Easy Skillet Lasagna

As much as I like to cook, the classics are sometimes the things I never get around to making (I did finally make my first apple pie about a year and a half ago though!): things like pot roast, chicken noodle soup, and lasagna. To be fair, pot roast and chicken noodle soup are not my favorite foods in the world, but I do love lasagna. But let's be real: the last thing I feel like doing after work is diving into a lasagna recipe. This skillet lasagna, however? I'm all over it. It really only took 30 minutes to make, and it perfectly satisfied my Italian craving.

Skillet Lasagna

8 oz farfalle (bowtie) pasta, uncooked

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp water

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces Italian sausage

1/3 cup chopped yellow onion

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano, undrained

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese, water and pepper in small bowl; set aside.

Heart large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion; cook 3-5 minutes or until sausage is crumbled and onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and cooked pasta to skillet; stir to combine.

Dollop spoonfuls of ricotta mixture on top of pasta mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 2-3 minutes or until ricotta mixture is hot and mozzarella cheese melts. Serves 6.

At Publix now through March 5, you can find extra savings on all the ingredients you need for great Italian meals. Find more Italian recipes + savings information here.

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided to me by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op. All opinions are 100% my own.

Amazing Bathtub

I came across this amazing bathtub in The New York Times. Isn't it incredible? It's made of sapele, a tree native to Africa. It would be such a treat to soak in this tub after a long day, don't you think? A relaxing evening in a tub that starts at $28,000...

Banana Bread with Chocolate & Cinnamon Sugar

I've shared so many banana bread recipes with you all, but banana bread is one of those baked treats that I will never get tired of. We always have overripe bananas, and we never get tired of slicing and eating warm banana bread right out of the oven. Most recently I stumbled across this recipe from Molly Wizenberg of Orangette (who also wrote one of my favorite books!). The curious thing about this recipe is that there's no butter or oil. The banana bread is still moist as can be, and it's best sliced into big squares and served while it's still warm. Happy Monday!

Banana Bread with Chocolate & Cinnamon Sugar
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

for topping:
2 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs, and stir well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix. Add the chocolate chips and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

source: recipe barely adapted from orangette

Fiber One Fruit Snacks

Since I've never been one to eat many vegetables (a goal I'm still working at!), I'm always trying to find ways to get more fiber into my body. I recently started eating these fruit snacks, and they are really good! Of course it's not a replacement for real fruit or veggies, but it's a nice snack for me to grab mid-afternoon that's tasty but also gives me a few grams of fiber. 

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided to me by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op. All opinions are 100% my own.

Craft Room + Office Inspiration

We started painting our craft room/office last week, and I'm getting so excited about a fresh start for that room! It was blue before, which made the room feel small and dark. We still have more painting and lots of projects to do before the room is ready, but below are a few pieces of inspiration from my pinterest board.

image sources: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Sour Cream Pancakes

We've had quite the weather this past week! We got snow on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving us stuck at home on Wednesday and Thursday! That's the first we've had snow days since we moved to South Carolina, since we are in South Carolina after all! We headed back to work on Friday, but Wednesday and Thursday were a wonderful treat. We got a few things done, but we mostly watched the snow come down, talked, read, stayed cozy, and ate these pancakes. It's not your typical buttermilk pancake recipe, as there's no milk and hardly any flour. But they were a delicious treat for something different, and a perfect breakfast on a snow day. We had an earthquake on Friday, and yesterday it was a balmy 60+ degrees. Whatever Mother Nature is sending your way, I hope you have a great Monday :)

Sour Cream Pancakes
1 cup sour cream
7 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream with the dry ingredients until just barely combined (don't over-mix). Whisk in the egg mixture until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium-low heat and melt some butter in the pan. Drop batter by1/4 cup servings onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles start to form on the surface and edges are starting to brown. Flip to the other side and cook for another minute. (Pancakes will be a little on the soft side.)

Serve with butter and syrup.

source: recipe from the pioneer woman

Slow Mornings

Aren't slow mornings just the best? My typical weekday morning is a flurry of open drawers, my makeup bag spilling everywhere, rejected outfit options strew across the bed, and, if I'm lucky, a smoothie to sip on in the car on the way to work. Weekend mornings are my favorite: getting the luxury of slowly waking up + getting out of bed, slipping on my slippers, making my way downstairs for breakfast. Some mornings it's pancakes, some mornings I make muffins or scones. Some mornings it's simply yogurt + granola or a bowl of cereal. Most recently I was introduced to Multigrain Cheerios Dark Chocolate Crunch: a blend of dark chocolate + five whole grains.  A perfect way to start a weekend.

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided to me by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op.