my new kitchen - kind of

I am happy to announce that Aaron and I have successfully replaced our double wall ovens and one of the cooktops! We got a smokin' deal online at HomeEverything, and did the install/electrical work ourselves. I am so proud of my honey! Here are some before, during, and after shots. Now we need to work on painting cabinets, new countertops, floors, lighting...okay pretty much everything else!

Before we had 2 electric coil cooktops and double ovens, all of which were original to the house...in 1966:


We had fun figuring out how to get everything out and ready for the install:


Now we have a pretty smoothtop cooktop and double convection ovens!


I guess it's time to go grocery shopping and cook a meal for my family - work, work, work.

Asparagus in your lasagna?

Those of you that know me well know that I've never been a fan of cooked vegetables. But I must admit that my maturing tastebuds are slowly developing a taste for some cooked vegetables. Even asparagus! So once my kitchen is put back together and I get to break in my new cooktop and double ovens, I think I just may have to try this one.

Asparagus Lasagna
Yields 6 to 8 servings

9 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
2 (8.5-ounce) jars sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 3/4 cup
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I would probably use more like 2 bunches)
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese (add some lemon zest to the ricotta)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.

In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.

In a large skillet brown the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Continue for 1 more layer. Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Dot the top with butter. Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.

Brownie Pizza

If you think chocolate & peanut butter is one of the best combinations in the world, you'll love this.

1 box fudge brownie mix
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. peanut butter
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, full size, at least 3, but the more, the merrier!
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 peanuts, chopped (optional, but I sure wouldn't leave them off!)
2 Tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Spread mixed brownies on either A) a round pizza stone or B) a round pizza tray covered with parchment paper or greased very well. Spread mix evenly on stone/pan to make it look like a pizza. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked. Cool completely.

Mix together cream cheese, peanut butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Spread on top of cooled brownie. This is your "pizza sauce".

Coarsely chop the peanut butter cups, and sprinkle on top of the pizza, along with the bananas and peanuts. This is your "toppings".

Melt chocolate and shortening together and drizzle over the top. Slice pizza with a pizza cutter and try not to drool too much over it!

Tortilla soup

I can't remember if I've posted this one or not, and the search capability isn't working properly on the blog, so sorry if this is a repeat - but it's yummy! I made a pot of it a couple of weeks ago, so much in fact that I had the kids take some to our next door neighbor. Turns out she was sick and greatly appreciated the soup. Just a warning, it is a very long, time-consuming recipe, but worth the effort!

Tortilla Soup

Makes 8 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

The entire process for making this soup which Islands serves in “bottomless bowls” takes as long as 3 hours, but don’t let that discourage you. Most of that time is spent waiting for the chicken to roast (up to 90 minutes) and letting the soup simmer (1 hour). The actual work involved is minimal -- most of your time is spent chopping the vegetable ingredients. This recipe produces soup with an awesome flavor and texture since you’ll be making fresh chicken stock from the carcass of the roasted chicken. As for the fried tortilla strip garnish that tops the soup, you can go the hard way or the easy way on that step. The hard way makes the very best clone and it’s really not that hard: Simply slice corn tortillas into strips, fry the strips real quick, then toss the fried strips with a custom seasoning blend. The easy way is to grab a bag of the new habanero-flavored Doritos, which happen to be similar in spiciness to the strips used at the restaurant. Simply crumble a few of these chips over the top of your bowl of soup, and dig in.

Ingredients

4 to 5 pound whole roasting chicken

2 tablespoons butter, melted

16 cups (1 gallon) water

1 medium Spanish onion, diced (2 cups)

1 medium red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

2 medium carrots, diced (1 cup)

2 Anaheim peppers, diced (3/4 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)

juice of 2 large limes (3 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Tortilla Strips

2 cups vegetable oil

6 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Garnish

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 avocados, diced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Rub the chicken with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place your clucker breast-side-up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast chicken for 70 to 90 minutes or until the temperature in the center of the breast is 160 degrees F. Remove chicken from the oven to cool, but don’t get rid of the drippings in the roasting pan.

3. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, tear the meat off the bone. Throw away the skin but keep all the bones. Add the bones to 16 cups of water in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a rapid simmer and find something to keep you busy for 30 minutes. This is a good time to finish chopping the veggies.

4. Spoon a tablespoon of fat from the roasting pan into a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, sauté onion, peppers, carrot and garlic for 10 minutes over medium/low heat.

5. After 30 to 45 minutes of simmering, remove chicken bones from the water, and add the sautéed vegetables, plus the chicken meat, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Simmer soup for 1 hour, adding the cilantro to the pot about 30 minutes in.

6. As your soup simmers, heat up 2 cups of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Make your spicy tortilla strips by cutting a pile of 6 small corn tortillas in half. Slice the stacks into 1/4-inch strips. Test the oil by dropping in one strip. If it bubbles rapidly, its hot enough. Wait 4 minutes then take out the sample and make sure its crunchy. If your oil is ready, fry half of the strips at a time for 4 to 5 minutes or until they all come out crispy. Drain on paper towels. Combine the seasonings for the strips (chili powder, paprika, cayenne and salt) in a small bowl. Toss the tortilla strips with the seasoning in a large bowl until the strips are coated.

7. Serve each bowl of soup topped with a couple tablespoons of shredded Jack cheese, a couple tablespoons of diced avocado (one-quarter of an avocado), and handful of tortilla strips on top.