Need A Crowd Pleaser For Your Next Dinner Party? My Recipe For Zesty Lasagna Rolls!

You have 24 guests that will be arriving tomorrow afternoon to celebrate Uncle Joe's birthday. You want to do something more than the usual Costco BBQ pork balls, vegetable tray and pasta salad, but you are short on time and you need to be careful not to break the bank. This is a simple, low cost recipe that will surprise and bedazzle all your guests, including the kids, and you will be hailed hero for making Uncle Joe's day a special one for everyone. I made a vegetarian version last weekend for a dinner party of 40 and they were a smashing hit!

Zesty Italian Sausage Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients:

Lasagna

• 4- 2lb containers of whole milk ricotta cheese


• 9 cups of grated Parmesan cheese


• 8 large eggs, beaten to blend


• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg


• 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt


• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper


• 48 uncooked lasagna noodles


• 6 lbs mild or hot Italian sausage


• 14-16 cups of marinara sauce


• 8 cups fresh mozzarella, grated

Marinara Sauce

• 1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil


• 4 large Vidalia onions, finely chopped


• 14 garlic cloves, finely chopped


• 7 celery stalks, finely chopped


• 7 carrots, peeled and finely chopped


• 4 tsp kosher salt


• 4 tsp fresh black pepper


• 1 tsp cayenne pepper


• 4 (32-ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes


• 3 (32-ounce) cans tomato sauce


• 4-6 dried bay leaves


• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions:

Start with the sauce. Chop all your onion, garlic, celery and carrots and place in prep bowl. In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, celery and carrots and cook until fragrant and onions are translucent, about 10-15 minutes. Add kosher salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves and thyme, cook for 1-2 minutes to release their aromatic oils. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, stir thoroughly. Bring to a gently boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 1 hour. Taste and re season if necessary. The sauce can be made a day ahead.

Next, brown the sausage in a large skillet. You may have to do in 2 lb batches. Otherwise you will end up steaming the meat instead of browning. I like to season my meat with pepper and garlic powder, but you don't have to since we will be adding some of the marinara sauce to lightly coat it for assembly. Use slotted spoon to drain the sausage as each batch finished browning and hold in a separate medium bowl.

While the sausage is browning you can combine your five-minute ricotta filling. In a large stainless steal bowl, combine ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Make sure it is thoroughly mixed. Cover and place in fridge until ready to assemble. This can be done a day ahead.

Once the sauce is ready and the sausage is browned. Add 2-4 cups of sauce to the sausage in the bowl and mix in just to coat. This will add more flavor to the lasagna and make it easier to assemble.

For the noodles, bring water to a boil in large stockpot. Salt generously to season noodles. Add noodles in batches so they do not stick, about 12 at a time. Cook until al dente where they have a little firmness to them, but mostly done. Your box should have directions to do this.

When noodles are done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking. Add a little olive oil and toss. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet to keep from sticking. Repeat until all noodles are done.

Now for assembly. In 10 x 15 casserole dishes, spread a little sauce over the bottom. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the flat noodles. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture on top of the ricotta down the middle of each noodle to prevent meat mixture from coming out the sides so much. Carefully roll up each noodle into a nice compact roll with seam side down. Place in casserole dish. Repeat until dish is filled, about 15 lasagna rolls. Ladle sauce evenly over each row of lasagna rolls and top with mozzarella. Repeat for each dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with fresh dinner salad and seasoned garlic bread.

Tips:

You can replace the sausage with ground beef to get a more beefy lasagna, but make sure you season your beef well before browning. I like to use salt, pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne powder.

Build A Better Burger - My Recipe For Itailian Sausage Burger with Petso Mayo

With grilling season coming up I wanted something new for Labor Day that was different than the regular old cheeseburger and wings. I did some recipe testing last night and came up with this incredible tasting burger with some new and fresh flavors that will send your taste buds spinning. Try this recipe next time you want a juicy flavorful burger to sink your teeth into. You can make them a them a day ahead so when you come home from work, you can just throw them on the grill or skillet and dinner will be ready in no time.


Spicy Italian Sausage Burgers with Mozzarella, Pesto Mayo & Buttermilk Onion Rings

Ingredients:

Burgers:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• Fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Tomatoes, sliced
• Red onion, sliced
• Red leaf lettuce, rough chopped
• 8 fresh baked sesame buns

Pesto Mayo:

• 3 oz of fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and pealed
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup good quality mayo

Buttermilk Onion Rings:

• 4 Vidalia sweet onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 quart of buttermilk
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup corn flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
• Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

To make the burgers:

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne and fresh parsley. Mix well with you hands, but not too much or it will make your burgers tough. Cover and set aside to rest.


