Lasagna is one of my favorite Italian dishes. Every person who I have ever met who makes lasagna has a different way to prepare it. Some boil the noodles, some do not, some use this cheese, some use that cheese. For myself, every dish of lasagna I make, I try to do a bit different.

As with most Italian dishes, the sauce is the most important ingredient. I have already discussed how to make a basic Italian sauce here. The only modification from this would be to add meat. When you make the sauce, add a pound of hot italian sausage links, removed from the skin, to the garlic after you let it cook for 2 minutes. Let the sausage cook for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and keep stirring and cutting the sausage breaking it up into the smallest pieces you can. You will need more tomato sauce than the tomato sauce recipe, so add another can of crushed tomatoes to the recipe and up the basil a teaspoon.

The second most important ingredient is the cheese. The cheese will define your lasagna with your own unique flavor. Just about any cheese can be used, but try to avoid over processed cheese. My favorite cheese for lasagna is fontina. It may – (More…)

If you have lived near any Polish communities then you automatically know how good stuffed cabbage, or golumpkis can be. Where I grew up, there were many Polish people around, so many in fact, that pretty much every family be they Irish, German, or whatever, had their own recipes for stuffed cabbage.

After I left home, I moved to an area where this was not the case. I went home for Easter to visit the family and my aunt had made a batch of golumpkis that brought back the memory of this food.

Most of the Polish versions of stuffed cabbage always seemed a bit dry to me. I believe that is the way they intend it, which is fine if that is your taste. For myself however, I altered this recipe quite a bit to fit my tastes. It is no secret that I have Italian taste buds even though, as far as I know, there isn’t a drop of Italian blood in me. I decided I would modify the traditional recipe just a little.

Ingredients

1 head cabbage
1/2 pound of Italian sweet sausage
1/2 pound of ground beef
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup cooked rice (I use – (More…)

I am not really sure if this should go into the Appetizer section or Main Dishes section, but since I know people do eat Jambalaya as a meal, I will include it here. Really you could make this into the main course but would probably have to double the recipe if serving more than one person. It also works as a great side dish.

I made this one day when I had two pork chops left over, and some Hoisin sauce that I never used in a rib recipe.

This is one of the easiest yet most rewarding recipes. I know I will probably get some grief here because I am using Jambalaya from a box, but hold your criticism until you try this recipe! I use Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix for this. Now trust me, I have been to New Orleans a couple times, Jambalaya is made differently depending on which block you eat it on. Use this brand so we are all starting from the same page. After you try this recipe, perhaps use your own Jambalaya recipe if you think it would taste better. Hoisin sauce can usually be found in most supermarkets or oriental groceries. It is the most ingredient in most oriental barbecue sauces.

Ingredients

1 8 OZ. box of Zatarain’s New Orleans Style Jambalaya Mix.- (More…)