Maya Angelou and New Friends!

The wonderful and wise Maya Angelou spoke tonight at Randolph College in Lynchburg. I'd love to tell you how great she was, but unfortunately I didn't get in!

I met up with a new friend from a book club I just joined and we had a delicious light dinner at Rivermont Pizza before getting in a tremendously long line just before 6pm. Dr. Angelou was scheduled to speak at 7pm. We knew we should arrive early because students and teachers were allowed in first but there were no tickets, just first-come, first-served basis. What we didn't realize was that all of Lynchburg decided to show up!

After waiting for over two hours and meeting up two other ladies from the book club, some police officers came and told everyone that the building was full and we had to leave. Such a bummer! We got as far as her tour bus, but no further. Despite not being able to see Maya Angelou speak, we had a great time hanging out and chatting with other folks in line. It ended up being really fun!

We left Randolph's campus and walked a couple blocks over to Mangia to sit and chat some more with drinks and appetizers. They had the most adorable old man playing classic and ragtime piano the whole evening! One more lady from the book club came by and joined us and shared some things that Ms. Angelou said. She was lucky enough to know a Randolph alumni and was able to get in!

Overall we had a great night, had a little preview book discussion, ate good food, swapped stories and came up with great ideas like a cooking club expanded from the book club.

Did I mention I ran out into the street to try and help catch a loose dog?

Yeah that happened too.

It was a great night and we made some great memories! Can't wait for our first book club meeting on Saturday! We're reading MWF Seeks BFF-My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend. It's really good!

P.S. This was my 100th post!!!

Have you ever read any of Maya Angelou's work? What's your favorite poem or book?

Till next time,
Catherine

Cook: Lasagna Spinach Rolls

Today, I'm thankful for honesty. I love when people are able to get over themselves and just be honest. Honest in the little things, honest in the big things. More honesty in this country would make this country a better place. But today, I'm thankful for those who are being honest already and make it a point in their daily lives to be an honest, genuine person.

Looks delicious, right? It is! It's like your own personal roll of lasagna heaven. I pinned this recipe on Pinterest a while back and am SO glad I finally made it! I used that recipe as a guideline but added my own taste to it. My recipe also makes double what the original recipe makes. So, be prepared to put half in the freezer or feed a large family! Or, just half the recipe!

Ingredients: 

• 1 box of lasagna noodles (20 in the box, used 19 because 1 broke)
• 1 10oz frozen package of spinach, thawed and drained
• 15oz container of ricotta cheese
• 16oz container of cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (more or less to taste)
• 2 eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Jar of tomato pasta sauce
• Jar of alfredo sauce

Directions:

Boil your noodles ahead of time then strain them and lay them out so they cool off. You should probably use wax paper, but I didn't have any, so I used aluminum foil. It worked fine. Also, preheat the oven to 350.

Put your spinach, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, parmesan, eggs, and a dash of salt and pepper into a medium bowl.

Mix tit together well. Mostly be sure your eggs and spinach are mixed in. I used a wooden spoon that I guess might be considered a spork and that helped separate the spinach.

Spoon out maybe 1/4-1/3 cup of the mixture onto your noodles and spread it evenly. I didn't measure which gave me a little trouble later...whoops!

Roll 'em up!

Before placing them in your pan, pour your pasta sauce in the bottom and spread it around. As you can see, using the whole box of lasagna makes a lot! Once you've done that, place your rolls in the pan...or panS in my case. 

Then, take your alfredo sauce and spoon it over the tops of the rolls. If you don't like alfredo, you don't have to do this. I thought the combination was delicious!

Then, take your shredded mozzarella and sprinkle it on top! It's looking real good now, huh? You could also add more parmesan on top if you wanted. Or do parmesan instead of the mozzarella. All of these choices would be delicious!

Now, pop them into the oven at 350 for about 40-45 minutes. If you did as many as I did where they're all touching, you'll need closer to 45 minutes. If you did less with them not touching, check them after about 30 minutes. If they're getting crispy and a little browned, they're good to go. 

Mouth watering deliciousness! I baked the large dish first and put the small one into the freezer for another time. 

Mmm mm mm! Enjoy!

A couple recommendations:

• If you plan to make a lot and freeze half, buy some of those metal pans at the grocery store. 
• If you want them to be crispier, lay them in the pan so that they are not touching each other. 
• Don't put too much in each roll! I started with putting too much in the first 6 but ended up barely having enough for the last few!
• Save your extra sauce for those who like their lasagna extra saucy!

What's your favorite lasagna recipe? Do you like to keep it simple or go all out?

Till next time,

Catherine

I've linked up to Make Your Own Mondays 9/9/13 with Nourishing Treasures!