To make the pesto mayo:

In blender or food processor, add basil, garlic clove, hazelnuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, salt and pepper and whiz until you have a thick green paste, a few seconds. While the blender of food processor is still going, slowly drizzle the olive oil until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of mayo with 1/2 cup pesto until thoroughly incorporated. Refrigerate till ready for use.


Back to the burgers:

Evenly portion out your burgers and create them into balls. Press them them in a burger press or simply press them into the palm of your hand and mold the desired shape and thickness. I recommend a 1/2 inch this, because the will plump up as the cook.

Heat a well oiled cast iron skillet to medium - medium high, place the burgers in the pan and cook one side about 5 minutes, turn only once and do not press them with the spatula or the juices will run out and you will have a dry burger. Once you turn them, leave them alone, cover and cook for another 5 minutes or until completely cooked through. Once done, transfer to a platter, top with mozzarella slice, cover and let rest 5 minute to melt the cheese and to allow all the juices to redistribute back into the burger.

Build your burgers with toasted buns, lettuce, tomato, red onion and basil pesto.


To make onion rings:

Pour one quart of buttermilk in a large glass bowl. Slice onions 1/4 inch thick and soak them in the butter milk 15-20 minutes. While soaking, combine flour, corn flour, salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne in a large stainless steal bowl. Add the onion rings to flour and toss till completely coated. Let sit for about 5 minutes to allow the flour to really adhere to the onions.

Heat oil to 350 degrees, drop onion rings in and fry till desired crispiness and golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcrowd, instead fry in batches. Scoop out with slotted utensil and place on rack to drain any excess oil. Serve immediately with burgers.


Veronica Lee~

http://www.veronicaleeshomestylecuisine.com/

Need a New Game Plan For Dinner? A Personal Chef Might Be the Perfect Solution!

When people think of personal chef service, they think of an expensive luxury service of a private chef meant only for the elite few who are in very prestigious positions. This is definitely not true. While you still have the amazing quality of food a private chef offers, the services of a personal chef is not only affordable, but is becoming quite popular with all walks of life, including time-pressed middle class families with hectic schedules, retirees who need to take life a little easier and career driven folks who spend long hours at the office. This type of service has been a life-style solution of choice for many food enthusiastic folks to free up time and eliminate the hassle of shopping and preparing meals so they can focus on the more immediate tasks at hand. If food is an important element in your life and you are used to using other services, like landscaping, housecleaning and daycare, you can afford a personal chef service.

What is a Personal Chef Service?

Now that we addressed the affordability of a personal chef, lets talk about what a personal chef service actually is. A personal chef service is more than just providing food, it is a "personal service" of customized meal planning, shopping for freshest possible ingredients, as well as preparing and storing your meals for optimal nutrition and quality to enjoy on your time and schedule.

This means:

• Customization; all meals are specifically based on your likes and nutritional food needs. I have one client who is diabetic. She felt overwhelmed with her new protocol for her diet and asked me if I could help her plan and prepare the meals according to what her dietitian recommended. A personal chef service became a perfect solution for her and she quickly became a regular client. I also have a family who have teenagers, mom runs her own business and dad works out of the home. My services have been a blessing to them as they are able to come home and have quality family and meal time without the hassle and fuss of the last minute "what's for dinner" dilemma.
• Limitless menu options; the sky is the limit when it comes to your home dining options. Whatever it is you want will be made for you just as a private chef would. You are in control of the menu. If you can't think of a lot of menu options at first, you personal chef should provide you with a starter menu of client favorites to choose from. I have a family who started out as meet eaters and then a few months later went totally vegetarian on me. A personal chef service was able to help them transition into their new dietary needs.
• Quality and freshness; all meals are prepared from scratch with no pre-prepared ingredients such jarred sauces, pie crusts, etc. Shopping occurs the same day as your cook date for optimal quality and freshness. Your personal chef service should be utilizing local and organic ingredients as much as possible for freshness and nutritional value as well as supporting local farmers.
• Variety of service; a personal chef service offers many different types of services you can take advantage of. Every thing from the home-dining service as we talked about above, to dinner parties, cooking classes, home-getaways, and romantic dinners for two.

So if you are pressed for time and struggling with getting dinner on the table or you just want to enjoy something fresh and new and tired of the same old stuff out of a box or can, a personal chef service can be a great solution for your home dining needs, and your family will thank you for it.

To find out more about how personal chefs are helping people all across America with their home dinning needs or to find a personal chef in your area, you can go to http://www.personalchef.com .

Stay tunned for more home-style tips and recipes.

Veronica Lee~

http://www.veronicaleeshomestylecuisine.com/

Delicious Beer Braised Corned Beef Without The Cabbage

If you're like me, I love corned beef, but I'm not always in the mood for cabbage. Here is a great recipe that uses red potatoes and carrots instead of the cabbage.

