Easy cups.

   Somehow people think that lasagna requires lots of time and patience. Well maybe, if you are making your own pasta from scratch, sauce from fresh tomatoes and home made ricotta cheese. Nothing wrong with that and I bet you it would be delicious, but why not cut few corners and use "some help" to save some time (and sanity)? Remember when I made the skinny lasagna looooong time ago (you can find it here)? It was petty easy and healthy, but what I am going to show you today will blow your mind... super easy, super quick, super healthy and super delicious! Seriously, just check out these single wonton lasagna cups, they are genius. Recipe makes 12-14.

Ingredients:

*  wonton wrappers
*  1 jar marinara sauce
*  16oz ricotta cheese
*  2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and drained
*  1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
*  2 cups shredded mozzarella
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix everything together.
2. To build lasagna cups: place a wonton wrapper into a greased muffin pan, add spoon of ricotta filling, another wonton, spoon of marinara sauce, wonton, ricotta mixture, a little bit of marinara sauce and top everything with mozzarella cheese.

3. Bake at 350F for 20-25.

   It's a perfect dish for somebody like me... somebody who has a "problem" with portion control. You don't have to worry that you will cut a big of a piece of lasagna ... it's portioned for you already. Easy to serve, easy to store, delicious to eat!

Enjoy,
Magda

Ladies reunited!

   Yes, yes, yes... all the ladies are back, at least for a few hours! After so many months of separation we had the whole crew back together last night for our "ladies-night-in". We actually gained one more girl for the evening, maybe not a "real girl" in a physiological sense, but he fit right in!  What a fun night! As one of the appetizers we had a warm artichoke and turkey bacon dip, with lots of different cheeses, chunks of artichoke and pieces of crispy bacon. Served with toasted baguette slices... the perfect appetizer.

Ingredients:

*  16oz cream cheese, room temp.
*  1 cup sour cream
*  1/2 cup mayonaise
*  1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
*  10 slices of turkey bacon
*  1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
*  2 cups mixed shredded cheese (mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan)
*  salt and pepper

*  French baguette, sliced and toasted

Directions:

1. Chop turkey bacon into small pieces and saute in a pan for 6-7 minutes until crisp, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
3. Mix everything until combined making sure that there are no lumps of cream cheese. Add bacon, mix together and transfer into a greased baking dish.
4. Top everything with remaining shredded cheese and bake at 360F for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
5. Serve with toasted baguette slices. 

   I think the dip was a huge success. Creamy, gooey, with chunks of artichoke and bacon. If you are looking for a vegetarian version, you could always skip the bacon, but I do have to admit... it might not be as delicious!

Enjoy,
Magda.