Let's start with food first. Last night I made what is being called "The Best Lasagna Yet" in my household. And no, not by me. I loved it, but Eric is never afraid to throw ridiculous amounts of praise at my cooking, and leftovers were already requested at the office. You're welcome, Ivey. So it was a Thursday night, and I wanted something to take my mind of the ridiculously busy work week. You can never go wrong with good Italian. Being a work night, I didn't have time to make my own sauce, so I heated up 5c of Classico's spainch and cheese florentine sauce. I added some additional italian seasoning and garlic powder, as well as 1 cup of sliced pepperoni, 1/2lb cooked crumbled italian sausage, and 1lb cooked ground beef. Here's a picture of the sauce. I would totally eat this for breakfast with my coffee right now if it were an option...
While the sauce was doing its thing, I cooked 9 halved lasagna noodles per the box directions and got my lasagna pan prepped. Preheated the oven to 375, and started assembling the beast. I put 3/4c of sauce in the bottom of the pan, added 4 noodles, and spread some part skim ricotta. On top of the ricotta I threw on some grated parm, and a couple handfuls of italian blend cheese, and then some of the glorious meat sauce. I also threw in some extra pepperoni for good measure, because pepperoni rocks. Then I repeated the layers until I ended with 4 noodles on top (I discarded 2 of the noodles), poured the rest of the sauce over, threw a little more cheese on top, and into the oven it went! 45 minutes of cooking and 15 minutes of standing at room temp, was wonderful cheesy meaty goodness.
Now that I'm totally starving and it's hours until lunch time, let's move on from food to faves. Going hand in hand with good food is good wine. I'm always trying out to brands. My current favorite is Cherry on Top Sweet Red. It's not overly sweet, so you can enjoy it with dinner, dessert, or on its own. A great wine for under $10.
If you're not a wine drinker, here's a great beer for you to try. Not sure how much longer it will be available, so get some soon! It's Gritty's Halloween Ale. This doesn't taste like they shrunk a pumpkin and threw it in a bottle with some brown sugar and cinnamon. This tastes like beer. It's wonderful. Nice amber color, mildly spicy. I can't really compare it to anything because it's not a pumpkin beer and it's not really an "October" beer. Just trust me and go grab a 6 pack.
I just spent a couple days in NYC on business, and I always try to fit in a little shopping on my lunch break. Discovered this fabulous boutique on Third Ave (between 50th and 51st) called Zango. They've got great womens clothes and accessories, and the prices are so reasonable that I asked if they were going out of business. They are not, much to my relief. I was pressed for time so I grabbed an adorable belt and took a business card so that I'd be able to find them again. They have other locations that also carry menswear. If you like fun, funky, and sparkly, this is your store.
I've always been pretty outspoken about music, and being stuck in my ways about what I like, I don't find many new artists appealing. I grew up in a great time musically. In my teens, I was going to concerts every month- Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, Garbage, Better Than Ezra, Live... and many of the artists I liked back then are still kicking it. I never through that a new artist could bust into my top 10 of all time, but she did. If you don't know who Florence + the Machine is, you've probably been living in a cave. She's beautifully odd and has the most amazing voice I've ever heard. I'm not exaggerating. I am listening to her new album "Ceremonials" right now (it's pretty much the only album I've listened to since it dropped on Tuesday and I've logged 10+ hours behind the wheel this week). Her sound probably isn't for everyone, but it's just so refreshing to see and hear someone doing something unique.
Last but not least...TV. I am totally obsessed with American Horror Story. I usually can't do scary. This show is so well written and constructed that you're too busy asking "wtf?" to dwell on the horrific images. The scares aren't cheap, and the gore factor is within reason. It's not too late to jump in and watch, there's more than half the season left and they were just picked up for season 2. The cast is excellent... Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Jessica Lange, and my absolute favorite TV actor Denis O'Hare. "You're gonna die in there..."
That's all for this installment of food and faves. Many thanks to the folks who have been supporting the facebook page for The Improper Chef!
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