An Italian Natale

Cing, Cing… (Cheers)

Buon Natale!

Benvenuti A Casa Nostra

Lettere A Babbo Natale

Palline Di Natale

Rosa, Rosa, and Rosa

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Merry Christmas

It was in 2018 when I went to our daughter Veronica’s Bridal Shower, and I met some family members of the Groom’s side, that were Italian. We were talking about Christmas and I was asking the woman I was talking to, what foods she makes on Christmas Day? She told me, Lasagna. That surprised me as I view Lasagna as a regular weekly, or monthly dish to make for the family, and not something special to make for Christmas Day.

She then explained that most Italian families make Lasagna on Christmas Day.

Well, over the years I never forgot that, and for this Christmas, 2023, I decided that I wanted to create my own Italian Christmas and base everything around a Lasagna, that I would be creating.

My Lasagna

I’m actually quite proud of it. I had never made a Lasagna in my life, and I was really pleased with how well this one turned out. I wanted it to be a bit vintage, my mother made Lasagna’s occasionally when we were growing up and she would use Cottage Cheese. I loved those little white balls I would come across in hers. I also wanted it to be a Veggie Lasagna.

I also wanted to just throw it together and have it be a bit casual, but also the centerpiece for my table. I think that I accomplished that.

I Believe that it Looks Beautiful

(Far grander than some Turkey or Ham.)

You Can See The Layers Here

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The Dining Room

(Our Dining Room is our main Christmas Room. This is where we decorate, take family photos, and serve food, but we don’t usually eat in our Dining Room. Weird, huh?) 🙂

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Christmas Tree Bread

(With Spices, Cheeses, and Pesto)

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Polenta, Pesto, and Sun Dried Tomato Bites,

And, An Olive Medley

Admiring The Desserts

I purchased most of these sweets from the grocery store bakery.

Mini Cannelloni’s, Chocolate Dipped Strawberry’s, Mini Fruit Cups, and Italian Straw Sweets

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My Beautiful, Colorful Table

Fresh Artichoke and Lemons Out Front

The Salad Section

In my opinion, if you are going to serve Italian food then you will need a Fresh Salad and some Great Bread.

I Placed The Italian Dressing into Wine Glasses, and Provided Some Nice Salad Toppings

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I Love Adding Little Lights To The Table

These are just some battery operated lights.

My Dinner Plate, and Barefoot Wine

Cing, Cing…

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Family Natale Photo’s With Santa Clause

Let’s Not Forget The Christmas Cookies and a bit of Joy in the form of Egg Nog for Santa

Merry Christmas Santa Clause!

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Our Desserts

(Don’t PEEP)

I LOVE PEEPS!

I knew these would be great when I saw them at the Commissary. They have a Chocolate base, and a Marshmallow/Peppermint Top. They were PERFECT here on my Brownies.

Individual Servings

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Salad Christmas Leftovers

After a Big Christmas Dinner for a Night or Two, a Salad is Always Very Welcomed

Some Leftover Bread with My Leftover Lasagna

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Leftover Salad to Go!

For All Those After Christmas Errands You Need to Do

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RECIPES START HERE

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Julie’s Veggie Lasagna

I had never made a Lasagna prior to this one before. I knew what to do, but yet I also didn’t know what I was doing. I viewed it as a building. You need a foundation and then you just build upward. I would insert between each layers different ingredients and flavors. It became fun after I started it. Sometimes when you think you can’t do something very well, but you attempt it anyway, sometimes it turns out far better than you thought it would. That’s what happened here.

I am excited to share my recipe with you.

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I would like for you to view this as if I just handed up a bunch of Lego’s and said, ‘Here, create something.’ You now have the building blocks to make your very own Lasagna. Mine is only a guide for you to use. Be creative, be bold, and have lots of fun!

If it’s Italian you know it’s going to be good no matter what! 🙂

Ingredients: The Building Blocks

(I made this for a very large casserole dish. Something like a 9×14, with a 4-5 inch depth. I will give you the ingredients that I used but I may not be able to fully give you the amounts. That just might be up to you, and what you like.)

