Spinach and Ham Casserole

This casserole was good, with a nice flavor and a good consistency.  It would be easy to prepare and assemble, then bake the next day.  It's a bit light on the vegetables - we ate the rest of the fruit salad to round it out, but maybe a side salad or adding some red peppers?

I used red onions and skim milk with a lot less Gruyere.  It was a bit less saucy than I think whole milk would have done, but it might also sauce up overnight.  I'm excited for the leftovers, as I think it all meld together well.

Spring Gnocchi

We're trying to take full advantage of the spring weather before this weekend's snow, so this was another bright, light dinner.  It didn't turn out quite as good as I had hoped, but might be worth trying again, with some modifications.  We also didn't make our own gnocchi, but the packaged ones are pretty good.  This was largely a bit of a trick of timing, so maybe that will help next time.

I put the proscuitto in the toaster oven to crisp and then started two pots of water boiling.  The larger is for the gnocchi and the smaller is just to blanch the peas.  I chopped and started sauteeing the shallots (in a large pan) while the peas blanched, and then drained the peas.  The peas went into the large pan and I tried to keep them stirring, then cooked the gnocchi.  Once they were floating, I threw into the large pan as well, and let them sautee as well.  This was tricky as I basically made a double-batch, maybe next time sautee in small sections.  I made (with Andrew's help) the lemon ricotta, which needed way more lemon, and sliced the cripsy proscuitto into pieces.

We plated it all with a scoop of gnocchi and peas, topped with a large spoonful of ricotta, and sprinkled some proscuitto, and served it up.  It needed salt and pepper, despite adding some during the cooking.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and tasty this turned out.  One (half-price!) pork tenderloin in the crockpot with bottled teriyaki sauce and a can of crushed pineapple.  Reminiscent of Natalie's family's party, but it worked quite well.  It was sweet and tangy and saucy.  We put it over the flatbread style buns and steamed some carrots on the side.

Lentil Sausage Stew

Definitely not vegetarian!  This was thick and warm and a little spicey, and worth breaking a veggie streak.
I cooked hot Italian sausage meat (split open and remove the casings) and then took them out of the pot.  In the remaining fat I sauteed some onions, then added salt, pepper and thyme.  I added a bunch of sliced carrots and cooked the a couple minutes, but this is probably unnecessary.  Then added in diced potatoes and enough water to cover.  Cook 20 minutes or so, then add lentils.  I used red French and forgot they turn yellow-white.  Cook another half hour or until everything is soft and the stew is thick.  A little balsalmic vinegar and some more salt and pepper to taste.