In a large pot, break up and brown the ground turkey. Make sure there are no chunks of meat, make it a nice fine ground. Over medium-low heat, add the spices and Splenda, and toss to coat the meat. Top with sauce, stir, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine the ricotta and mozzarella in a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Coat the bottom of a large pan, about 17 x 12 (this is the one time I choose a disposable pan, like a large rectangular roaster) with sauce. Line one layer of lasagna noodles, with edges slightly over lapping. Evenly distribute some of the cheese mix over the noodles. Ladle another ladle of sauce and use the back of the ladle to smooth and even out the layer. Place another of noodles down and repeat with the cheese and sauce. Repeat this process, reserving a small amount (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup) of the cheese mix, until you’re out of noodles (about 3 or 4 layers).
Top the last layer of noodles with the reserved cheese and the remaining sauce. Smooth out the layer with the back of the ladle and distribute the reserved mozzarella and the Parmesan topping.
Bake for 90min. Let it rest 5 minutes before cutting (6 x 4) and serving.
*If NOT using no-boil, just ensure you make up for it by using more gravy (and by gravy, I mean sauce), because the noodles will absorb a decent amount of liquid, and no one wants a dry lasagna.
Some pretty interesting things happened on this day in history:
1224 – Francis of Assisi is afflicted with stigmata.
1503 – Michelangelo begins work on his statue of David.
1788 – NY City becomes 1st capital of US
1948 – Margaret Chase Smith (R-Me) elected senator, 1st woman to serve in both houses of Congress
1963 – “Outer Limits” premieres on ABC TV
1965 – Beatles release “Yesterday”
1974 – Phillies set NL record, using 27 players in a game, St Louis uses 24, tying record of 51. Phils win 7-3 in 17
To make today even cooler… Its not just September 13th… And its not just National Peanut Day… Its Friday, September 13th!
Do you know what else happened?
1960– My daddy was born!
I follow a law in my head that I call “Experi-mentality.” Its another word I made up. I like to do that… Remember “Crock-Pot-It?”
Experimentality: ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt, men-ˈta-lə-tē
experiment: an operation or procedure carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown effect or law
mentality: a particular way of thinking
experimentality: the operation of thinking up procedures to be carried out to discover an unknown outcome
Sound pretty scientific, huh?
With all of these things falling on one day, all of our shakes followed a theme. We’ll start with the birthday boy and his Birthday Cake Shake:
2 scoops cookie n cream shake mix (1 scoop vanilla and 1 scoop chocolate will do)
1 Tbsp sugar free fat free white chocolate pudding mix
1 Tbsp sugar free fat free cheesecake pudding mix
1 Tbsp jimmies/ sprinkles, more for garnish
water
ice
I created a Black Cat Shake for Franks:
1 scoop chocolate shake
1 scoop cafe latte shake
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
Black berries (mixed berries will do)
1 Tbsp sugar free fat free chocolate pudding mix
2 Tbsp sugar free licorice syrup
water
ice
I was expecting Franks shake to be much dark, but it turned out reminding me of the color of red velvet ice cream. For myself, I call it a Mexican Jumping Bean. There were no peanuts to be found in the house, but of peanut butter, there is plenty…
I got myself to eat some chips and salsa last night and with the pb being in reach, I’m always one to experiment. What a combo! I would have never thought salsa and peanut butter would pair! It could be because I’m PMS-ing, but it worked for me. Frank tried it and immediately said “No way…” I guess its a love it or hate it shake… It reminded me of chili chocolate. So heres the Mexican Jumping Bean Shake:
1 scoop chocolate protein
1 Tbsp sugar free fat free chocolate shake mix
3 Tbsp mild salsa
1 tsp peanut butter
the slightest pinch of cayenne pepper (a little goes a long way)
water
ice
xanthum and/or guar (optional)
I kept busy for the entire day! I even ate! I made a seaweed salad for the first time, to surprise dad with one of his favorite foods. It turned out great! I spent most of my day cleaning the carpets, however.