Lasagna Noodles (I used 2 1/2 boxes here)

1 16 oz. Bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets (thawed, drained and microwaved)

1 16 oz. Bag of Crinkle Cut Carrots

1-2 Cans of Tomato Puree (16 oz.)

1 16 oz. Ricotta Cheese

Roasted Garlic (As many as you like.)

Basil Infused Olive Oil

1 Jar of Roasted Eggplant Pasta Sauce

Sliced Mozzarella Cheese

Dollops of Cottage Cheese, (Per your preference amount.)

Italian Style Bread Crumbs (Per your preference amount.)

Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Fresh Oregano, as much as you like.

Topped with Mozzarella Pearls

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Broccoli Florets

The first thing that I did was to place the thawed Broccoli Florets into a Colander to drain. I then placed them into a microwave safe dish and I cooked them on my microwave setting for vegetables.

I wanted them to cook till Al Dente. After all, they will be cooking more in the casserole.

When done, drain once more into a Colander. Now set aside.

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While the Broccoli above was Cooking in the Microwave…

I Placed My Carrots into Boiling Water to Cook

You want to cook them until Al Dente as well. When done, drain and set aside.

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The Ingredients:

I do list them all above, and here they are ready for me to use.

You can see my Roasted Garlic here. I didn’t use all of it, but I did use as many roasted cloves as I wanted.

Same with the Fresh Oregano.

Far Left: The Cheeses (Cottage Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Asiago, Romano and Parmesan Cheese)

The Middle: Roasted Eggplant Pasta Sauce

Right: Basil Infused Olive Oil

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You will need a large pot for this:

Time to Start Boiling The Lasagna Pasta

You just want to bring the water to a boil, add a bit of Salt to the water, and even a drizzle of Olive Oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Cook According to Package Directions

Drain Pasta Into a Colander

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It’s Time To Build Our Building

Our Casserole Dish is nice and clean and ready to be sprayed with an Olive Oil Cooking Spray.

Next: Open a can of Tomato Puree

Use a Spatula and Spread the Puree Around the Bottom of the Casserole Dish

Now Place Some of Your Pasta Noodles Down

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Ricotta Cheese

It’s now that I am placing blobs of Ricotta Cheese on top of the Lasagna Pasta.

Using a Spatula to spread it all Around

My Roasted Garlic

I tend to ALWAYS have Roasted Garlic in the Refrigerator. It is something of a staple in our home. So, whenever I am doing any Italian recipe I tend to grab the Roasted Garlic to add.

Here I just removed as many cloves as I wanted, and smooshed them….

I then added the Smooshed Garlic Cloves on top of the Ricotta.

I Then Placed The Cooked Carrots On Top, Right.

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Adding The Broccoli

With the Broccoli Cooled, I then Added it on Top of the Carrots.

I Also Added Some Freshly Ground Black Pepper on Top

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Fresh Sliced Mozzarella Cheese

This is perfect for placing on top of the Broccoli. I did slice them in two.

I Then Sprinkled Some Italian Bread Crumbs Over Top

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I Then Added Some of the Lasagna Noodles

(You can see they are becoming a bit dry.)

Roasted Eggplant Pasta Sauce

I Then Added Some Roasted Eggplant Pasta Sauce Over Top..

..And Some Freshly Ground Black Pepper..

..Also I tore Apart Some Fresh Oregano

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It’s at this point that I added dollops of Cottage Cheese…

..And a bit more Roasted Garlic

Also Added, are More Carrots and Broccoli..

Along with More Italian Bread Crumbs Sprinkled A Top

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Time To Grate Some Cheeses

(Add Them Over Top)

Now It’s Time To Add More Lasagna Pasta Over top

Then Add More Tomato Puree…

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Into a 400F Oven for About 45 Minutes, to Start…

This is a very large casserole.

It will take a while to cook it all. Let’s start at 45 minutes, then go from there.

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After 45 Minutes I Covered it With Aluminum Foil and Placed Back into the Oven for an Additional 15-20 Minutes.

When I believed it to be done, I removed it from the oven and placed it on a Baking Rack to cool.

It Looks Quite Nice Here But I’m NOT Finished!

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Time For the Cheesey Topping

I Grated Some of my Leftover Cheese, and Added some Mozzarella Pearls over Top

Like So….

