Vegetable lasagna

Lasagna It’s a funny thing, given all the different things my mother cooked, she never made lasagna. But then my father had a thing about Pasta! Unless it was Spaghetti Bolognese, he would not look at it, let alone eat it. I also acknowledge that my Dad was not alone in this, I know a few women friends, who look forward to a night alone, so that they can have a simple pasta dinner. My friend Christi always made a vegetarian lasagna in London in the 70’s for dinner parties. I mostly seemed to be in charge of making the Bechamel for the top.. So, when I came to America and there was lasagna on so many menu’s I was really surprised, and it was then that I realized that not all lasagna is created equal. My version of vegetarian lasagna is a riff on the Silver Palate one. I found that I liked to have something green in the vegetable mix. This recipe is a little labour intensive but it is so worth it. I use no boiling required lasagna, my first lasagna I used lasagna sheets that I cooked, and it was a major mistake and mess. I like the spinach lasagna sheets but have to bring them back from England.. I have also found that a good jar of Marinara sauce works as well as me making a quick batch.. Spreading marinara sauce

Recipe 1 large eggplant - cubed, salted, oiled and roasted until golden 1 Butternut Squash, peeled, cubed, salted, oiled, roasted until golden Cremini mushrooms, sliced, sauteed in olive oil 1 red, 1 yellow pepper, sliced, sauteed in olive oil 2 packs frozen chopped spinach, sauteed in olive oil with chopped garlic 1 box no boiling required lasagna sheets 1 jar good Marinara sauce - I like Raos. Goat cheese - crumbled 2 cups Bechamel sauce with 1/2 cup grated parmesan 8oz grated mozzarella Sauteeing spinach and garlic

In a lasagna dish spread a good amount of marinara sauce over the bottom, cover the sauce with 3 lasagna sheets, then repeat. Start layering the vegetables, spinach garlic mixture first - it then absorbs the juices of the other vegetables; mushrooms, peppers, eggplant and squash follow. Crumble goat cheese over the vegetable layers. Cover with lasagna sheets, another layer of marinara and the final sheets of lasagna. Pour the cheesy bechamel sauce over the top and sprinkle the mozzarella over the entire pie. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 minutes until golden. Serve with a seasonal salad. Layering the vegetables

Garden in snow

Hungry birds looking to see if I come bearing seeds

Bamboo

Thyme and lavandar beds

Our first Harlem garden

We got the grass to grow!

Frist winter's snow

The birds always enjoyed singing to the drumming

The garden was best in Spring and Fall when the leaves were not as dense on the tree next door..

Garden Reds

Hairy Woodpecker

Roses in the first snow fall

Cardinals

Roses in snow - 15 minutes later

Geraniums

Roast Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese tartlet

December mostly passes in a blur of hors d'oeuvres. I had truly thought that I would make a few posts and include a few simple hors d'oeuvres recipes. But it was not to be. Here are a couple of photo's from different parties. One of my favorite and possibly easiest hors d'oeuvres to make is Roast butternut squash with blue cheese.

Cut up and roast butternut squash pieces. I will tell you that originally I would cut the butternut into roughly 1/2 inch pieces to roast, but it was easier/better when I cut the squash larger, say an inch or so. Mix the squash with a combination of salt, olive oil and canola oil - olive oil for flavour and canola for its roasting qualities. Spread squash out on a good roasting tray. Roast for about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven, turning the squash so it doesn't burn on one side. A little burn adds some flavor. Remove from oven, let cool. Using store bought mini tart shells, available at good grocery stores. Put one or two pieces of roast squash in each mini tart shell. Crumble blue cheese - again I have used roquefort, stilton, blue cheese of many varieties, I tend to like the Great hills Blue Cheese for its flavor and meltability, but it all works! Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, so that the cheese melts and coats the squash. Serve warm.

Mini Lobster Rolls -

Corn pancakes with smoked salmon and wasabi caviar

Afternoon tea

Tea sandwiches: Chicken almond rounds, Crab salad, cucumber and mint, cheese and chutney

Cheese Scones, Fruit Scones, Jam

Num's beautiful Linzer Hearts

Hawk in the garden!

This afternoon, while I was making Turkey Curry, I looked out the kitchen window. As bold as brass sitting in the lawn was this Hawk.

He was pursuing and fighting his prey in among the bamboo

We opened the window to take a photo.

At one point the sparrow, who it seems was the prey. Tried to fly in the window!