Lasagna

I was waiting to post this until I could the picture loaded onto my computer, but that may never happen. I can't find my digital camera, so I had to use my camera phone for the lasagna, but I can't e-mail on my phone, so I sent it to my mom's Crackberry, but her phone isn't working, so y'all are just going to have to use your imaginations.

I got the recipe out of Food Network Magazine, and I'm sure it would have been great if I hadn't totally screwed it up. First of all, I didn't buy enough cans of tomatoes. Second, I was in the middle of cooking when I read that I needed a food processor. So, I ended up with too little of a sauce that wouldn't spread properly. I tried to add some milk and flour to it to thicken the liquid a little, and it worked okay, but it ended up really bland.

Things I learned:
1) Read the whole recipe before you even do your shopping.
2) You should cook the lasagna sheets before you bake the whole thing.

I bought a Paula Deen cookbook (she's my patron saint of the kitchen), and a lot of her recipes call for food processors, too. I called Mama and asked her what I could use instead (because food processors are expensive), and she said to just get a blender. I went down to Super Target (It's so awesome!), and found a little red Oster blender that has twelve speeds, including puree, and I think I'll make some huevos rancheros for my company next weekend.

Today I'm going to make cashew chicken, but I don't like cashews, so I'm making ... chicken.

Un Croque Madame

Le Croque Madame

So, I looked it up, and a croque madame is just a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top. I think I jumped the gun a little on tackling this, because while a ham and cheese sandwich sounds simple, a few problematic things started to add up. First of all, I don't have a panini press, so I ended up pressing the sandwich down on the griddle with my spatula - not the same result at all. Also, I had never made beschamel before, so I had no idea if I was doing it right. Then one of the pieces of bread charred to a crisp, like, immediately. I had to peel it off and cook that half again. When I finally finished, it was about ten o'clock at night, and I wasn't hungry anymore.

The Verdict:

1) Before I try it again, I need the proper tools.

2) I'll skip the Dijon next time and go for the honey mustard. I know it's not as French, but, hey, what is America about other than taking other people's cultures and bastardizing them for our own purposes?

3) The recipe called for batard, but I didn't even know what that was. I googled it, but I had no idea where to find fancy bread like that. I ended up using Sara Lee whole grain white. Again, not the same result.

Next time I make it I think it'll be a lot better now that I've worked out the kinks.

Tomorrow: Penne with Beef Ragou!

P.S. Here are my Paula pots!

That woman is a goddess.