Frank began to whip up a seafood gravy, and its always delicious! But I haven’t eaten it since he used sooooo much olive oil! With his weight loss goals, he has been cutting back on a lot of fattening ingredients in his cooking. Frank said it could be dads birthday dinner. I pulled out the last box of Paul Sorvino’s spaghetti. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion. I figured dad’s birthday would suffice. I wanted to to be able to eat dinner with my dad, so I sucked it up, cooked up a bag of Spaghetti Tofu Shiratki noodles, and topped it with a bit of seafood sauce. Frank was happy that I ate his cooking. He knows I enjoy it. Dad’s plate looked like a tour around the world. I had prepared the seaweed salad for him earlier in the day, and Frank made the pasta. I finished his meal off with a birthday drink of Diet Rum and Coke.
up, I’ve always been a daddy’s girl! Pretty much every childhood memory involves my dad. My first memory of music is my dad popping in the cassette to Locomotion in the stereo, and us dancing around the living room. Music has always been one thing that always has tied us together…
No matter the song, no matter the situation, my dad would always come up with a song, or a spoof off a song with my name in it. One song he still sings is “Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie… I kiss Sammy Bundo’s eye!” Its silly, I know, but it works.
In honor of the birthday boy and in honor of our daddy-daughter bond over music, I created a special birthday surprise for him:
Apple Peaches Pumpkin Pie
serves 8
The Crust:
1 cup Fiber One bran cereal
2 sheets (8 crackers) low fat cinnamon graham crackers
1/4 cup Brummel & Brown
3 Tbsp granulated Splenda
2 Tbsp water
ground flax, optional
The Apple Peach Pie:
2-3 Fuji apples (enough to yield 2 cups once sliced)
2 4oz NSA peach snack cups, like Del Monte (do not drain)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 1/2 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp Splenda brown sugar (not packed)
1/3 cup water
1/2 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp granulated Splenda
2 tsp apple pie spice
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
The Pumpkin Pie:
3/4 cup pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
3/4 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated Splenda
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar-free pancake syrup
1/2 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter with 2 Tbsp water. Microwave until just melted. In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One and graham crackers to a breadcrumb-like consistency, along with the Splenda. Once its ground, pour the melted butter and blend well.
Spray a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute crust mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F.
Meanwhile, prepare the apple and peach filling. Peel, core, and thinly slice apples to produce 2 cups full. In a large nonstick pot on the stove, combine all ingredients for the filling except apples and peaches. Add 1/3 cup water and mix until ingredients have dissolved. Bring to medium-high heat stirring frequently. Add apples and stir. After about 5 minutes, empty the peach cups, undrained, in the pan and stir. Lower the heat to medium low and stir occasionally until sauce thickens for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, while making the pumpkin filling. Combine all the pumpkin filling ingredients and set aside.
Carefully transfer the apple and peach filling into the cooled pie crust and evenly spread. Top with the pumpkin mixture. Bake for 12 minutes at 425 F. Lower the oven temperature to 375 F, rotate the pie 180 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees, again, and finish baking for a final 15 minutes, until the center has just set. Remove the oven and allow to cool.
Slice and top with whipped cream and pecans (optional).
My kitchen smelled amazing! It took everything out of me not to cut into this baby! “Can’t we sing happy birthday, today, dad???” I said yesterday.
We apparently didn’t have a number 3 candle! But we all loved this pie! It was mildly sweet, the flavors went well, it was light, and the crust was crisp….
We finished this wonderful day with playing Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie, doing a birthday jig, and watching the new Star Trek movie on DVD!
I loved seeing dads face as I ate my dinner, and hearing him talk about how happy he was to see me in such a good mood! I am so blessed to be one of those lucky girls in the world that gets to be so close to her dad.
Nutrition (per 1/24, 1 piece)
