Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

Spinach & Butternut Squash LasagnaCooking Light

Serves 6 to 8

3 cups Low Fat Milk

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)

2 tablespoons Sommermaid Butter

1/3 cup minced yellow onion

1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

8 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Cooking spray

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 (6-ounce) bags fresh Olivia's Baby Spinach or Whole Spinach trimmed

9 cooked lasagna noodles (8 ounces uncooked noodles

1 container of Supreme Part Skim Ricotta cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Supreme Mozzarella Cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Cook milk in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat; keep warm.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Melt butter in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat; add flour to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until smooth and golden, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add about 2 tablespoons warm milk to flour mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add remaining warm milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and cook until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat. Cover surface of milk mixture with plastic wrap; set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place squash in a large bowl. Add vinegar; toss to coat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, thyme and sage. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.

Combine remaining 1 teaspoon oil, red pepper, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add spinach, 1 bag at a time; cook until wilted, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Spoon 1/3 cup milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with spinach mixture, 2/3 cup milk mixture, 1/2 cup Asiago, 2/3 cup of ricotta, and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Arrange 3 noodles over cheese; top with squash mixture, 2/3 cup milk mixture, remaining 1/2 cup Asiago, 2/3 cup of ricotta, and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Arrange remaining 3 noodles on top of cheese; spread remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Fortuna's Sausage, Spinach & Feta Pizza!!

1 Top This! Pizza Shells
3/4 cup of Fortuna's Sausage (cooked crumbled or sliced)
1/2 Cup of Chopped Olivia's Organic Baby Spinach
1 cup of Narragansett Creamery Feta Cheese crumbled
1/4 cup od sliced black olives
1/2 Package of Italian Corner Pizza Sauce
On a clean surface lay out the Top This! Pizza Crusts, using a large spoon spread the Italian Corner Sauce over the crust. Top with generous portions of the sausage, olives and spinach Top off with 1 Narragansett Creamery Feta Cheese per pizza (or more if you like!)
This pizza can be cooked right on the grill for 10 minute at 400°f or in the oven at 400°f for 10 minutes. If you like your pizza crispy turn the temperature to 425°f and cook until the cheese has melted and turned to a golden brown color. 

Buttermilk

 Recently I have been receiving many requests for buttermilk from our customers, which has prompted me to do some more research into the making of it and the story of it. I have always known that buttermilk is more popular in the South than it is up here in New England. Down south people drink it and use it all the time; whereas, up here most people just use it when called for in a recipe. Those that consume buttermilk regularly claim that it more beneficial to your health than any vitamin or specialty product out there. It will smooth your skin, cure any stomach problem, keep you calm and all sorts of things.

 Real buttermilk is the fluid that is left over when butter is made. The tartness comes the lactic acid in the milk caused by the fermenting of the lactose sugars and the thickness is from the breakdown of the proteins. In South America and in India buttermilk is milk that has begun to sour after being left out and not refrigerated. The buttermilk that is found in the grocery store is cultured  buttermilk that has lactic acid added to it and often coloring to resemble flecks of butter. 

 My problem is that I will never uses a whole quart of buttermilk before it goes bad and I feel really bad when I waste food. My grandmother, Baba,  had always told me that you could just add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of  whole or lowfat milk and let it sit on the counter for five or so minutes and you could use that as a substitute for buttermilk. Recently I was making breakfast and wanted to make buttermilk pancakes but, did not want to go out and get some buttermilk just for the one dish. So, I decided to give Baba's trick a try. Well after one phone call and a bit of patience (just five minutes) I had made my very own buttermilk without having to run to the store or think of what i could make for the rest of the week using the rest of the buttermilk. My buttermilk however did still did not have the same tanginess that real buttermilk has yet it worked well for me.

Top This! Fortuna's Maple Breakfast Sausage Pizza

Top This!  Breakfast Pizza with Fortuna's Maple Sausage and Bacon 1 Top This! Pizza Shells 4 links of Fortuna's Maple Sausage cooked and sliced 4 pieces of bacon cooked and chopped 3 whole eggs 1 Package of Italian Corner Pizza Sauce 1 Cups of Supreme Shredded Cheddar Cheese On a clean surface lay out the Top This! Pizza Crusts, using a large spoon spread the Italian Corner Sauce over the crust. Top with generous portions of the sausage and bacon. Crack the eggs right on the pizza. Top off with 1 cup of Supreme Shredded Cheddar Cheese per pizza (or more if you like!) This pizza can be cooked right on the grill for 10 minute at 400°f or in the oven at 400°f for 10 minutes. If you like your pizza crispy turn the temperature to 425°f and cook until the cheese has melted and turned to a golden brown color. If you want the yolks of the egg more firm leave in the oven for a longer period of time but monitor the crusts so it will not burn * Linny's Tip: You can add fresh veggies like spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms to dress up the pizza and make it healthier! This is a great way to try and sneak some veggies onto your kids plate!

Top This! Grilled Pizza Crusts

Last fall Richard Dwyer of Top This! Pizza Crusts came to visit me with samples of his pizza shells in hand and at that time I feel in LOVE with his product. At first I was skeptical about a pre-made crust (everyone thinks their dough is the best including myself.) However, this crust has great flavor and texture to it. When using the Top This! shells it takes no time to whip a pizza together and get it in the oven and then on the table! 

 Top This! Pizza Crusts come pre-grilled and are in a roundish shape, much better than oblongish shape I have been able to achieve. The consistency in the thickness of the crust is even all the way around the pizza. The thickness is important because if the crust is too thin the dough becomes soggy and will not hold up the toppings which eventually land in your lap :(

These crusts are great for appetizers with friends, a fun kids meal project, quick dinner or lunch fix, or they can be folded over to make a panini sandwich for two! The options are limitless, fun and exciting.

Top This!  Pizza with Sausage and Peppers

2 Top This! Pizza Shells

1.5 lbs of Fortuna’s Sausage Hot, Sweet or Tuscano (removed from casing*)

1 Green Bell Pepper Sliced

1 Yellow Onion Sliced

1 Package of Italian Corner Pizza Sauce

2 Cups of Supreme Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

In a large skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage to the pan spreading it out over the bottom evenly to brown (4- 5 minutes.) Once the bottom is brown add the peppers and onions stirring all the ingredients together and cook until the onions are translucent and peppers are soft (about 5-6 minutes.)

On a clean surface lay out the Top This! Pizza Crusts, using a large spoon spread the Italian Corner Sauce over the crust. Top with generous portions of the sausage, peppers and onions. Top off with 1 cup of Supreme Shredded Mozzarella Cheese per pizza (or more if you like!)

This pizza can be cooked right on the grill for 10 minute at 400°f or in the oven at 400°f for 10 minutes. If you like your pizza crispy turn the temperature to 425°f and cook until the cheese has melted and turned to a golden brown color.

*To remove sausage from its casing, defrost the sausage and uncurl it from its roll. Take a sharp knife and cut the length of the sausage. Use the same knife to scrape the sausage off the casing, it should come right of, and either transfer the sausage to a bowl or pan for cooking.