Spiced Beer Braised Corned Beef with Red Potatoes and Carrots

Ingredients

• 1 (3-pound) corned beef brisket
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed whole
• 1 large Vidalia onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons pickling spice
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 bottles of Black Butte Port
• 1/2 cup Irish Whisky
• 2 bunches of whole baby carrots, trimmed and washed
• 1 lb of small red potatoes or fingerling potatoes
• 4 sprigs of fresh dill
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Kale leaves for plating

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Season brisket with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. If you want a little heat add some cayenne pepper. Let sit in for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temp. Placed corned beef in a large roasting pan with a lid. Add smashed garlic gloves, sliced onion, pickling spice, caraway seeds, beer and whisky. Cover and place in oven. Braise for 3 hours, turning the meat once. At the end of the three hours, add carrots, potatoes and dill. Cover and place back in the oven for an additional 2 hours. Remove from the oven. Line a platter with kale leaves, place the corned beef in the center and mound the potatoes and carrots around creating a elegant, but rustic dish. Serve with whole grain mustard or horseradish sauce and Irish soda bread.

Horseradish Sauce

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons prepared grated horseradish
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, optional
• Cayenne pepper, pinch

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice. Add salt, pepper and seasonings to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. You can make this a day ahead.

There you go! Now that's one meal that's easy to throw together.

Dig in, eat well and enjoy the luck of the Irish!

Veronica Lee~

http://veronicaleeshomestylecuisine.com/

Getting Ready To Grill & Chill - Choosing Your Grill

Grilling season is right around the corner! It's time to start thinking of your outdoor entertainment for the spring and summer and the kind of grill you may need to pull it off.

Here are six points to consider when deciding on a grill:

• How often will you be using your grill?
• How much space do you have to dedicate to use and store your grill?
• What kind of fuel source do you prefer to grill with? Charcoal or Gas?
• How many people and how often do you plan to grill or barbecue for?
• What types and quantity of foods will you be grilling or barbecuing?
• What cooking methods do you want to use on the grill? Smoking, grilling or both?

After addressing these questions, take a look at some of the grill types below and find out what fits your grilling style and needs.

• Hibachi & Portable Grills - Hibachi means "firebox" in Japanese. Originated in Japan, these are usually made of cast iron or steel. They are small in size, which makes them convenient to take along for picnics, the beach, camping trips or tailgating parties if you are planning to cook a small amount of food.
• Kettle Grills - These are round and dome-shaped with three legs and contains vents above and below the grilling rack to allow for temperature control. You will want to choose one with a large enough cooking area, deeper bowl for good heat and air circulation a a tall domed lid to allow plenty of space for roasts and whole birds.
• Charcoal Oven Grills - These are great if you want to cook with indirect heat and infuse smoky flavors to your food. They usually contain a smoker on the side with a closeable lid allowing you to cook you food low and slow making your meat tender and juicy. This is the method I like to use.
• Gas Grills - Fueled by propane, gas grill use lava rocks or ceramic briquettes set over burners. The are less messy and take less time to heat than a charcoal grill. One the down side, you don't get the same deep smoky flavors as you would with charcoal and wood. You could use a steel smoke box with soaked wood chips to help with this.

This should get you started on choosing the right grill that best suites your grilling style and needs. Take your time, look around, compare features, quality and pricing so you can be confident that the grill you choose will make for a fun and successful grilling season with many more to come.

Veronica Lee~

http://www.veronicaleeshomestylecuisine.com/

The Gluten Steak. A New Twist on a Vegetarian Classic!

As a tribute to my oldest daughter, who became a vegetarian with strong conviction at twelve years old, I became inspired to create a contemporary version of the gluten steak. The recipes I found online were completely outdated and really needed some fresh cooking methods, flavors and ingredients.

I have a family I've been cooking for the last five months. They were meat eaters when they started using my personal chef services, but recently they decided to go completely vegetarian on me. Needless to say, they were excited to hear that I could accommodate them in their new vegetarian venture. I made these gluten steaks for them as one of their first dishes and they absolutely loved them.

Gluten steaks are like dumplings cooked and simmered into a flavorful broth. You can make the broth into a gravy, as I do in this recipe, or you can bread and fry the steaks, kind of like a chicken fried steak. They are really filling and stick to your ribs just as a dumpling does. They go great with mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes or mac n' cheese.

So if you are going vegetarian and need something a little meaty, try this recipe and tell me what you think!


