Happy Birthday!!

Happy 4th Birthday to one little boy who just won't stop growing!!

Love you! Mama

Currently Cooking

It's been a while but here's a new favorite I made for dinner tonight. From the Rachael Ray cookbook Brian gave me for Christmas.

Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake
serves 4

4 Tbls (1/2 stick) butter
4 Tbls all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
salt and pepper
ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 Tbls EVOO
1 garlic clove, cracked away from skin
1-2 pounds fresh spinach (the recipe calls for 2, I use 1 and it's fine. I don't even take the time to chop it like the recipe calls for and it's fine)
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles, broken into large pieces. (if you have a little one at home make them do this. It keeps them busy the entire time you're making dinner. awesome)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter, whisk to combine, and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook for a couple of minutes to thicken. Stir in half the Parmigiano (about 3/4 cup). Set the sauce aside.

Heat the EVOO in a large (she calls for cast iron but I don't have one and it still tastes good) skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the cracked clove of garlic and cook for a minute or two to release its aroma and flavor. Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, wilting each batch before adding more. Season the greens with salt and pepper.

Toss the broken pasta into the greens and stir to combine. Pour the sauce in the the skillet , stirring again to incorporate them. Smooth the top down and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmigiano. Cover the skillet with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and finish cooking for about another 15 minutes to brown the cheese.

Enjoy!