whee!

[swingchickie]

i'm riding on that lovely burst of energy that comes right after you get over being sick... where your mind and body go "i can move again!!! everything, even housework, is such a joy!!!!" jack and i are going to his mom's for a belated xmas dinner... in the meantime, i'm cleaning and cooking for the week like a fiend. i'm almost ready to pop a carmelized-onion-mushroom lasagna in the oven, there's a whole mess of beef & pasta in the crockpot, i've done all my tax preparation for the hoop business, and have a load of laundry going. woo hoo!

doing my tax stuff for the hoop business was an eye-opener. we had a loss again this year, but not by much -- a couple hundred dollars. considering the amount of money i spent on advertising around the holidays, and all the tape and tubing i've bought that i haven't used yet, that's actually darn good. and another thing i discovered -- about half of my sales for the year were in the 4 weeks between thanksgiving and xmas. whoa.

back to work tomorrow... i don't know how i'm going to deal. if only i could have one more week, so i can whoop it up a bit...

Comments

[pennycuts.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm that lazagna sounds delish!!

care to share the recipe??


btw have a good dinner:)

[swingchickie.livejournal.com]

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Lasagna
POINTS: 6

3/4 pound(s) dry lasagna noodles (i used whole wheat)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large Spanish onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
1/2 cup(s) water
1/4 cup(s) Coca-Cola Diet Coke, or other brand
1 spray(s) cooking spray
6 medium portobello mushroom(s), stems removed, caps cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 pound(s) cremini mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 tsp table salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
3 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, fresh, divided (Parmigiano Reggianno recommended)


Place a large pot of water over high heat; bring to a boil. Add noodles; boil for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Drain noodles and briefly rinse under cool water to prevent sticking; set aside.


Place a very large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and onions; cook, without stirring for 3 minutes, and then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 7 minutes. Add rosemary and water; scrape up any food from bottom of pan using a wooden spoon. Cook until water evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add soda and cook until onions are nicely browned and soft, about 3 to 4 minutes; remove to a large bowl and set aside.


Coat same skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, without stirring, until they start to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes; sprinkle with salt and stir. Continue to cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are browned, about 3 to 4 minutes; add to onion bowl. (If mushrooms are too cramped in skillet, either use 2 skillets or cook them in 2 batches.)


Preheat oven to 350ºF.


To make sauce, place same skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and butter; allow butter to melt. Add flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until combined, about 1 minute. Add milk, a little at a time, stirring to prevent lumps; bring to a boil. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring continuously, until thick, about 3 to 4 minutes. (mkae sure it's not too thick, or you won't have enough sauce to use.) Add nutmeg and 2 tablespoons of cheese; stir to combine and set aside.


To assemble lasagna, spread 1/3 cup of sauce over bottom of a 9- X 11-inch lasagna pan or baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce in a single layer; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then 3 more noodles; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then 3 more noodles; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese.


Bake for 20 minutes; change oven temperature to broil. Broil until top of lasagna is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing into eight pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

[boutell.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad you feel better!

I hooped up a storm today. In the PARK. With SPACE. OMG.

[swingchickie.livejournal.com]

did you completely freeze your ass off?

[boutell.livejournal.com]

No! Today was much warmer than last week. We wore jackets instead of coats and I wound up ditching the jacket because it's tough to hoop in one.