Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients

3/4 pound dry lasagna noodles
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large Spanish onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Coca-Cola Diet Coke, or other brand
1 sprays cooking spray
6 medium portobello mushroom(s), stems removed, caps cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 pound 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 fat-free skim milk
3 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, fresh, divided (Parmigiano Reggianno recommended)

Directions
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. 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.

It's My Party!


It's been a very nice weekend. The highlight was obviously Miss Tabby's party … we had a great time. Matt's family flew in from Tennessee, which was very sweet. Everyone was so helpful and the party went off pretty much without a hitch. Tabby got lovely presents from everyone … some clothes, lots of books, some toys and stuffed animals, a new clock radio, and a new suitcase that she can ride on. We attempted to sing Happy Birthday to her, but she managed to put out her birthday candle with her fingers (even though I was standing RIGHT NEXT TO HER, I could not act quickly enough to prevent this) and a great deal of howling ensued. A cupcake (or two) quickly fixed her mood, though. One funny thing that happened: Kelly had gotten Tabby a sweater and a dress at Baby Style for her birthday. Just before the party started, I enlisted her and Theresa's help to get Tabby dressed. Kelly was quite surprised to see that I had picked out the same dress for Tabby to wear to her party. We have such good taste.

The weekend overall was just about perfect. We went skiing with Matt's sister, Theresa, and her husband Bryan on Friday while Tabby got to spend time with her Grandma Sherrie. And Today we got to spend time with all of the Nashvillians, shopping and visiting Denver's Children's Museum. It was great fun … we'll have to take Tabby back again soon.

Bathing Beauty

Tonight was session #2 of swim class. Tabby really enjoys being in the water, but I'm not so sure she enjoys the idea of swimming. She doesn't want to put her face in the water. She doesn't want to float on her back or front. She was keen, however, on falling into my arms from the pool's side. She looooved that. She also really loves when we go to the “family spa” which is a hot tub sort of thing with fairly warm but not hot water so the babies can get in.

The hardest part about the class is that it's from 6:00-6:25 which means that we're closely skirting her bedtime. We have to rush home, get dinner into everyone, hop into the car and rush over to the rec center. She's so tired by the time we get home though that all she wants is a bottle of milk and her bed. These are the nights where you hold her and she points to her bed as if to say “I'm wiped. Time to hit the hay.”

And for no paticular reason …. a blast from the past: Ladybug Picnic and the Alligator King aaannd the Fairy Alphabet

The Goings-on

I am revelling in a few moments of quiet time here while I wait on “musical” hold for the pharmacy to figure out if they can fax me a transaction record so my cafeteria plan debit card doesn't get taken away (guys – I LOST A RECEIPT. The HORROR!). It has been mad around here lately. What's been going on?

* We started swim lessons yesterday. Tabby really enjoyed being in the water … but she didn't appreciate the freezing cold locker rooms. We have another session on Wednesday … I am planning on making Matt join us so we can get a few photos.
* Matt is in the final stages of Tabby's bookshelf. It is looking great.
* My project for Tabby is completely at a standstill. There have just not been enough hours in the day to get it all done. I'm vaguely upset about this, but maintaining my sanity seems more important.
* Sometime between now and Saturday, I need to concoct approximately 3 dozen cupcakes: yellow cake with chocolate pudding centers and chocolate frosting … nicely decorated (I have purchased a cupcake courier for transport). Anyone know a faerie I can call to assist? No boxes or cans of frosting need apply.
* The CSA situation has been sorted out. We went with Abbondonza Organics. Hopefully it will be a great summer.
* I couldn't have picked a better time to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. If this book can't inspire and convince you to buy local organics, I don't know what can. Required reading for anyone who eats.
* Laundry is a never-ending circular beast. I hate him and his minions, folding and putting away (I have permanently banished ironing in this kingdom).

9 Years of Us

9 Years ago today in a dorm at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, this guy stole my heart. We've had lots of laughs … a few tears … and more good times than I can count. We've lived in three states together. We've been married 5 years. We've taken dozens of trips and shared even more adventures. We agree a good deal of the time and like to disagree a bit. We complete each others sentences and get the same tune stuck in our heads. We drive each other mildly insane. We still make each other happy. And we love our newest and possibly greatest venture together … being parents. It's been a joy and a thrill.

9 years is roughly 1/3 of our lives. How sweet it's been to spend it with you … an amazing man, an amazing father and my best friend. Here's to many many more years.

Life's better because I get to share it with you. Happy anniversary.

Full Weekend

We had such a busy weekend. Friday night my mom came over and we made up a huuuuge lasagna for Tabby's party next week. That took pretty much the entire evening. Saturday, we made some breakfast and headed off to run errands. We went to Cook's Fresh Market in search of a paticular variety of dried fruit (don't ask) which they didn't have. They did, however, have amazing cookies which we had to sample. My favorite were the inside-out oreos (not much like Oreos in reality, they were meringues with chocolate creme in the middle). After that we went to my new favorite store, Lucy, in search of an outfit for Tabby's party. I got a couple of great sale deals and two new tops that I loooove. A stop at Super Target for the week's groceries, and then we spent the rest of the evening at home.

