Lasagne alla Bolognese - Recipe

Hi!
I asked my boyfriend what he wants to eat for his birthday, yesterday (it's at the end of february, so I have time, but I will have a lot of things to do next week and then I'll go to Berlin, so..it's never too early).
He said Lasagne. So I thought it would be nice if I gave it a try first, because I never made them before.
It took a long time, but they were delicious!


You will need to begin about 4 hours before dinner (or lunch, or whenever you want to eat it).
(for 4 persons)

Ingredients.


250 g Lasagne
150 g Parmesan Cheese
500g white sauce / béscamel

for the ragù:

125 ml bouillon
25 g butter
250 g mince beef
1 carrot
1 celery
1 onion
1/2 glass milk
125 ml tomato strain
4 tbs olive oil
1/2 glass red wine
salt
pepper

Directions:

First of all you make the ragù (so it's called here, probably in english it'll be "ragout"):

- Make the bouillon.
- Mince celery, onion and carrot.
- Put the butter and the oil in a big pan, let them heat, and put the minced celery, onion and
carrot in the pan.
- After a few minutes add the meat. Let it cook on a high heat and mix.
- After another few minutes put the wine into the mix and let it evaporate.
- Add bouillon, tomato strain, milk, pepper and salt.
- Let it cook for at least 2 hours (I left it for almost 3), capped. (mix now and then)



When the ragù is ready:

- Preheat the oven at 160 °C.
- Butter a baking tin.
- Begin to assemble the lasagne like in the photos.


- Spread out a layer of ragù .
- Put 2 (or more) pieces of lasagna on the layer ragù (! don't leave too many space between
them, you can also cut them).
- Put a layer of white sauce on the pasta, then ragù, parmesan cheese and pasta.
- So on for 4 times (more or less).
- On the top after a layer of lasagna, mix a bit of ragù with white sauce, and then add parmesan
cheese to make the top crispy.

(last pictures from here)

Put into the oven for 50-60 minutes.
When you take it out from the oven, let cool for 10-15 minutes (It's important because it gives stability to the lasagne.


(thanks to giallozafferano.it =)
Enjoy your meal.
Buon appetito!

HappyFroggy

Turkish Pita Bread

Hello!!
Yesterday evening I was on the internet, and I found this amazing blog. I love this couple and I think I've been reading something like 36 pages of their posts.
I wanted to try something new today, so I picked one of their recipes, and tried it.


Turkish Pita Bread.

It should puff up when it's in the oven, and mine didn't XD, but I liked it anyway.




So, here the recipe, obviously taken from their blog:

Ingredients:

1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teapsoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water


Directions:

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of lour and pur yeast water in depression. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic. Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer stick and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.

Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking. Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags. Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.

I made a mized salad of tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella and olives (more a typical italian than a turkish dish).

I ate with my family and they liked it, I'm so happy about it =) Have a nice evening!!

HappyFroggy

Moroccan Casbah Cookies (Cinnamon)

There's a place I go often when I want to relax. It's called "Casbah" and it's a moroccan restaurant and pub. There you can eat typical moroccan food, drik traditional mint tea (I love it soo much). The owner always gives us cookies with the tea, which he bakes every day. They taste soo good!
So, I asked the recipe and he gave it to me saturday. Sunday morning I made them immediately.

Here they are..





Today I eventually had my German Literature Exam, I had to study 8 books, and it was really really hard, but I got a good mark. So, today I'm going to the gym, and then maybe going to make something sith Fimo (I brought it with me in my suitcase =)
Tomorrow I'll concentrate on the next exam.
Have a nice day!

HappyFroggy

Creating time..

Yesterday evening I had just a little time. I was watching a film with my family, but, honestly, I didn't like it at all, so I decided to make another two fimo-cupcakes.

Here they are.. Together with some of those I had already made.



I hope you like them =)

Xoxo
HappyFroggy

Brownie Cookies

What is better than a Brownie Cookie Recipe to inaugurate my new section: "The Cupcake Corner"!

Ok, Yesterday I told you I was going to make Cupcakes, and I did (see photo)
But I also made Brownie Cookies!



I took the recipe from here (a fantastic blog by the way).
If you want to try to make them just click on the link to the blog.

Preparing the dough:



And the end result:



They disappeared.. ^^

Xoxo
HappyFroggy

Keep calm, and have a cupcake!

Oh yes, I really have to bake some cupcakes this evening.
I'm reading since 9 a.m. this morning, a german book, and it's so difficult.
And for the next exam I have to study 8 books! If I think about it I cannot "keep calm"..(but I can eat a cupcake ^^).




So, sorry that I don't post much, I would love to create things, and show them, and I'm also a bit nervous because I have a lot of ideas flowing in my mind, and I just want to put down al these books and create!!


When i'll have finished this book I'll prepare some supercupcakes, promise. (To myself).


(I'm wondering what the other rules could be, because this is a good one ^^)

All images are from www.weheartit.com

On-Air: All the right moves - One Republic

Xoxo
HappyFroggy

One is gone, four to go..

Oh my god,
This morning I did the English Literature Exam, and I hatahatehate when I realize that: everyday I woke up and I had that book in my mind, that book followed me everywhere, when I got home in the train, I was always reading that book, I hated it, because I thought it's soo boring, and then, I have finished it, I have made a whole longlonglong summary of it. Then.. No questions of that book.. I was just like O_o !!!!!

Anyway..


It's raining here in Turin. Yesterday they said it would snow today, but nothing..
My boyfriend is coming home tonight!! Yippie!!
After the exam I got home, I feel always very very tired after exams, so I just stred at the tv for a while, then I went to buy something, because I can make only peas for Roberto.
Now I'm realizing that I promised myself that I would have gone to de gym.. and I really really have to do this.. And I'll do this.

My next exam will be German Literature (8 books!!) for the 18th of january..



All the pictures are from weheartit.
Sorry I don0t post any picture belonging to me, but no camera, no pictures =(
Have a nice evening!!


HappyFroggy

Light light light

This was my New Years's Eve: Light.. fantastic, I loved it!


Ok, stop!
I know it's a bit late to talk about NYE, but, I'm in Turin right now (where I study) without Fimo, without my camera, and with about a month of study study study coming nearer and nearer.. English Literature the day after tomorrow..

Xoxo

HappyFroggy

First 2010 creations

I have such a big dream..
I dream of opening a little shop someday with a lot of colours and nice perfumes, in which I could sell all my fimo and sew creations. I really love to make these little cuties, but, as I told you, I haven't enough time at all..and it annoys me a lot. Argh.
Today I made my first Fimo creations of this new year. Father and son mushroom and father and son cupcake:





I have also made a little lightbox, to take the pictures in. It's evening, so they aren't the best pictures, but better than others.
Now, I'm going to make other fimo little things.. ^^
Bye!

HappyFroggy