My first lasagnas were different than now. For starters, they didn’t have meat. I also didn’t make my own marinara, and honestly, some years, depending on what’s going on and how much time I have, I will use jarred marinara.

Over time, as I learned to cook, I changed it up. I added meat, did the homemade marinara, and increased the amount of layers. That’s one thing that is fun with lasagna, is you can easily change things up, as long as you have enough sauce and cheese! Add some spinach, some vegetables, a different kind of meat or none at all. You can add taco seasoning to your meat, substitute some cheddar, and add some jalapenos, maybe some corn and black beans, and make it a little Tex Mex, if you want to spice things up! It isn’t a cheap dish and certainly isn’t good for the waistline, so I really only make it once a year.

For Christmas, though, every year, we do a classic, extra cheesy lasagna. I normally make it for Christmas Eve dinner with fresh made bread, roasted garlic and olive oil, and a big salad. Christmas Day, we normally have brunch with family, and then for dinner — left over lasagna! This year, our Christmas plans with family were rescheduled for later in January due to Covid, so we have extra lasagna to freeze for later. I may start making an extra to freeze in meal portion sizes. It freezes up great. To serve later, I defrost in the fridge, heat up in the microwave, and serve with extra sauce and parmesan.

I know you’ll love it!

Here is a round up of some Valentine’s Day crafts and treats that caught my eye.

Diy Art

Painting is not really in my wheelhouse but I think these Love Letters from We Lived Happily Ever After are just gorgeous and would love to give them a try.

I’ve always wanted to do one of these string art projects. This one is over at Green Wedding Shoes is really cute!

How about some Scrabble tile inspired coasters from blue I style?

Hand Sewing

I just LOVE these mini hoop hearts by Laurenmakes. They are super simple but striking. I think they are so adorable and they are on the top of my make list right now!

And how cute is this little felt love note hoop by Amy Chappell from Ameroonie Designs at the Polka Dot Chair.

Machine Sewing

I also found a couple of adorable pillows to add to my Valentine pillow collection. First up is this adorable Love You Pillow by Amanda at JediCraftGirl guest blogging at Amy Smart’s Diary of A Quilter.

And how about this cute heart pillow by Anna from Noodlehead guest blogging on U-CreateCrafts.

I don’t really sew plushies but these Love Koi by Sew Desu Ne? on Blueprint are making me rethink that!

I also saw this felt heart table runner at Pottery Barn Kids. This would be so simple and cheap to make and they want $39.00 bucks for it?

I LOVE this one by Center Street Quilts. I might need to make one of these!

Sweet Treats

How about some delicious treats? I love a quick and simple yummy treat and this bark from Lauren at Delish looks amazing.

And who doesn’t love a yummy Rice Krispy treat? These from Midwest Living look so good!

I’ll wrap up this post with these Cookies ‘n Cream Strawberry Cheesecake Bars from Creme de la Crumb look amazing! I think I may be able to get Sam into making these with me!

You can find my treat bag tutorial here.

My Valentine pillow covers sew up quick! You can find the patterns here. They are on sale all through February.

And if you’re looking for a little bigger project, try out this Flying Home pattern. It is 30% off all month long.

I’ve also been meaning to make a Valentine version of my Christmas Cards quilt using some reds and pinks and calling it Love Notes. Can you see it? You can find the pattern here.

I hope these ideas have you inspired! I know I am, and I think I have a few ideas of my own!

Krista

Shop Related items

First, melt butter and sauté onions until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Next, add thyme, salt, and tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Uncover pan and mash tomatoes. Cook uncovered until mixture is dry and thick. Let cool.

Next, whisk together eggs, milk, and salt. Stir in grated cheese and cooled tomato mixture. Pour into uncooked pie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 50 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

For a delicious variation, substitute cheddar for the Swiss. Add jalapenos and bell peppers for a Southwest version!

One thing that is great about this recipe is you can really use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Zucchini works great in this soup as does spinach. I’ve also made it with cauliflower and Daikon radish. Want to add some mushrooms? Sauté them with the onions! Just keep the quantity of the vegetables you add consistent and you’re good to go.

First, heat pan over medium heat and cook your chopped onions in olive oil until they are translucent. Once they are cooked, add your broth, tomatoes, beans, vegetables, and seasoning. Simmer about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Meanwhile, cook 1 cup of small pasta al dente in a separate pot of salted water per package directions.

You can use whatever protein you like. I happened to have some meatballs I’d made previously and froze so I used those. I’ve also made it with ground beef, Italian sausage, and pulled chicken breast.

Add the pasta and protein to the pot and simmer another 10 minutes or so until everything is all nice and heated through. Adjust with salt per taste and serve topped with fresh basil and grated cheese.

Note: I didn’t have basil this time but I did have frozen pesto so I stirred a tablespoon of pesto into the soup with the meat and pasta and it worked out great.

To get started, you will want to prepare a 9″ cake pan by spraying it with cooking spray or coating it with oil. Set this aside. (I usually use a 9″ leakproof springform pan.)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter, whisking occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and do not stir, cooking until caramel thickens and turns a dark golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 tsp. salt. Pour into prepared pan and let cool about 30 minutes.

Add pineapple slices evenly over caramel.

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Whisk together milk, egg, and butter. Add wet ingredients to dry, whisking together until just combined. Add to prepared pan.

Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for approximately 30 minutes. Run sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Invert onto a large serving plate.

Note: I recommend using light brown sugar. You can use dark brown sugar and it will still taste amazing but I think the lighter brown sugar makes a prettier cake.

I hope you enjoy! If you make it, I’d love to see it! Tag me on social media @fourrobbins

Tonight, our dinner was outstanding so I wanted to share it with you!

The Cubano sandwich is the specialty of the food truck and it looked delicious so we decided to make our own.

I didn’t follow their recipe for the pulled pork but used a recipe I like. I also used the bread we had on hand and some cherrywood smoked ham. the sandwiches turned out really delicious.

Preheat oven to 400. While the oven is heating, make your fillings. You can use eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, veggies, cheese or whatever else you like in a breakfast sandwich. You can also make your fillings ahead and have them ready to go.

Grate some cheese. I love Cabot Seriously Sharp! Well, I love all Cabot cheese but especially their Seriously Sharp and Alpine (tastes kind of like Kerrygold Dubliner).

Roll out your puff pastry or crescent rolls.  If your using puff pastry, cut into sandwich size squares. If you’re using crescents, you’ll want to use two and push them together to close the seam.

Add your fillings to the center leaving enough dough around the edges to fold in. Fold two opposite corners into the center and then repeat with the remaining two. Then press any open edges up towards the center as well, closing in all your fillings. It doesn’t look especially pretty right now, but it will once it bakes.

Top with cheese if desired. You can also brush with melted butter but you don’t have to.

Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Shop for related items: