In The Kitchen: The Best Lasagna EVER

Cooking is so easy to do. Anyone can cook. Can you follow a recipe? If you said yes then congratulations you are already on your your way to cooking! Yes, cooking can be of a scientific matter-knowing what tastes and smells compliment one another. It can be possible for everyone. It may come naturally to people like me but some others may struggle, but everything takes practice in life. Some just have to practice more while others work on mastering what skills they already have. Today's recipe is a quick and easy lasagna that everyone will LOVE. Yeah I said it, everyone will love it- trust me.

My mom started making this a few years back and I am now working on mastering this recipe and making it my own. Cooking is all about a recipe, mastering the recipe and working with it, as a guide, and tweeking it and making it your own!

Quick and easy meal the whole family will love!!

So let's get started on this cheesy and veggie explosion of a meal!

Ingredients

1. 1 10 oz. package of chopped spinach (freezer aisle, thawed, drained) 
2. 1 egg
3. 1 15 oz. ricotta cheese
1. I use Sorrento part-skim
4. 3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1. The amount of cheese depends on how cheesy you want between layers and on top
2. I personally like to shred my own cheese from a block of cheese (a little over half the block)
5. 6 lasagna noodles
1. I use Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Lasagna Noodles
6. 1 medium zucchini (washed)
1. Be sure to cut off both ends
2. I sometimes use two small one since they will be more tender
7. 1 medium yellow squash (washed)
1. Cut off both ends



How I cut both the squash and zucchini 

2. I sometimes use two small one since they will be more tender
8. 1 small to medium red bell pepper (washed)
9. 2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped, minced, whatever you prefer)
10. 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
11. 1-3 oz. tomato paste
1. This is not necessary but I use it sometimes
12. 1 lb. (93/7) ground turkey (thawed, drained)
13. Extra Virgin Olive Oil for noodles, veggies, and browning turkey 
14. Seasoning for ground turkey, to taste (optional)
1. Again, this is optional but I use 1 Tbsp.
1. 1 tsp. oregano
2. 1 tsp. thyme
3. 1 tsp. rosemary 

So now that you have your ingredients all ready, it is now time to get to cookin!

The How To

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to a skillet, warm it up and brown your turkey
1. You can add your seasoning here if you choose to do so or opt out of this option.
2. Be sure to drain it once complete
3. Set aside once cooked
3. Cut your veggies as you are waiting for the meat to cook thoroughly 
1. I chose to cut mine medium width so that they don't take forever to cook and so that they do not get mushy
4. Chop or mince your garlic cloves and add to your cut veggies. Set aside.
5. Boil enough water in a pot with EVOO for your lasagna noodles
1. I do not cook the noodles more than 7-8 min since they will cook a bit once in the oven
2. Drain noodles and set aside 3 noodles
3. Take 3 noodles and line the bottom of your dish
6. Add EVOO to pot that you made noodles
1. Put your veggies in and saute for a minute 
2. Add your pasta sauce and stir, put on low heat setting
1. Here you can add your tomato paste if you wish to
1. Be sure to taste it to avoid having an overpowering tomato taste
3. Add the ground turkey to the mixture
7. Put ricotta cheese into a mixing bowl
8. Mix one egg with your cheese
1. It will have a yellow-cream color



Egg/ricotta mix

2. Be sure to mix it well but not fluff the mixture
9. Drain your chopped spinach and slowly incorporate into the ricotta cheese and egg mixture
10. If you did not buy pre-shredded cheese, shred your mozzarella 
1. Waiting til now will help to prevent the cheese shreds from clumping together
2. I usually shred my cheese after I chop my veggies and while the turkey is browning since I get those steps completed quickly.
11. Top your base layer with your pasta sauce mixture
1. Add about half of the mix and smooth it lightly across the noodles
12. Take half of your ricotta mixture and top the pasta sauce base
1. I like to smooth this with the teeth of the fork



Pasta sauce mix topped with ricotta mixture

2. I use the fork as if I was fluffing the mixture across to spread evenly
13. Add half of the desired amount of shredded mozzarella cheese
14. Add your second layer of 3 lasagna noodles
15. Now repeat steps 11-13
16. Place the dish in the oven until the mozzarella cheese is melt-y, no more than 10 min

Finished results

Here are some tips when prepping this meal!

1. Take your knife and cut your bell pepper along where the sections meet. Stop once you hit the core.
1. Do this on all sections
2. Pull each section away from the core
1. Do this for all sections
3. Now you have no/few seeds and the core comes in one piece



The core comes right out- no fuss!!

4. Cut your bell pepper with the skin facing your cutting surface for easier cutting 
2. Cut off the dry ends of each garlic clove for easier peeling
1. Hit the clove with your knife to break the peel and help make peeling easier too!
3. Have your ground turkey and spinach thawed and ready to use
4. I shred my mozzarella because:
1. It is cheaper. The 8 oz. block cost the price of a regular sized bag of shredded cheese.
2. It melts better.



