Now She's Done it! Gluten-Free, Skinny, Lasagna!

Ok...this one is good...yum...and no guilt!! Woo hoo!

Gluten-Free, Skinny Lasagna!

1 Box Boles Rice Lasagna Noodles

1 lb. Organic ground beef-4% fat

2 lbs. Low-Fat Mozzarella Cheese-shredded

French Onion with White Wine and Thyme...Thick, Rich, and Just Right for Winter!

French Onion Soup

French Bread loaf

Sliced Provolone cheese by 1/2 pd our package

4 whole white onions haved and sliced

4 cups beef broth

1 cup white whine

1-2 cups water

3 Tbsp white flour

3 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp thyme

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Hot Chocolate~ Homemade! Nice and Easy Winter Days...

This is so Easy, it's almost wrong...
when you experience the depth of flavor!

Recipe:
2 cups milk
1 cup chocolate morsels (or sub other)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Sugar to taste...depending on the chocolate, if
   needed.

Heat chocolate morsels with 1/4 cup of
milk, stirring over medium heat, until melted.
Stir in remaining milk and add nutmeg, whisk over
low to medium heat until hot. Serve hot!

Bone Broth Recipe~Healing, Homemade, Chicken Broth in Your Soup! (Cooked with Bones in!)

Here is a good recipe for BONE BROTH..and of course then, I turned it into a great noodle soup and added dumplings! But, you can just make the broth and strain...for medicinal purposes.

This is made from leftover Roasted Chicken! (Bones and All!) 

Place Roasted Chicken bones, leftover meat, skin, and any remaining 
vegetables or herbs, in a large pot of water. 

Add one full clove of garlic, fresh sprigs (or dried) of Rosemary, Thyme,  and Sage, and 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar. This helps to extract minerals and other elements from the bones.

Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer.  Simmer for several hours-the longer the better!
This extracts the marrow, along with all of the good immune-boosting elements that OUR BODIES take in and USE to fight off infection. 

 (Yay! I make this almost weekly in the winter time and FREEZE some, in case any of us catch the flue. It works wonders! The kids jokingly, call this Chicken “bone” soup, because I stress that the bones are used in the making of the stock.  

Strain the stock, and pick off the remaining pieces of Chicken and return them
to the pan along with the strained stock. 

Add 2 cups each of chopped carrots, celery, onion. 
Cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft. 

 Add bag of Fettuccine, or other Pasta, and cook until al dente (refer to past bag for timing).

Make a Rue (1/2 cup of flour stirred into 1/4 cup of butter) Pour into soup to help the sauce thicken.

Add Sea Salt and Pepper to taste.

For Dumplings: 

1 1/4 cup of flour

3 tbsp baking soda

3tbsp COLD butter

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

3 tbsp Parsley or Dill

1 cup of buttermilk (use milk plus lemon juice if you do not have buttermilk)

1 egg

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut cold butter into cubes, then cut into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, or use fork, until mixture is coarse crumbs.  Mix together buttermilk (or milk w/lemon) and egg, pour into dry mix, stir until dough is formed.

Drop by spoonful on the TOP of the Soup; Cover and Simmer 15 minutes. 

Serve warm or split and freeze half for later! 

Here's to You, on Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, but especially to all of my sisters and girlfriends, who today will work their fannies off trying to fight with the 50lb wet bird, stuff the stuffing , cook it juicy, while not burning or drying it out, whip the potatoes to perfection, de-lump the gravy, sauce the cranberries, and roll out the pies. May your guests love and appreciate you and may you drink so much wine that you frankly, do not care. Throw on those high heels, your mascara, and slap that bird on the table. 
God love ya, for all you do.

 I am THANKFUL you are my friends  Happy Thanksgiving xoxo

Bag the Canned Cranberries! Make This Beautiful Cranberry Conserve in 15 Minutes!

Super easy, fresh and filled with chunky fruit...everyone loves it! 

This picture is before cooking, so you can see all of the beautiful fruit. 

This recipe is for a single batch...however, in the picture here is 5 times the amount.

 We are having two family dinners, so this should be enough! 

