Post-weekend double header: Lemon Cookies and Spinach and Sausage Lasagna

I've been browsing the food blogs, sharing and exchanging with friends, and seeing all kinds of wonderful recipes! While my blog itself is not dedicated to just recipes (that's what winums.com is for) I figure since my website isn't up and running yet, I'll put more recipes up on my blog to get the ball rolling. Keep in mind, most of the recipes I've got so far in my collection are ones I've.. uh.. collected.. from magazines, books, internet searches, etc. I try my best to give credit to whoever's recipe it is but some of the recipes have been reused, rewritten, recopied, and sometimes tweaked and I no longer know where they came from.

So for our post-weekend double header:

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

I was craving lemon cookies the other day and looked these up. They sounded soooo good so I made them, of course. I really love the texture of the cookies, thanks to ricotta cheese. I think this one's a keeper!

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.
3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (a heaping tablespoon for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis





They have such a nice twang* to them with the sour lemon-y goodness and the sweet, soft cookies. I love the sweet-sour combo so I made sure to milk my lemons for what they're worth! :p


The Spinach and Sausage Lasagna recipe is just a twist on the regular lasagna recipe, something a roommate of mine came up with back in college. I love lasagna but like most things, the original lasagna recipe didn't have enough oomph for me. I like my food LOADED. So spinach and sausage were added... I prefer to use frozen spinach out of ease and convenience. You however, can tweak your own lasagna.

Spinach and Sausage Lasagna

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp minced garlic
1 egg
3 cups pasta sauce
1 cup water
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 pkg (15 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed
1 pkg Italian sausage, about 6 links, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 tsp black pepper, cracked
pinch of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375° F.

1. Combine 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese and garlic, and red and black pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium pan, cook sausage. Combine cooked sausage with pasta sauce and water.
3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish pour 3/4 cup of sauce mixture. Place a layer of uncooked lasagna cover with 1/2 cup sauce mixture.
3. Layer with half of the spinach, then a layer spreading half of the cheese mixture over the spinach. Repeat layers. Finish with 3 more lasagna strips and cover with remaining sauce.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Uncover and top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese during last 15 minutes of baking.

Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving.

Gotta say, I'm looking forward to dinner and dessert tonight!