Apple Lasagna Dessert

Original recipe makes 12 - 15 servings
 
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 (21 ounce) cans apple pie filling
8 lasagne noodles, cooked and drained
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine Cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, white sugar, and almond extract in a medium bowl. Blend well. Spread one can apple pie filling over the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch pan. Layer with half of the noodles, and then the cheese mixture. Layer again with remaining noodles, and the second can of pie filling.
3. Combine flour, 6 tablespoons brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare garnish by blending sour cream and 1/3 cup brown sugar in small bowl until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate. Serve warm apple lasagna with sour cream garnish.

From AllRecipes.com

Feta Salad Caprese

Feta Cheese, Crumbled
Cherry Tomatoes, halfed
Roma Tomatoes, cubed
Grape Tomatoes, halfed if needed
Basalmic Vinegar
EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Pesto Sauce
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Put cheese and tomatoes together in bowl. Mix Basalmic Vinegar and EVOO together. Pour on top of salad, and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle pesto sauce over top of salad. Serve and enjoy. (Great with toasted bread).

FRESH TOMATO, BASIL AND CHEESE PIZZA

Originally Submitted by Deena Callahan

1 14 ounce Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup fresh, grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 – 4 Roma tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Brush crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, leaving a ½ inch edge around edge of crust. Arrange tomato slices over cheese, overlapping edges. Top with garlic slices, remaining ¼ cup cheese, salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove pizza to a cutting board, and top with fresh basil leaves. Slice in pieces.

LASAGNE

Originally Submitted by Sunny Ray

1 pound Sweet Italian sausage
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoon fresh chopped basil (use less if dried)
4 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped (use less if dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon ground pepper
23 ounces Ricotta Cheese
½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 pound mozzarella cheese (grated)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to look brown. It takes about 6 to 9 minutes to brown the meat. I like to use a Dutch oven to cook this portion of the recipe. I use a medium low temperature to brown the meat. It is optional to remove the grease from the meat once it is finished browning, your choice.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Gently stir into the cooked meat.

Add the white sugar, fennel seed, basil, 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, salt, Italian seasoning, and ground pepper. Gently stir these seasonings into the sauce. Cover the pot and let the meat sauce simmer

For 1 hour and thirty minutes.

Soak the lasagna noodles in hot tap water for 15 minutes.

While the noodles are soaking, you can make the cheese filling. To a mixing bowl add the ricotta cheese. Grate the fresh nutmeg over the ricotta cheese. Add the egg and the remaining 2 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley. Mix these ingredients together with a spoon.

To build the lasagna layers use a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spread 2 cups of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Remove the lasagna noodles out of the water bath. Shake water off wet noodles. Lay 6 noodles across the layer of sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the layer of noodles. Spread half of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer. Spread half of the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella layer. Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese layer. Lay down the next layer of noodles. Spread the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, saving some cheese for the top of the lasagna. Put the last layer of meat sauce on the cheeses. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover the lasagna with foil. Bake in preheated oven a 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes. Serves 12 people.