Recipes From Around The World...

[Tough Grits]

Fabulous Foolproof Lasagna

PREP TIME 15 Min

COOK TIME 45 Min

READY IN 1 Hr

SERVINGS & SCALING Original recipe yield: 1 - 9x13 dish

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 pint ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until brown and the juices run clear. Drain and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, basil, thyme, garlic powder, oregano and half the shredded mozzarella. Mix well, and set aside.
• Coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with a little of the spaghetti sauce. Place three noodles in the bottom of the pan, not touching. Spread a layer of the ricotta mixture, a layer of sausage, and a layer of spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Repeat two more times. Top with the reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil.
• Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, remove foil and bake 15 minutes more, until golden and bubbly.

Edited March 9, 2013 by Tough Grits

[Tough Grits]

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Cream Frosting

Frosting -

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature (I used low-fat)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam

3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Cake -

3 cups cake flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

7 large eggs

2 TBSP vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream (I used low fat)

6 TBSP plus 1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam

2 1/4 lbs strawberries, hulled, sliced (about 6 cups), divided

MAKE THE FROSTING

1) Put a small/medium bowl in the freezer to chill. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in sugar, then jam. Remove that chilled bowl from the freezer and beat cream in that chilled bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into frosting. Cover; chill for a couple of hours until it’s firm enough to spread. (If you are in a hurry, you could put the frosting in the freezer to chill quickly.)

MAKE THE CAKE

2) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans with 2-inch high sides. (I used 10″ cheesecake pans – aka springform pans – because they were the only round pans I had with high enough sides and they worked great!) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add sour cream, and beat for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in three additions, beating to blend after each addition. Divide batter into prepared pans.

2) Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pans, then turn cakes out onto a rack to cool completely. I threw the two cake layers in the freezer for about an hour to make the cake assembly easier.

3) Using a serrated knife, divide each layer in half horizontally. Place one half, cake side down, on a cake plate.

4) Spread 3 TBSP of strawberry jam over the cake, then spread 3/4 c of the frosting over the jam. Arrange 3/4 c of the sliced strawberries on top of the frosting in a single layer. Repeat two more times with cake layer, jam, frosting, and strawberries.

5) Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread two cups of frosting over the top and sides of the cake in a thin layer, then frost with remaining frosting. Stir remaining jam to loosen, then spoon teaspoonfuls onto the top and sides of the cake. Use the back of a spoon to swirl jam decoratively into the frosting.

[Tough Grits]

TG's Arroz Con Pollo (Yellow Rice and Chicken)

INGREDIENTS
2 small Cornish hens
1 8oz. bag of Spanish yellow rice (Goya or Vigo)
Any additional spices of your choice

DIRECTIONS
Boil the Cornish hens until the meat is falling off the bone. They might be tricky to remove from pot when so tender…but well worth it! Place the hens in a 13x9 dish or on a large platter. Let them cool. When the hens are cool enough to touch, remove all desired meat from the bone and set aside.
Follow the instructions on the packet of rice. HOWEVER, instead of using plain water use the chicken broth (the water left over from boiling the hens) to boil the rice. When broth comes to a boil, and the packet of rice to the boiling water and all of the shredded chicken to the pot as well. Now cook mixture according to instructions on the packet of rice. Enjoy~
***I usually add more broth than the rice packet calls for. I like my chicken and rice to be a moist dish, not dry. Not only do I add more water (don’t know the exact amount), but I remove the mixture from heat just before all the water has been cooked out. I set it aside, leaving the lid on the pot. This will firm it up, but not dry it out. If the extra moisture is not desired, then cook mixture exactly as packet of rice instructions direct.

[Tough Grits]

TG's Arroz Con Pollo (Yellow Rice and Chicken)

INGREDIENTS
2 small Cornish hens
1 8oz. bag of Spanish yellow rice (Goya or Vigo)
Any additional spices of your choice

DIRECTIONS
Boil the Cornish hens until the meat is falling off the bone. They might be tricky to remove from pot when so tender…but well worth it! Place the hens in a 13x9 dish or on a large platter. Let them cool. When the hens are cool enough to touch, remove all desired meat from the bone and set aside.

