Baked Lasagna topped with provolone cheese, fresh strawberry salad and homemade spiced pumpkin pie with maple-caramel sauce! Exquisite dinner if I say so myself 😋🍴💋

My sister and I decided to cook dinner for our parents…she baked the pasta, I prepared the bread and dessert! My baking skills were put to use and boy did they pay off…voilà ~ fresh homemade braided Italian bread! My kitchen still smells like a bakery 🍞💋🍴

I had so much fun cooking our MNF dinner. We hosted my sister Lindsay and her boyfriend Steven over for a wonderful homemade Lasagna dish!

For the homemade fresh lasagna noodles recipe refer to my previous post 👉

http://thefullbellydiaries.tumblr.com/post/31805751421/yesterday-i-decided-to-roll-out-my-own-hand-rolled

I used this recipe for the sauce because I am not a fan of ricotta or cottage cheese! 👉

http://www.great-chicago-italian-recipes.com/beef_lasagna.html

The Lasagna was beyond delicious! It had fresh basil and parsley from my indoor garden, and I used local homemade blueberry wine as the red wine reduction! Served with bacon, ham & turkey salad. Amazeballs!🍴👍🍅

Yesterday I decided to make my own hand rolled lasagna pasta. I’ve made raviolis before so I knew it wasn’t a task I couldn’t handle. Besides, nothing beats fresh made pasta. 

I used this recipe for the dough: 
http://www.happystove.com/recipe/255/How+To+Make+Homemade+Flat+Lasagna+Sheets/

It said it was a 80-minute process. I started making the dough around 4:30. After forming the ball, it sat in plastic wrap for an hour or so. Around 6 o’clock I started rolling it out into lasagna pieces…talk about a hassle. I released all of my built up stress and frustration out on that rolling pin. No fancy smancy Italian pasta machine here. It took every ounce of strength in my bony arms to get it the desired thinness, but after I burned unnecessary calories my lasagna noodles were piling up on me! I rolled wayy to much for my pan, needless to say we will be having chicken & pastry soon ;)

But don’t let my long paragraph on dough making scare you. It really is an rewarding experience. After boiling ‘MY’ noodles to al dentè, and realizing that this whole process really worked and my pasta looked better than that non-French/Italian dried store bought stuff in boxes…I forgot about how much effort I put into my culinary dish. 

Homemade, fresh pasta…try it sometime! 

xoxo Sarina 
The Full Belly Diaries 🍴💋

{ Five Cheese stuffed Ravioli with Meatball Marinara and Parmesan cheese with Mozzarella & basil toast ❤ Nom nom nom }

Prep work for my ravioli dinner! I started the marinara in the crockpot around noon and cooked it on low until 5:00 when I finally put the meatballs in.
Then I boiled the 5-cheese raviolis in salted, garlic water and toasted some bread with mozzarella cheese & basil…voilà 💚

I LoVe cooking spaghetti…especially with fresh ingredients! i’ve used Ms. Lisa’s tomatoes in several dishes over the pat two weeks…

Double date night at Bravo Pleasant Pizza in Lumberton, NC….soOo delish!
•Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti and marinara sauce AND garlic bread! 🍝
…Baked lasagna and salad with ranch dressing

My sister Lindsay cooked dinner yesterday…and boy did she hit the spot this time! I mean look at the cheese on that bad girl, Mozzarella heaven!

Baked penne with mushroom and pepperoni marinara, texas cheese toast, corn-on-the-cob and garden salads with fresh blueberries and strawberries, almonds and raspberry vinaigrette! Omg delish!

And I LoVe the Campbell Soup bowls considering my siblings & I were all Campbell Soup babies 😘