And I get it.....I get that November is too early. It pains me to see Christmas decorations out already and the stores doing their holiday push. I get that it's a fun time of year, but seriously - why not start the rush in say July?? Or hell, leave the tree up all year long!
But even the best laid plans go awry. In my staunch NO CHRISTMAS BEFORE DECEMBER 1st rule, my goddaughter who had just gotten over the flu last week wanted to go to a movie. And she wanted to see the 3D A Christmas Carol to boot. Who am I to deny a cute 13 year old a movie after a week of painful coughing????? So off we went, pretzel bites in tow and I allowed myself to enjoy a Christmas movie....before Remembrance Day. (No Shauna, no xmas carols in the office STILL until Dec 1st)..........
After the movie though I had an intense craving for lasagna. I have a tried and true recipe that I have yet to blog about.......not sure why as I am sure I've made it this year. But this is not that recipe! Nope, I had been eyeballing the Pumpkin Lasagna in the latest Food TV magazine. It looked good and really, I am a sucker for pumpkin anything.
I didn't find the recipe all that time consuming to make. The flow of the cooking steps was actually pretty smooth - not a lot of hurry up and wait or things that needed to be done all at the same time. It looked (and smelled) fabulous coming out of the oven. I went with a spicy Italian sausage for the meat and only used one zucchini...I would recommend going with 2 though next time.
Tell me why I can never get a good picture of lasagna straight out of the pan?
The verdict? Great!! I like this version as much as my tried and true recipe. You cannot really taste the pumpkin at all. It lends a slightly nutty taste to the lasagna (think butternut squash flavour) and the texture is on par with the ricotta. I actually ate the leftovers on this one for dinner last night! I definitely recommend stepping outside your comfort zone for lasagna and trying this recipe.
YUM O ! That looks excellent Cathy ! Are you refering to the foodnetwork magazine ?... Oh ya...it is packed with excellent idea's for week night meals aint it ! Hey and BTW....My christmas tree came up YESTERDAY ! : ) .... I just LOVE Christmas time and can't wait to get out the decor ( although it is just the tree...everything else will go up by the end of month). for me...no sooner I hear the first christmas song on the radio..then I KNOW..its time for ze TREE. : )
ReplyDeleteHaha Nat - I promise not to hold your xmas enthusiasm against you!
ReplyDeleteYUM!!!!! I have been dying for lasagna... and you just added to my craving!
ReplyDeleteSpryte - like most lasagnas though I liked it better the 2nd day :)
ReplyDeleteHey cathy,
ReplyDeleteChristmas..infact all holidays need to come in as early as they can...mine comes almost as soon as the previous is over. But yes the shops do push it...
Lovely Lasagna
I made lasagna on Sunday, I still have lots in the fridge. I'll just put it in the freezer so I can enjoy it when I start craving suddenly.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Yugoslavia (comunist country at the time) and we would decorate the tree on 24th in the evening, because Christmas was celebrated only privatly. To think that now they start putting out the decorations and everything in November is still weird to me.
This is the kid of cheesy goodness that makes you feel good all over!
ReplyDeleteJhonny - I used to enjoy xmas but it's the busiest time of the year at work for me. Perhaps if I could stop and smell the roses a bit....
ReplyDeleteDajana - We were never allowed to put the tree up until after my brother's birthday on the 10th of December. 2 weeks is more than enough tree time I think!
Katherine - cheese makes everything better!
Oh yes, this certainly sounds tasty, and the spicy sausage( spicy sausage spicy sausage;) )sounds like the perfect match.
ReplyDeleteWaiting on your tried and true!
Wonderful, now you have ME craving lasagna! I'm with you on the strict holiday rule - even my son knows, one holiday at a time. No peeking at Christmas stuff until Thanksgiving is over.
ReplyDeleteOmg, Cathy! This pumpkin lasagna looks divine and I'm going to try it! Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
ReplyDeleteI think your Dad had the right idea!
Oh my, that looks totally inviting. I love the idea of pumpkin or squash in a lasagna.
ReplyDeleteDonna - I so knew you'd pick up on the sausage thing!
ReplyDeleteCate - I think it's great that your son is already up on this - I think the anticipation for kids 8 weeks out from xmas loses the true meaning.
Marguerite - hope you do try it and love it as much as I did!
Natashya - I would add pumpkin to my regular recipe too now that I know it would turn out so good!
I enjoyed your blog post. Funny, how parents can having a lasting influence on how we perceive sitiuations.
ReplyDeleteThe addition of squash to this lasagna recipe is really nice. This is a great recipe.
Velva - I am more like my dad than I care to admit with that kind of stuff. The Dutch stubborness runs rampant through my veins.
ReplyDeletePumpkin lasagna? How neat! It looks absolutely delicious.
ReplyDeleteI do agree about Christmas stuff coming out too early.... almost like the true spirit of Christmas has been forgotten. These days it seems to be all about consumerism.
Beautiful job, Cathy!
ReplyDeleteI have to try this to really know what it is like. It sounds a bit unusual but nowadays, I am finding pumpkin goes with everything. I must try this soon.
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