteak tomato
4 fresh basil leaves
2 ounces mozzarella, sliced thinly

1. Clean the salmon filet thoroughly. Rub your fingers along the fish and check for fine bones. Even though the fish has been prepared, check to make sure the side bones are removed. Use clean tweezers and remove the bones you find. Rinse the filet and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper (approx 1/2 teaspoon each)



2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small nonstick saucepan, pour the balsamic vinegar. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, but be careful not to let it boil or splatter all over. The balsamic vinegar with start to evaporate and thicken just slightly.

3. Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into large chunks. Place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the Kosher salt, smoked paprika, and ground pepper. Pour potatoes into a stoneware baking sheet or sheet pan. Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. At the halfway point, stir the potatoes, and turn them, so the other sides can also get browned.

4. While the potatoes are roasting, preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the pan is extremely hot, pour in 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. Carefully slide the seasoned salmon into the pan - skin side up, being careful not to splash hot oil on yourself. Cover immediately with a splatter guard. Let fry for 3-5 minutes without touching it. You are creating a crispy crust for the salmon.

5. While the salmon is searing, add the honey to the balsamic vinegar and stir. Return to the heat and let simmer for about 3 more minutes.


6. Once the salmon has seared on the top side, carefully flip the salmon over and place the splatter guard back on top. Sear this side for another 5 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through to 135-145 degrees.

7. Slice the beefsteak tomato. Then lay out on a serving plate and sprinkle lightly with salt. Top with the slices of cheese. Stack the basil leaves on each other and then roll up. Slice the basil leaves into the thin threads. Sprinkle overtop the tomato and cheese slices. Refrigerate until ready to use.

8. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Remove the salmon from the pan and place on a separate plate to cool briefly.


9. Divide onto plates and enjoy.

Teaching and Serving

I started teaching at North Seattle Community College on January 4th, and my life has taken off! I am teaching a basic health course to 35 college students! Yah, somebody thinks I know something about basic health and thinks I can give advice to college kids. It's a great opportunity, and it takes lots of my time!

I ride the bus from downtown Seattle to NSCC each day, and I really have been enjoying the ride. I don't have to worry about merging traffic, accidents or crazy pedestrians. I just jump on the bus and get off 45 minutes later. Now, do note that it does take 30-45 minutes, depending on the passengers and number of stops, so it takes planning. The same drive, which is only 6 miles, takes about 15 minutes if I were to drive. However, since we live downtown, we park our car in a lot that's not very close to our house -- about 8 minutes away. Then, parking takes another 5 minutes, if you're lucky. I won't pay for a quarter-long parking permit, so I try to park further from campus. It takes about 5 minutes to walk from one of the parking spots on the street across from the campus. So, all said, it takes about 24 minutes to drive myself to campus. It's worth riding a bus and getting a front-row drop off. I've thought a few times how funny (and so inconvenient) it would be if I were to drive to NSCC and then get on the bus later, leaving my car at campus.

Because the position opened up at NSCC, at least for the quarter, I do not work at Seastar Restaurant and Bar, the seafood restaurant I was at. I had been learning quite a bit from them, but one thing I learned for sure is that I don't care for losing out on all my weekend nights. I also have learned how essential each position is in the restaurant, regardless of how glamours or lowly. Truly. the serving assistants, the ladies and guys who clear tables, drop off plates, and deliver bread and butter, are the busiest people in the house. Okay, if you're a server, you'll probably disagree with me. But can you imagine trying to do all of this alone?

I have learned some good lessons from working in a restaurant. Here they are. Of course, if you're in the industry, then you'll probably have some suggestions. Feel free to comment.

1. Tip well, especially if the serving staff deserved it. They are often paid minimum wage and expect to make up the difference in tips. If the server is really biffing on the job, talk to a manager privately. He or she could make it right.
2. Make a reservation. It really doesn't matter if you think it will be busy tonight -- make one anyway.
3. Give your hostess information, like if you're celebrating something special, so she can take care of your table (sometimes a dessert can be given to you -wink wink)
4. Make eye contact with staff, the serving staff, the bar staff, the assistance, and the bussers - it's basic human respect. Even though they're members of the service industry, they're not servants.
5. Don't close the restaurant -- don't be the last table that hangs out one to two hours past the last seating. The servers, while they're glad you decided to dine there, do not want to stay for an extra two hours while you and your friends enjoy themselves. They still have to clean up the restaurant and all.
6. Be sure the restaurant is appropriate for the guests - if you want to dine at a nice restaurant, then leave the kids with the grandparents. Or, if you have kids, then go to a restaurant where the other guests won't be disturbed by kids. Restaurants want all diners to have a good experience, and sometimes other guests can ruin the experience for them. Don't be that guest.
7. If you do bring kid, bring food for them, because they'll probably get incredibly hungry before the food comes out. And clean up the food that falls on the floor (if it's food you brought with for the kids). There's nothing worse than cleaning up crushed Cheerios, and it's even worse when it's at your restaurant after the patrons have left.
8. If you have food allergies, let the chef know. He or she can probably whip up a great dish for you with some advance notice. When you make the reservation, see if you can plan that in.
9. Tip well, even if the servers don't deserve it. Okay, not 25%, but at least 10%. Many restaurants split the tips with the rest of the staff, so the whole team feels the effects.

The thing about being busy is that I don't have time to cook and prepare meals the same way that I have in the past. When we were in Pueblo, we had joined Country Roots Farm, a CSA, and I did a lot of cooking and preparation from scratch. But now, I usually get home in the late afternoon, and sometimes Josh is at work. The inspiration to make dinner is almost absent when he's absent. I have been eating a lot cereal lately.

Fortunately, Day by Day Gourmet makes simple meals that come together quite quickly. So, when we are home together, and I am not in the mood to go all out for dinner (or I lack the groceries), I can thaw one of those meals or cook one from frozen. Specific items were created that can be prepared from frozen if you didn't think of thawing a meal 24 hours in advance. I made Milano Risotto last night. It was easy to make, thank goodness! The great thing about the meals - and I'm biased here - is that the meals are nutritionally balanced. They are created to be around 500 calories, have 2-3 servings of vegetables, restrict sodium, and control fat. So, at least I can give my husband a decent meal that is good for him and that tastes good.



Now that I don't have the restaurant, our schedules line up a little better. There are still nights that he works, and I resort to eating cereal again. But...I am cooking a little more. We wandered down to the Market and picked up some salmon the other day. I had been thinking of a roasted salmon filet with a balsamic vinegar reduction. So, Josh loyally trekked to the Pike Market with me and helped me pick up a salmon filet at Jack's Fish Spot.

I found a good recipe online, and I made some modifications. Check the next post for the recipe.