Follow the instructions on the packet of rice. HOWEVER, instead of using plain water use the chicken broth (the water left over from boiling the hens) to boil the rice. When broth comes to a boil, and the packet of rice to the boiling water and all of the shredded chicken to the pot as well. Now cook mixture according to instructions on the packet of rice. Enjoy~

***I usually add more broth than the rice packet calls for. I like my chicken and rice to be a moist dish, not dry. Not only do I add more water (don’t know the exact amount), but I remove the mixture from heat just before all the water has been cooked out. I set it aside, leaving the lid on the pot. This will firm it up, but not dry it out. If the extra moisture is not desired, then cook mixture exactly as packet of rice instructions direct.

[Tough Grits]

Churros (Cuban Doughnuts)

INGREDIENTS
·1 cup (all-purpose) flour
·1 cup water with 1/8 tsp. of salt
·vegetable oil
·Plate of granulated or powdered sugar


DIRECTIONS
Sift the flour in a mixing bowl, while bringing the salted water to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the flour, stirring lightly until the dough forms into a ball - about 30 seconds. The dough should be compact, but not runny or too soft.

If you have a churrera or a cookie press, load it up with the dough. If not, a big freezer zip lock bag or a pastry bag with a corner cut off works, too. Use a star shaped tip, if you have it.

Squeeze dough onto waxed paper in about 6 inch strips.

Heat the oil until very hot.

Fry the dough in the super-hot oil, turning once when you see the edges barely begin to pick up color (think pancakes). Fry for about 5 minutes total.
Remove with a slotted spoon, draining as much oil as possible and place on the sugar plate and roll in the sugar.

The churros will be ready to eat almost immediately.

[Tough Grits]

Grandpa's Chili

2 lb. ground beef

2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans

4 cups water

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 cup sugar

2 packets chili powder (McCormick’s ~ 1 mild & 1 hot)

Cook meat, adding season to taste. Drain meat. Place meat in large pot with all above ingredients. Cook to desired consistency. Tastes best the next day, after being refrigerated over night, and then warmed up again!!!!

Also, feel free to add chopped onions, potatoes, and any other veggies or seasonings. Enjoy~

[Tough Grits]

TG's Fiesta Rice

1 lb. ground beef

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 can fiesta corn (whole kernel corn w/ red & green peppers)

1 8oz. bag of Spanish yellow rice (Goya or Vigo)

2 cups of water

1 Tbsp. butter

Cook meat; adding seasonings to taste. Drain meat. Bring water to a boil, then add all ingredients above (including meat) to pot, reduce heat to simmer, cover pot with tight fitting lid, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes...or until water cooks out of pot. I think this serves 4, maybe 6 if you have side dishes to compliment the meal.

**More water can be added for moister rice.**

Additional veggies and beans can be added to taste. In fact, the more stuff added, the better. Also, my husband’s family bakes this in the oven instead of in a pot, and they cover the whole thing with a thick layer of shredded cheese. So, this is a great meal that is quick and very versatile! ~Enjoy

[Tough Grits]

No-Fat Cinnamon Chips

1 pkg. flour tortillas

cooking spray (butter-flavored is best)

sugar & cinnamon (mixed to taste)

Place desired amount of tortillas on cookie sheet. Spray each tortilla with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Cut each tortilla into wedges (like a pizza).

Bake at 400' for 8-10 minutes. Cool. ~Enjoy

*** My cousin mentioned eating these same chips at a Mexican restaurant, where they served them with a honey glaze on top. So, we experimented with some hot honey, and poured it over the chips. They tasted great.

[Tough Grits]

Grandma's Roast Beef

2 cans Golden Mushroom

2 cans Créme of Mushroom

4 cups of water

1 Bottom Round Roast

Various seasonings

Olive Oil (or Vegetable Oil)

Prepare roast by poking all sides w/ long fork several times and seasoning to taste.

In a large pot, pour olive oil in a thin layer, coating the bottom of pot. When oil is hot, sear roast on all sides, until brown on all sides. Add all four cans of mushroom sauce, and the two cans of water. Simmer roast, turning constantly. Keep tight lid on pot when not turning roast. Cook on low for several hours. Meat is done when it nearly falls apart in pot. Also, add whole baby carrots, small potatoes, and pearl onions an hour before removing from heat if desired.

This recipe originally called for 1 can of each (golden mushroom, créme of mushroom, and water), but I like ALOT of gravy...so I doubled it. I have even multiplied the recipe by 4 in order to have plenty of gravy. There can never be too much for me!! But, if this makes too much gravy for your individual taste, reduce all cans back down to one! ~Enjoy