I Then Placed it Back Into the 400F Oven for about 10 – 15 Minutes for the Cheeses to Melt

I Then Covered it Up with Aluminum Foil and Placed it Back into the Oven for an Additional 10 Minutes.

I Felt that it Needed that, Given how Large the Casserole Dish was.

Remove From Oven…

Remove Foil, Then Cool

When Ready Either Keep it in your Casserole Dish, or Remove it and Place it onto a Platter

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Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

I Ordered These From King Arthur Baking Company

I Ordered the Kit, Along with the Garlic Oil and the Formaggio Italiano Cheese Blend for me, and my children, and their partners.

This Was So Much Fun To Make And Create

I Will Write The Instructions As they Are Written On The Recipe:

These festive and delicious buns get their soft texture from our Dinner Roll Mix and their herby, cheesy flavor from our Italian cheese blend.

Dough:

1 Box Dinner Roll Mix

1 Cup Plus 2 T. Water, Warm; Divided

2 T. Garlic Oil

1 Yeast Packet, Included in Mix

1/4 Cup Formaggio Italiano Cheese Blend

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Finely Grated

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Combine the mix, 1 Cup of the water, Garlic Oil, and yeast.

Mix and knead by hand or mixer, for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and tacky.

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Add The Cheese Blend,

Parmesan,

and the remaining 2 T. of Water, and knead until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.

(The dough may also be made in a bread machine using the dough cycle.)

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Let rise, covered, for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until puffy.

We live in Florida so I placed ours outside.

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Lightly grease the paper Christmas tree pan.

Place pan on a parchment lined baking sheet.

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The Dough

The Melted Butter, and The Olive Oil Spray

For the Assembly:

On a lightly greased work surface, pat the dough into an 8″ square, then cut it into 30 pieces.

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Shape each into a tight ball, dip in Garlic Oil to lightly coat, and place into the pan.

The Dough and the Butter

Place balls in the corners of the pan first, then fill in the gaps.

Cover the pan and let rise for 1 hour., until puffy.

Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 375F with a rack in the center.

The Cheeses

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Topping:

2 T. Garlic Oil

3/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, Grated

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Red Pepper Flakes to Taste

Pesto and Pizza Sauce for Serving

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When dough has risen, sprinkle mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese over top, avoiding the very edges, which can cause sticking.

Sprinkle with Red Pepper Flakes as desired.

Bake Christmas Tree bread, still on the lined baking sheet, for 25-30 minutes, until the rolls are golden and the internal temperature reaches 190F.

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Best Eaten Warm, Dolloped with Pesto and Tomato Sauce

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Stuffed Mushrooms

I Purchased These at the Grocery Store

All that is required is for me is to follow the package instructions.

They are actually quite good. A nice addition to the dinner.

Into The Oven They Go

When Done…

Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread and Christmas Lasagna

Ready To Plate The Christmas Tree Bread

Now It’s Time to Dollop Some Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Over Top

It Is Now PERFECT!

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Polenta Appetizers

These were actually quite simple. I made some Polenta and placed it in a small casserole dish, allowed it to harden, then cut it into squares, then topped it with some Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes. Very Nice!

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The Salad

Roasted Pine Nuts for about 6-8 minutes on the stove top on a medium heat.

Stirring constantly until browned.

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This Salad is a bunch of Leafy Greens, and some Toppings.

Not to mention that I put the ready made Italian Salad Dressing into Wine Glasses.

Pickled Giardiniera left, along with my Salad and it’s Toppings, and my Tutto Bread and Fresh Herbs right.

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Polenta, Pesto, and Sun Dried Tomato Appetizers

The Natale Table

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Dessert

Peppermint PEEPS Brownies

See the ZERO SUGAR Brownie Mix in the photo back left?

I buy that a lot and use it as a base to build upon. Firstly, it is a really good Brownie Mix, and second, it’s Sugar Free. As a border-line Diabetic I try my best to cut back on the sugar in everything that I eat. But yes, you do see ingredients here that have sugar in them. I am just trying to cut back as much as I can. I don’t eat many sweets as it is, so I view them as a treat and not something I eat daily.