Recipe { Thanksgiving Pumpkin Lasagna }

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you had a good one. D and I had a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year. Since it was just the two of us, I'd thought I'd be adventurous and try a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal of pumpkin lasagna made in a 6-quart crock pot. It turned out so well, I'm sharing the recipe with you.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin and Sausage Lasagna
Ingredients

• 2 15 oz. cans of pumpkin
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  
• 1 cup half and half or light cream
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
  
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
  
• 1 small red onion, chopped
  
• 1/2 pound sliced baby bella mushrooms
  
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 5-6 turkey sausage, veggie sausage or Italian sausage links
  
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste
  
• Sea salt to taste
  
• 9 no-cook whole wheat lasagna noodles
  
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute sausage. Slice and set aside.

In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onion and sea salt to taste. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, cranberries, cream, sage, nutmeg, pepper (to taste) and sea salt (to taste)

Cover bottom of crock pot with a layer of pumpkin mix.

Top with a layer of noodles. Cover with a thick layer of pumpkin mixture. Add a layer of cheese mixture. Add a layer of mushrooms. Add a layer of sausage.Repeat until there are three layers. Top with the remaining pumpkin mix and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cook on high in crock pot for 3-4 hours.Serves 6-8.

Serve with a rich, full-bodied white wine, like Nissley Vineyards Topaz Select (for those of you in PA) or Cakebread Chardonnay.

Happy holidays and enjoy!

Shop Ruche this weekend and get 15% off!

We all know how I love this site and now you can, too, to the tune of 15 percent off. Details below (just click the image to start shopping).

Read this { packaging and textiles }

For the graphic designer or textile lover on your holiday shopping list:



Boxed and Labelled-
New Approaches to Packaging Design from gestalten
Textiles Now by Drusilla Cole, available at Doe

Caviar craving

I had my first taste of caviar at Red Square in Atlantic City. It was my birthday, I like sushi (and that has roe on it, right?), and I was feeling like trying something new (which, come to think of it, isn't so out of the ordinary for me, but I digress...). So, SO ordered a caviar sampler and it was love at first bite. I've been lusting for it ever since, but haven't found a restaurant in Lancaster that serves it (but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough, feel free to fill me in if you know of one!).

In the meantime this Tsar Nicoulai Caviar from Williams-Sonoma would satisfy the craving and something tells me, it would pair nicely with some New Year's Eve champagne.

Get organized { mod style }

I might use my iPhone for planning my life and remembering events, but nothing beats an old-fashioned planner, like this one from ModCloth, when it comes to keeping my work meeting notes organized. No more sorting through random notebooks for notes I took at that meeting a few weeks ago. With these stylish, colorful datebooks, I can just flip right to the date of the meeting (which of course, is stored in my iPhone) and pick up right where I left off.

Spring 2010 trend watch { Jewelry }

Oversized jewelry still rules, but for spring 2010 it takes a nautical spin with anchor charms and twisted rope.


Left: Charm necklace by Thea Grant
Right: Rope necklace by Tory Burch
from Women's Wear Daily

Attention typophiles! (And fans of NYC and San Francisco, too.)

What do you get when you combine typography with two of the world's greatest cities? Some very cool art by Gemini Studios.



New York streets and neighborhoods original graphic art collage on canvas
San Fransico streets and neighborhoods typography collage on canvas
PS- If anyone feels like buying me a Christmas present, I'm down with both of these pieces. And this beagle painting is pretty neat, too. Jus' sayin'. :-)