Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups ~ by Sarah

This is a Pinterest recipe I came across, but I modified it some.  Very easy and very delicious!  I definitely recommend!

 
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I boiled three chicken breasts and chopped them up)
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (I used black)
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups marinara sauce (I think Barilla is the best...)

My additions:
fresh basil, chopped
mozzarella, shredded

Directions:
In medium bowl, combine chicken, cheeses, milk, and pepper. Spread 1/2 cup mixture on each lasagna noodle; roll jelly-roll fashion. In a 13x9-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce. Arrange lasagna rolls, seam-side down in sauce in baking dish. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce. Cover. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot.

My modifications:
I warmed up the marinara sauce in a pan and added the fresh basil and let it simmer for a few minutes to get the herb's flavors.

I also baked it (covered) for about 25 minutes, then took off the foil, added the mozzarella, then cooked it until the cheese was bubbly.

Not my picture and not the picture from the website where I got the recipe, but it looks very similar!

Salmon Florentine ~Molly

I found THE BEST salmon recipe the other day on Self.com. I've made it twice now, and I'll probably be making it again very, very soon. It's healthy (hence the reason it was on a health magazine's website), quick, and soooooo delicious.
Since I'm alone in my wolfpack, I cut the recipe in half and had plenty for my dinner and leftovers the next day. Oh, and I wilted about 2 cups of fresh spinach instead of using frozen because frozen is gross.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 packages (10 oz each) frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots*
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
• 4 skinless salmon fillets (6 oz each), rinsed and patted dry

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350°. Squeeze spinach of all excess liquid. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. Add spinach, tomatoes, salt, pepper flakes and pepper; cook, stirring, 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; let cool about 15 minutes**. Add ricotta; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pack about 1/2 cup spinach mixture on top of each fillet, matching the shape of the fillet. Place fillets on a rimmed baking sheet or in a glass baking dish; bake until cooked through, 15 minutes. 

   
   

   *I used onions because I don't have shallots just hanging out on my counter.

   **I'm not patient enough to wait that long, so I cooled mine for about 5 minutes, and it was just fine.

   
   

   No, I didn't take this picture. Oh, and I left out the part of the recipe that tells you to serve it over quinoa.

   

   
   

Cowboy Calzone ~ by Sarah

I love calzone--something about all that pizza dough just does it for me.  This is a Pioneer Woman recipe I've been wanting to try and it didn't disappoint!  The calzone are huge--and very filling!  This recipe may seem like a lot of work, but it's really very easy and didn't take much time at all.  This makes 8 calzone...

Before you make the calzone, you need to make the pizza dough:
Ingredients:
1 t. or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:
Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water and set aside.  Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle the olive oil until just incorporated.  Gently stir the yeast/water mixture and then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball.  (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)  Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl.  Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil.  Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Now it's time for the calzone:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. hot breakfast sausage

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 can Rotel

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil for brushing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  In a large skillet, combine the sausage and hamburger with the onion.  Brown over medium heat.  Drain the excess grease.  Pour in the tomatoes and chilies.

Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and egg.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.

Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal-sized balls.  With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.  Place 1/8th of the meat/cheese mixture in the middle of each circle.

Fold half of the circle over the other half, gently pressing to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside.  Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.  Brush the calzone with olive oil.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Transfer the calzone to a basket or wrap individually in foil.

I like a little sauce with my calzone, so I served these with marinara sauce for dipping.  Delicious!