Vital Wheat Gluten Steaks

Broth

• 1 quart of mushroom broth
• 1quart of french onion broth
• 1 large vidalia onion; coarsely chopped
• 3 stalks of celery; coarsely chopped
• 3 medium carrots; coarsely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic; smashed
• 2-3 squares of not-beef bouillon or 2-3 Tbls beef-like seasoning
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 small bunch of parsley

In a large pot, add the mushroom and onion broth. Chop the onions, carrots, celery and add to the pot. Smash and peel the garlic cloves and add to the pot whole. Add the beef flavored bouillon or seasoning, soy sauce, Worcestershire, peppercorns and thyme or parsley. Bring to a gently boil and simmer for about 15 minutes and cool 3 cups of broth in a separate bowl to make the steaks. Keep the rest of the broth with all the vegetables in the large pot to simmer the steaks when ready. This will provide the flavoring for the steaks.


Steaks

• 3 cups broth; cooled to room temperature
• 1 cup oatmeal; steal cut or old fashioned
• 3 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1 cup brewer's yeast
• 3 cups unbleached white flour; for dredging
• 1 medium vidalia onion; sliced
• 1/2 lbs of crimini mushrooms; cleaned and sliced
• 2 Tbls butter
• 1-2 Tbls olive oil
• Kosher salt; to taste
• Fresh Ground Pepper; to taste
• Granulated Garlic; pinch optional
• Cayenne; pinch optional

Whiz broth and oatmeal in blender for a few seconds and let sit for 5-10 minutes to soften. Pour in a medium size bowl.

Add vital wheat gluten flour and brewers yeast. Stir with fingers till well mixed. This will be sticky. Lightly sprinkle some gluten flour to help with the stickiness, but not too much as this will make it tough. Kneed 5-6 times. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the dough to relax so you can shape.

Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the table or cutting board. Place dough on plastic wrap and shape into a log. Make sure your hands are floured with regular white flour to make it easier to handle. Wrap the dough log and spin the ends to seal and shape the dough. Place in refrigerator and let set for 2-3 hours.

Remove the plastic wrap. Place unbleached flour in a pie plate. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and dredge them in the unbleached flour to coat. This will help the steaks keep from sticking together and create a nice gravy out of the broth they will be simmering in.

Place flour coated steaks into the the simmering broth. Bring to a gently boil, turn down heat and simmer for 1- 1 1/2 hours.

In a medium saute pan, put 2 Tbls butter and 1 Tbls olive oil. Add mushroom, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add onions, saute on medium to medium-high till mushrooms are browned and onions caramelized, 10-15 minutes.

When steak are done, place in a casserole dish. Pour all the broth with the vegetable and peppercorns into blender and blend till completely smooth. Smother the steaks with the sauteed onions and mushrooms. Pour blended gravy over the steaks till completely covered. Serve immediately or keep in fridge for up to 3 days, heat and serve when needed.


Tips:

Your can buy the mushroom and french onion stock at New Seasons, Whole Foods or the regular grocery store in the stock and soup isle.

I used Bob Mills vital wheat gluten and steal cut oats, but you can find gluten flour and old fashioned rolled oats in the bulk and nutrition isle of your local grocery.

Crimini mushrooms are the brown baby portabellas.


Chef Veronica Lee~

http://www.veronicaleeshomestylecuisine.com/Index.html

Seven Faithful Stand-Ins

Ok, so you're feeling spontaneous and want to fire up the grill. You got your steaks, fish or chicken, but you don't want to make that extra trip to the store for the few ingredients you may be missing. Here are seven faithful stand-ins to use if you don't have the exact ingredients needed.

1. Fresh Herbs - Use 1 tsp of dry herbs for every Tbls of fresh herbs as the flavor is more concentrated in dry herbs. Tip - Rub the dry herbs together between your fingers as you are applying to stimulate the aromatic oils and therefore enhance the flavor.
2. Garlic - Use 1/8 tps or granulated garlic in place of a medium garlic clove.
3. Ginger - Use 1/2 tsp of ground ginger in place of a 1 tsp of fresh minced ginger.
4. Italian Seasoning - If you don't have the ready-made Italian seasoning use this recipe. Combine 1/2 teaspoon each: dried oregano, marjoram, basil and rosemary; 1/8 tsp of sage.
5. Mustard - Use 1 tsp ground mustard plus 2 tsp vinegar in place of Tbls of prepared mustard.
6. Onion - Use 1 Tbls onion powder in place of 1 medium chopped onion.
7. Poultry Seasoning - If you don't have ready-made poultry seasoning use this recipe. Combine 1 tbls each dried rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram, celery seed, plus 1 tsp black peppercorns. Whiz in spice grinder to desired consistency; only a few seconds.

Hope this is helpful for your next spontaneous meal. Stay posted for more cooking tips and recipes.

Chef Veronica Lee~

http://www.veronicaleeshomestylecuisine.com/Index.html