Today was a ski day. Tabby got to spend the day with her grandma and we got to enjoy a few inches of fresh powder and fairly good conditions … other than the white out at the top of the mountain. Really, skiing is a strange sport.

Fresh Veg

Spring is just around the corner. I swear … I can feel it. Nevermind that March is our snowiest month, usually. I'm confident. OK, so I'm not, but I am happy. I think I found us a couple of options for CSA! For those of you not familiar with CSA, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically a local farm (or farms) offers up shares to people in the area. You pay them a set amount up front and they use it to grow lovely fresh veg and you pick up your share of it on a weekly basis.

I'd looked into this a bit back in early Jan but I hadn't found anything reasonable for us (mostly waaay too long of a drive for pickup) … I don't know if I wasn't looking properly or if I was just too early, but now I've found two places for us to buy CSA shares from: Abbondonza Organics and Red Wagon Organic Farm, both out of Boulder which, while not just around the corner, isn't that far of a drive.

I already really enjoy most veggies, but I'm hoping that this will help all of us expand our repertoire and branch out a bit. Plus, you've gotta love the idea of organic, locally grown veg.

ETA: If you're looking for CSA in your area, check out Local Harvest.

Talk to Me: Baby Classes

I'm about 1/3 of the way through The Baby Whisperer: The Toddler Years (thanks again, BookMooch!). I like her style and this book has presented me with some ideas and techniques I hadn't thought of before. But one thing keeps cropping up … mommy support/baby socialization groups. This is one of those things on my to-do list that just lingers there … I know I need to do it, but it is complicated and hard for me. I've really tried to find the right group, but our schedule is difficult to say the least. But now I've thought of a new tactic: classes. I like the idea of classes because theoretically they're enriching (though my skeptical side wonders how much a 1 year old can be enriched) and also, they seem to understand that a lot of moms work and aren't available on Tuesday at 9 AM. I've signed us up for parent-child swimming classes at the local rec center. It's only a 4-week commitment and only set me back $28, so I feel pretty good about that. But I'd like to enroll in at least one more. I'm thinking Gymboree or Kindermusik. Do any of you have any experience with these? Positive? Negative? Caveats? Is there anything else you would recommend?

What else? Been incredibly busy… work, friends, etc. I put myself to bed early last night (forgoing blog reading and such) so I wouldn't feel like road kill again today. We'll see how that goes. Alright. Back to your regularly scheduled lives.

Links, et al

Interesting day. Long day. Meant to get out the camera like 5x, but no dice. I did make dinner, run 3 miles and do two loads of laundry … oh yea, and watched 3 kids for 10 hours. And I'm going to post links. Yay me.

Miscellaneous
Can't pay your library fines? Dance them away.
* Not happy? Yahoo will teach you the secrets of happiness.
* At work, I strive to get rid of as much paper as possible … Unclutterer discusses doing this at home too (why didn't I think of this?!?).
* Better advice than “Wear Sunscreen”
* Great. Now I'm hungry!
* Email is a thing of the past … the future is Official Communications
* Tips for natural looking portraits

Kids
* Toddler Toolbox
* Make Your Own Fingerpaint
* Like Netflix, but for toys!! I love how the internet has made a business out of our short attention spans.
* Yea … better bring the Britax
* This would be great in a playroom!

Recipes
* Easy Popovers
* Kiss truffle things (with Oreos)
* Peep Pops
* Dulce du leche Cheesecake Squares
* DIY French Bread

Hope you find something interesting! Good night.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Gah. Sunday night. Again. How does Friday @ 4 PM to Sunday @ 10 PM go more quickly than any other stretch of equal hours alll week? Oh yea, cuz I'm having fun.

We had a nice weekend … not very eventful, but nice. Tabby was mostly over whatever bug she had late last week by Saturday morning (minus a bit of congestion) and we ran errands in the AM. We went downtown to a toy store I remembered fondly from my youth (looking for a b'day gift or two) and I sadly wasn't as impressed some 15+ years later. It seemed run-down and badly managed. But while we were in that section of town, we stopped in at my new favorite kiddo store, Babystyle, and picked up some amaaaazing bargains, including two coats for Tabby for next winter marked down like 75%. They have way cute maternity clothes too. I will be heading there the next time the stick turns pink (not for a while yet, folks!). We spent the rest of the day hanging out at home and made a great dinner (which I didn't take photos of, silly me).

Today Matt took off skiing with my dad and I spent a really nice morning with Tabby who was exceedingly charming … and besides that was very willing to play on her own while I reorganized my dresser and did laundry and then take a nap while I went running (on the treadmill, don't call social services). Later we met up with my mom, sis and grandma to go to a shower for a family friend who's getting married in April. Tabby was very social and extremely thrilled with all the attention she got. And after that we had dinner with the guys.

Despite being pretty productive around the house all weekend, I'm behind on all manner of computer things … especially email. Not to mention that pesky scrapbook. Yikes. 13 days left.