Lasagna class on December 30, 2010

We had some fun Thursday evening making three different lasagnas using three different techniques.  We made some fun stuff, Cajun lasagna using dry noodles, spinach lasagna using noodles we made from scratch, and a fantastic mushroom lasagna with feta cheese using cooked dry garlic and black pepper noodles.  Recipes on the website, go to www.AustinHealthyCooking.com then to "Class Recipes" link in left column and go to the bottom of the page to the December recipes.

Light Christmas Dinner For Chef and his Son

For Christmas my son came from Arizona to visit.  We have been having fun together and have seen many friends so we took it easy on Christmas day and I made this wonderful dinner for the most beautiful woman in Austin, my son, and myself.  I took a small boneless pork roast and sliced it into one and a half inch thick slices.  Then in a bowl I mixed some fresh herbs from my porch garden, marjoram, sage, oregano and rosemary and chopped them finely.  I mixed in a 1/4 cup balsamic, 1/2 cup red wine, 1/2 cup olive oil and coated the pork with that and refridgerated for 4 hours.  Then I took them and put them into my stove top smoker with some cherry chips and smoked them on mdium heat for 25 minutes.  Before that though, I took a rutabaga, a small butternut squash, and 4 big organic carrots, peeled them all, then diced them, tossed with just a touch of olive oil, and tossed with fresh herbs and roasted in the oven for an hour and a half.  I made some brown rice with cajun spices and lots of onions, peppers and garlic and served that with the pork that I sliced into thin slices.  The juices from the pork were smoky, and herby and wonderful when spooned over the sliced pork.  A very nice light and luscious meal.  And, well, not traditional, but certainly wonderful.  And meals like that are in reality best when enjoyed, and prepared, with great people.  My son gave me an HD camera and we have a video, but this computer uses MS Vista, which is just about the biggest error in the history of the company and we can't get it to interface with MS Movie Maker.  Sigh, always problems with MS stuff, my son keeps asking if I am ready to get an Apple, and now I think I am.  Sheesh.