Our Favorite New Lasagna Cups

Our favorite new hors d'oeuvre for the season is these Lasagna Cups. I created them for a bride this fall, and now it's a hit with all our catering customers. Enjoy!

Lasagna Cups

You'll need 3 mini muffin tins to make this treat.

1 package wonton skins

1 Cup ricotta

1/4 Cup Parmesan

1 Tbsp dried basil

1-2 Cups Marinara

1/2 Cup  Shredded Mozzarella

Pan Spray

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heavily pan spray 3 mini muffin tins and set aside.

Combine the ricotta, basil, and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

Place one wonton skin in each muffin cup. Press down to make a well. Place 1/2-3/4 tsp ricotta in each shell. Top with a teaspoon of marinara.

Place a second wonton wrapper on top of the mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella and top with marinara.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until cupcakes hold their shape. Serve at once or cool, cover and freeze. When ready to serve reheat at 350 for 6-7 minutes until warmed through.

NOTE: These cups are originally vegetarian, but you can add ground chicken or crumbled cooked sausage to the ricotta for a delicious added kick.

Spring Kale Salad

Our new kale Salad is a winner. Only four ingredients but a perfect combination!

Kale Salad - Serves 6-8

12 Cups lightly packed kale, all stems removed and torn into small pieces

1 Cup ( 3 ounces) almonds

1 Cup (3 ounces) shaved asiago,parmesan cheese mixture (or your favorite shaved cheese)

12 (2 ounces) pitted dates, diced fine

Combine the ingredients and toss.

Serve with a lemon vinaigrette dressing. A little dressing goes a long way.

Not your typical Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is really a large biscuit shaped into a loaf. Most recipes call for buttermilk and many add caraway seeds to the bread along with the raisins.  Since I am not a caraway fan, this recipe does not have them included. Sour Cream replaces the buttermilk with the result being a finer texture  bread and a loaf that lasts 2-3 days. The dough is sticky so be prepared to have sticky fingers when shaping the the balls but the result is well worth it!

Starting with the basics I plump the raisins in water for 2 minutes in the microwave, then drain and add to the douhg

Once the dough is mixed, shape it into tow balls and flatten the dough on a sheet of parchment to 1 1/2" thick.

Irish Soda Bread- yields 2 loaves

4 Cups all purpose flour

1 Cup white sugar

1 Teaspoon baking soda

2 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 Pint sour cream

1 Cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Mix the raisins with 1 Cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes, medium-high heat. Drain.

3. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, sour cream, and raisins and mix until just combined.

3. Turn onto a lightly floured board and shape into two round balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten each ball to 1.5 inches thick.

4. Bake loaves for 40-45 minutes.

Optional: Can be baked in 2 greased and floured 8x4 bread pans. Bake 50-55 minutes.

4.