All shredded

1. Companies add potato starch or another ingredient to avoid the shreds from clumping, which in turn alters the way the cheese melts
3. I use the remainder of the block for cheese squares as a snack with crackers :)
1. Or for another recipe that requires shredded cheese

The great thing about this or any recipe is that you can make it your own. You can take out or add ingredients to your liking! You can use only veggies, you can substitute the turkey for chicken, pork, tofu or another meat of your liking, the possibilities are endless! Another great thing is that you can wrap individual pieces in Saran Wrap and then place in a big freezer bag for later consumption! Let me know how much you LOVE this recipe. ;)

First Nail Tutorial: How To- Ikat Nails

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE nail polish and doing nail art. I have never posted my results or how-to so I decided there is no better time then the present. Let me know how you enjoy this!!

I was browsing YouTube yesterday because I love to do that to find inspiration for my daily life. I happened to stumbled upon all of these awesome nail tutorials- some that were unnecessary and others that made me go "ahhhhhh" *angels voices*

I came across MissJenFabulous (links at bottom) and found a nail tutorial on Ikat nails. So I watched and fell in love and decided to try it. It just so happened to be time for me to do my nails for the week, eekk!

What I love about this design is that you can get creative with your shapes and your color pallet. Another thing I love is that this looks like it took forever to do but it is super easy. I did this watching a movie so I would be distracted while letting the polish dry in between coats and designs.


Here is a preview of what you will be doing!!

Not too shabby for my first attempt, huh?

Things I Used:

• Nail file
• Nail clippers
• Sally Hansen "Instant Cuticle Remover" Max strength 
• Cuticle pusher
• Base and Top coat (Beauty Secrets, from Sally)
• Nail strengthener (Sally Hansen's "Advanced Hard as Nails")
• OPI Over the Taupe (base color)
• "Black Sketch" nail precision nail art brush by Milani
• OPI "Alpine Snow"
• "White Canvas" nail precision nail art brush from Milani
• Sinful Colors "Hazard" (Walgreens or Target)
• Corrector pen or q-tip with remover 

How to Get the Look...

1. So as always take the polish off of your nails
1. Still rub your nails with a moist cotton ball of nail polish remover to the excess oil off the nail
2. Cut and file your nails- I use a glass nail file for my nails
3. Apply Sally Hansen "Instant Cuticle Remover" Max strength and push back cuticles 
4. I then buff and shine my nails
5. I then apply 1 coat of Sally Hansen's "Advanced Hard as Nails" nail strengthener 
6. Then I apply my base coat
7. I applied 3 coats of my base color (OPI Over the Taupe)



Base color

1. of course drying in between coats
8. I then applied my black lines with "Black Sketch" nail precision nail art brush by Milani

1. I started from the nail bed in strokes, making a triangular shape
2. I then did the top part of the nail in the opposite direction
1. I would recommend doing all 10 nails in order to give the black a chance to dry so you can continue the process
9. I then filled in the black area with OPI "Alpine Snow" 

1. I used "White Canvas" nail precision nail art brush from Milani to fill in any missing spots towards the top of my design
2. Do this to all 10 nails
3. I let them dry for an extra few minutes
10. I then placed a dot of Sinful Colors "Hazard" in the middle of the white of each section of the nail
11. Fill in any spots that need touching up
12. Take a correction pen or q-tip with remover to get access polish off skin
13. Let it dry
14. Apply your favorite top coat

Right hand

Left hand

Inspiration:

Polish and Pearls Blog

MissJenFabulous Nail Tutorial

So give this cool nail art design a try and let me know how it works out for you!!

Peace, love and nail polish.

-Asha Monet 

How to Get the Perfect Boiled Egg

Ok so I know that I was supposed to write about the essentials to a college student's kitchen supplies, but I was craving some boiled eggs after someone mentioned sulfur. Weird I know but I just wanted some boiled eggs so I whipped up two and actually peeled them (without a mess!) and they came out of the shell in one piece. I know you are asking how on earth I did such a thing, but it is possible and it is ever so simple. I have always been one to boil an egg and have to spend too much time peeling the shell and ending up getting craters.

I did a little research on how to peel a hard boiled egg: no I do not want to blow on a hard boiled egg that I may serve to others or whatever other gimmick there is out there. I read so many ways to peel the egg but some people had luck with the techniques and others did not. I had success with my simple (and no brainer) method. Below is everything that I did and I had some good luck with my eggs from the peeling to the color of the yolks and NO sulfur smell. The sulfur occurs when you cook your egg for too long and at a too high temperature. The smell of sulfur and a green yolk will result.

Note: the size of your egg will effect the cooking time. I cooked two XL eggs for 15 minutes.

How to Boil:

1. Start out with an older egg
1. Do this because you will have a bigger gap between the inner and outer membrane of the egg, thus making it easier to peel due to the distance between the membranes
2. Bring a small pot of water to a simmer on high temperature and place eggs within pot.
1. This will bring the simmer down a bit.
3. Add a few dashes of salt to the water.
4. Bring water back to a boil for two minutes.
5. Change cooking temperature to a little above your stove's medium setting but not quite at medium-high.
1. Your water should be at a slow boil here.
6. Cook for 15 additional minutes.


