theme: creepy, spooky, or eerie
who was there: what he/she brought:
- Michael: pumpkin soup
- Matt: batty cauldron of spinach dip w/ crackers & pita
- Julie: "waking grave" (dirt dessert)
- Shawn & Kaylie: 60's orange jell-o mold w/ raisins & cloves
- Aya: spooky-faced bean dip
- Nikolai: cupcakes, candy, & chips
- Stamatis: tombstone doused pumpkin cupcakes with browned-butter filling
- Amy: pumpkin lasagne, inari, mango salsa & chips, spicy popcorn, sangria, creepy cheeses & crackers
PHOTOS:most requested recipe: PUMPKIN LASAGNE from FoodandWine.com [with some "customization"]
ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 pound baby spinach
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage (we didn't ahve any that day so left it out)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 cups canned pumpkin puree (one 28-ounce can)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1/2 cup milk
9 no-boil lasagne noodles (about 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon butter
directions:
1) In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and add the spinach, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted and no liquid remains in the pan, 5 to 10 minutes.
2) Heat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups of the pumpkin, 1 cup ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
3) Pour the milk into an 8-by-12-inch baking dish. Top the milk with one third of the noodles, then spread half the pumpkin mixture over the noodles. Layer half the spinach over the pumpkin and top with a second layer of noodles. Repeat with another layer of pumpkin, spinach, and noodles. Combine the remaining 1 cup of pumpkin and 3/4 cup of cream. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the lasagne, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan, and dot with the butter.
4) Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more. Like most lasagnes, this one is easier to cut if left to set for ten minutes or so before serving.