Recipe: 
12oz bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 apple peeled or skin on, chopped 
1 orange zest and pieces
1 lemon zest and pieces 
1-8 oz bag walnuts-chopped

Add all ingredients (except walnuts) in large pot. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer 15 minutes. Let cool 30 mins. Stir in chopped walnuts.  Chill 2-3 hours, and serve.  Enjoy!! xoxo

Nobody Beats Martha Stewart's Basic Instruction for Turkey Recipes! So, Here You Go...

As sassafras as I think I am in the kitchen, nobody beats Martha Stewart for basic cooking instruction. So, I am reprinting hers below. I have used the cheese cloth method, and it produces a wonderfully even browning of the skin. I highly recommend not skipping that step. 

The only modifications I offer is that I use my own LaDolceVitaGirl TURKEY BRINE RECIPE at least 24 hours prior to baking (see link). 

Then, I always use Rosemary, Thyme, Sea Salt, and Pepper on the outside of the bird, to season. 

I stuff the inside with my own recipe of LaDolceVitaGirl Thanksgiving, Green Apple Stuffing and I remove bird, cover, and allow to sit at least 30 minutes, prior to serving. 

**Happy Thanksgiving!**

My French Bread with Thyme and Green Apple Stuffing!

Every year people rave about this stuffing, so I just keep making it! 

It's easy and the flavor is immensely satisfying! 

Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or whole wheat (2 baguettes)4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)2 cups medium-diced onion (2 large)2 cups medium-diced celery (3 large stalks)
1 cup white wine2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large diced2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp thyme2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.



Put the bread cubes on a 13 by 18 by 1-inch baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 7 minutes.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, apples, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes, until the mixture is soft. Pour in wine and saute until wine steams off. 

Combine the bread cubes and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and add the chicken stock. Either stuff the bird, or bake the stuffing at 350Degrees, covered for 30 mins. 

Broccoli, Cheese, Sausage...Strata with a Twist!

The great thing about Strata is that you can switch it up for the occasion and to suit your taste. Our son has just come home to visit from University and loves sausage and broccoli. So, I have whipped this up for a pre-Thanksgiving breakfast! 

8 eggs

1/2 loaf white French bread

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups chopped broccoli 

1 package fresh ground sausage

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 chopped onion

Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Hot Sauce optional

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. 

Slice French bread into thin slices about 1/2" thick.

Saute ground sausage in cast iron or steel frying pan until well done. 

Add onions to last 3 minutes of cooking.

Quick steam broccoli until tender.

Cover bottom of baking dish with bread slices.

Pour sausage and onion mix, and broccoli, onto bread in baking dish. 

Briskly whisk together eggs and cream by hand, or in a stand mixer for 3 minutes.

Pour eggs over top of pan ingredients to cover all. 

Lay shredded cheese out across entire pan and let sink a bit into the egg mixture. 

Cover baking dish and refrigerate for one hour-up to 2 days. 

Remove pan and bring to room temperature. 

Bake at 350 Degrees F  Approximately 50 minutes-1 hour, until

eggs in center are cooked. Do not overcook. 

Homemade Horseradish for Beef Roast or Anything!

I was tired of buying little jars and running out when I made a roast. Thought to myself, "how hard can it be?" So, found some raw at the local grocer. Wow! is it strong! Roast in the slow cooker for tonight and this will be the best compliment!

It starts off looking like this...just chop in sections and throw in food processor on high. Add 2-3 tbsp white vinegar, and 1/4 cup of water and stir. (Don't let the pic fool you. I had first attempted to grate it, and it was not successful! Please use processor :)

TIP: Thanks to my friend, Michael Fisher...be sure to mix it with vinegar immediately to temper the heat. 

Michael also gives a great tip for GROWING YOUR OWN HORSERADISH: 

You need a good sized isolated bed. The leaves grow to about 3 - 4 feet long and they shade everything around them so nothing else grows well nearby. Also, never use a rototiller or cultivator to break up the ground around them or you will find yourself with a hundred new horseradish plants and they are almost impossible to get rid of once they are established.

xoxo