1. I turn the heat off about a minute or two before the end of cooking time.
7. Quickly remove the the heat and drain the water.
8. Run cold water over the eggs for a minute.
9. Cover the eggs in cold water for 15-20 minutes, or until completely cooled.

Now you are ready to peel your eggs! *yay!*

Let the Peeling Begin

1. Tap both bottom and top end of egg on a flat surface until it cracks slightly
2. Roll the egg on the flat surface
1. You will hear the egg shell cracking
2. Use enough pressure to crack the shell but not too much
3. Gently squeeze your egg
1. You will feel the shell begin to separate from the egg
4. Gently pull at the egg shell in one direction
1. I focused on pulling the top off and then squeezed the egg out of the bottom
5. Your egg will be crater free and the shell will come off in one piece!
6. Rinse your egg in water or rub the egg under your bowl of water you used to cool the eggs
7. Eat and enjoy!

The yolk color I prefer .

The perfect peel!

Super easy, right? Tell me how successful you were at cracking your eggs using this technique. This was my first time doing this and both of my eggs came out perfectly and were cooked to perfection. Did this technique work out for you or do you have another way to perfect a hard boiled egg? If so, tell me so!

Eating on a College Budget: Part I Shopping

So I  have come to realize that I am a pretty good eatin' college gal. I eat very well, I am in college...Yes, it is possible! This post is going to be broken down into parts. How many? That depends on how much needs to be said, duh!

I do not like to eat frozen meals due to a bad experience this past fall...I had recently moved into my new residence hall. I was SO happy to have a kitchen so I could cook and not have to walk down the hall to bake bread, cookies, etc. So after eating food that was minimally processed for about 2 months I was craving some chicken fingers. I went to the grocery store and purchased some chicken fingers from the store's freezer section, got home, popped a few in the oven. I was sick shortly after eating them. I ended up giving them to a friend. I decided that I could not do that ever again.

That was just a background to a short period/day in my life. I am not gonna preach eating organic foods, or eating only this or that. I LOVE food, all food, well most foods.

So where am I going with all this...I have no clue! What I do know is that food is one of the few things that the world has in common: it brings people together, it comforts some, it serves many purposes for different people. It is just plain ole amazing!

So the college budget. I always think of that All State commercial about that girl being a ramen noodle budget- that is something I know I could not do...so how do I do it? Just keep reading...

I was featured in a article for Fox News on eating healthy as a college student. I am no longer a Dietetics major at the University though... The link: Fox News Article

So after reading the article you feel like you can do anything with your college meal budget, right? Well my mother has never allowed me to grocery shop on my own since she knows that I do not do well with a college, or any, budget.

Always check the circulations of local grocery stores in your town. Compare the prices of the items that you need for your shopping trip. I usually create my weekly menu based on items that are on sale. This way I can save money on meals that I like to make. Print out or cut coupons to save even more money!

I like to buy fresh produce. Be sure to know that when produce is in season the prices will fluctuate: at the beginning and near the end of the season the prices will be higher than when the season is in its peak. This is all due to availability of the item.

The meals I make for myself are simple and easy. I recommend making your list of what you wish to make each week, as mentioned before. I say each week because you will want to add fresh produce (fruits, vegetables, etc) to your weekly menu. Meats, and some veggies, can be bought and placed in the freezer for later usage. I do not buy food in bulk. I buy enough meat in order to keep stocked up for a month or so, also you can't bulk buy if you are sharing a fridge with roommates as I am.

I process my meats as soon as I return home from my trip. By processing my meats I am able to prepare as much or as little meat as I need from the large packages. This way I can cook as little or as much of the meat that I want to.

The Process:

1. Open the meat package 
2. Rinse the meat 
3. Pat it dry  
4. Place each piece into its own freezer bag (Ex: 1 chicken breast per bag). 
5. Label the bag contents and the date it was bagged. 

Remember that certain foods can only be stored in the freezer for certain time allotments. Fish has a smaller time frame in the freezer in comparison to a chicken, but a whole chicken has a greater length than individual sections of the chicken. I personally try to keep my meats in the freezer for as little time as possible (usually 3- months; if it lasts that long before I cook it).

Always thaw out your meat in the fridge to avoid bacteria growth if left to thaw at room temperature. Another way to thaw out meat: take the bag from the freezer and place the bag in a bowl of lukewarm water. I did this tonight and it took about 30 minutes to thaw my chicken breast completely. You can also do this procedure in cold water, replacing the water every 30 minutes until your meat is thawed. This method is the quickest way to thaw out meats. Fillets of fish thaw out quickly in the fridge or under running water.

Did you learn anything new or interesting? Do you have more tips or suggestions that you do then share them in the comments!

Stay tuned for the next section of EOACB: Part II Kitchen Utensils...coming soon!

First Posting

Ok so this is my first blog ever *eek* can you feel the excitement? So first off I just want to inform you all, whoever will be reading my blogs, that they will be VERY random. I hope you all are as excited as I am. I cannot wait to start my journey...so why not start it all now!