Precious and Fragile Things

Tonight we're doing a big extended family get together at Sam's parents' house, so I'm making the seafood lasagna everyone raves about, which, sadly, is not some secret family recipe handed down throughout the generations, but one I found in a cookbook (linked below). I mentioned it on my WoW-related Twitter account and had a request for the recipe, so I'm posting it here as I'm sure I've mentioned it to some folks in the past who might like to take a gander. Let me know if the fractions don't display properly on your screen and I'll fix it.

Creamy Seafood Lasagna
Source: Betty Crocker Cookbook: Everything You need to Know to Cook Today (pg 144 in my edition)

9 uncooked lasagna noodles
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped (½ cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup chicken broth
⅓ cup dry sherry or chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 packages (8 oz each) frozen salad-style imitation crabmeat, thawed, drained and chopped
2 packages (4 oz each) frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (12 oz)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles as directed on package.

2. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in half-and-half, broth, sherry, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg and ¼ parsley; set aside.

4. Drain noodles. In ungreased 13 x 9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spread ¾ cup of the sauce. Top with 3 noodles. Spread half of the crabmeat and shrimp over noodles; spread with ¾ cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; top with 3 noodles. Spread ricotta mixture over noodles; spread ¾ cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; top with 3 noodles. Spread with remaining crabmeat, shrimp and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes or until cheese is light golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.

Those chicken squares? OH. MY. GOD.

Any other recipes you'd like to share? :p

A couple of people on IRC seemed interested in my baked BBQ chicken recipe, so I thought I'd share it here. I like it because there's no set amount of ingredients, and I can use as much or as little as I need (which helps since most of the time I'm only cooking for two people, one of whom has a smaller appetite than me).

I use drumsticks, but you can use whatever sort of chicken you like, though you might have to adjust cooking times accordingly.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Take out a broiler pan, and in the drip tray/bottom part pour enough white vinegar to cover the bottom, or a little more than enough to cover the bottom. Place the top part back over the drip tray and place chicken on top.

Season chicken if desired (I just use Nature's Seasonings). Cover with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake for 45 minutes - one hour.

When done, remove foil. With a pastry brush, brush on BBQ sauce on top side. Place in oven for ten minutes. Brush BBQ sauce on the same side, flip over, and brush on more BBQ sauce. Place in oven for another ten minutes. When done, add more BBQ sauce to both sides if desired.

And that's it. I never really taste the vinegar at all, but it does keep the chicken juicy and flavorful.

I really love how easy it is to make this. I can set the chicken in the oven to bake, do dishes/put laundry on/read a book to the kiddo/etc., and when it's closer to time for the chicken to be done, I can put any sides on to heat on the stove. Tonight it was Italian cut green beans and creamed corn. Last time I made this, I made home made fries with red potatoes.