Finally Posting!

I am back. I don't know when I'll be able to post some recipes again here though but for now I am sure I'll have one posted before the day ends.

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Lasagna

Recipes for Lasagna

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Source: allrecipes.com

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Easy Chocolate Cake

Ingredients for Easy Chocolate Cake

• 1+¼ cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (dutched/dark)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 pinches salt
• 1 cup (220 g) sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• ½ cup (1.2 dl) milk or water
• ½ cup (1.2 dl) vegetable oil (flavorless)
• 2 eggs

Ingredients for frosting

• 2/3 cup (1.6 dl) heavy cream or whipping cream
• 9 oz (260 g) semisweet chocolate (40-50% cocoa)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C)
• Grease a 9 inch (23 cm) cake tin.
• Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
• Add milk/water, vegetable oil and eggs.
• Mix everything together until smooth, either by hand or by using an electric mixer at slow speed. If the batter is too runny you may add slightly more flour.
• Transfer to bake tin and bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
• After the cake has cooled, slice the cake through the middle to make two layers (easier if the cake has been in the fridge).

Frosting

• Heat 2/3 cup (1.6 dl) of heavy cream or whipping cream in a sauce pan.
• Remove from heat, add 9 oz (260 g) of finely chopped dark semisweet chocolate, stir until smooth, and let it cool until in thickens, if needed in the fridge.
• Use one 1/3 of the frosting between the two layers, 1/3 on top, and the rest around the cake. Put the cake into the fridge for one hour or more to harden the frosting.
• This cake should have room temperature when served.

Variations

• You may substitute 1-2 tablespoons of cream with rum for the frosting.
• You may cut the top of the cake to make a flat surface before adding the frosting.
• If you are making it for someone's birthday I would suggest doubling the recipe because this recipe makes for a short, thin cake (suggested by Cyrus, August 2008)
• If you prefer a slightly sweeter frosting you may add a couple of teaspoons of honey to the frosting (suggested by Debbie Evans, August 2008)
• Instead of vanilla extract, you may use an equivalent amount of freeze dried coffee (Suggested by Carol, October 2008)
• You may use ½ cup of freshly brewed coffee instead of milk or water to get mocca flavor (Suggested by Noreen, January 2009)

http://www.cacaoweb.net

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