Moussaka

The basic idea here is 

Top Layer            Bechamel Sauce

Fourth Layer       Meat Sauce

Third Layer         Fried Vegetables

Second Layer     Meat Sauce

Bottom Layer     Fried Vegetables

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Vegetables- peeled, salted, let sit in paper towels to extract moisture, and fried in oil:

Eggplant, Zucchini, Potato

Meat Sauce:

1 T. Olive Oil

1 finely diced onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 pound of ground beef

2 T tomato paste

1 c. tomato puree

1 c. beef broth

1/4 c. fresh parsley (or 1.5 T dried)

1 T. fresh thyme (or 1 t dried)

1 bay leaf (optional)

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. black pepper

Bechamel Sauce, thickened in pan

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of flour

4 cups milk

1 t. salt

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. pepper

1-2 egg yolks (I think this is optional, depending on thickness of sauce you want)

Baked lemon pasta

 1 lb spaghetti

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of minced garlic 

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

2 cups sour cream

3/4 tsp salt

Grated Parmesan cheese

****

Preheat oven to 375

Cook spaghetti according to package

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil in LOW heat. When butter is melted, add minced garlic . Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add zest and salt. Add to drained spaghetti, stir, then put in oven safe dish.

Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove cover and cook an additional 7-10 minutes (not too long or pasta will be dry). Remove from oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over top and sprinkle with cheese.

Frosted Ginger Cookies

 

Ingredients

1 c. sugar (plus some for rolling)

3/4 c. butter, room temperature

1 egg

3 T molasses

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. ground ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1 c. powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

3. Mix in egg and molasses.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to the butter mixture and blend well.

5. Fill a small bowl with sugar for rolling. Make small balls of dough with hands, with about a diameter of a quarter, and roll the balls in the sugar bowl to coat. Place balls on cookie sheet.

6. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, then move to cooling racks a few minutes after they come out of the oven.

7. Meanwhile, make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and lemon juice (you may need to add more lemon juice if it's not drizzle-able). You can use juice from a lemon, and add lemon zest, if you want it to be even better. Drizzle glaze over cookies.

Mexican coleslaw

 

German Red Cabbage

 This was really good. And easy.

• 1/2 large red cabbage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• fresh chopped  peeled apple 1/2- 1 cup. Optional.

Melt the butter over medium heat, saute the cabbage and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle mixture with sugar. Add balsamic vinegar and apple (if desired). Toss to coat evenly. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium low. Cook until soft, approx 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper.

Crispy Peach Cobbler

This is my kind of cobbler- crispy on top. More cake-like, less bread-like.

• 8 large peaches (about 4½ pounds), unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1-2 T minute tapioca, OPTIONAL
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar, DIVIDED
• 1½ cups (about 192 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup hot tap water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the peaches in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Pat the peaches into a roughly even layer, then, using a zester or a Microplane, zest the lemon evenly over the fruit and squeeze the lemon juice evenly over the top. Spread tapioca over dish.
3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and 1½ cups of the sugar on medium speed about 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat again for another 30 seconds, until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is evenly crumbly. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the milk. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (Add a little more milk, if needed, to make it spreadable)
4. Plop the batter in large blobs over the top of the peaches. Carefully spread the batter evenly over the fruit, so it’s no more than about ½ inch thick in any one place.
5. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup sugar directly over the batter. Drizzle the hot water evenly over the sugar, using it to melt the sugar into the topping.
6. Bake the cobbler for 70 to 80 minutes, or until the top is browned and cracked. (A toothpick inserted into the topping should come out dry—be sure to check in a few places.)
7. Let the cobbler sit for about a half an hour to firm up before serving.

Easy lentil coconut curry

https://www.theendlessmeal.com/creamy-coconut-lentil-curry/
This was simple and delicious.