Lasagna And Rustic Nut Bars

Iman had invited her good friend Clea over to our home today so she was busy entertaining and being entertained. That left me pretty much free to do what I normally like doing Saturdays; vacuuming, dusting, cleaning etc. Without the company, Iman would be following me around like a lost puppy, demanding that I play with her, etc failing which I would be labeled the most boring mom on earth, hehe.


Well, in between all those household chores and the kids playing barbie dolls,basketball, games on the PS2, painting, hanging up hubby's kain pelikat to make tents in the family room (as I'm writing this, it's still up!), I managed to make them a lunch of lasagna. This time with pics to share. It was done to the recipe in my previous posting, with the exception of a couple of items. I used minced chicken instead of beef because Clea doesn't care much for beef and since I had a jar of Alfredo pasta sauce in the pantry, I used that in place of the carbonara sauce. No complaints from the little ladies, so I guess that went down well with them. Only doing what the great chefs advocate - being innovative. Isn't that what cooking is all about? ;)

Lasagna, ready for the oven

Out of the oven.........

................and onto the plate

I even managed to make a batch of caramely nutty bars for tea! I had wanted to try this recipe out for quite awhile ever since I saw it in one of the issues of the Taste of Home mag. It turned out extremely well, too. I only had hazelnuts, peanuts and some garlic flavoured roasted broad beans in stock.. You guessed right; those garlic flavoured broad beans joined the other nuts! Hehe. I'm applying some of the basic principles of chinese cooking here, in that food should contain these four elements; sweet, salty, sour and savoury to be considered tasty. Well, three out of four, ain't bad! :) Well, after eating one slice, I for one think it worked.*wink, wink* I'll await the verdict of hubs and also Jeremy when they get home. And oh, Iman says it's "very nice" and that I get an A+++++ (yes 5 times, she says) for my effort!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 3/4 cup cold butter, divided

• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• TOPPING:
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
• 1 cup roasted salted almonds
• 1 cup salted cashews, toasted
• 1 cup pistachios, toasted

Directions:

Line a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 tablespoon butter. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in remaining butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in egg until blended (mixture will be dry).
Press firmly onto the bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
In a large heavy saucepan, bring the honey, brown sugar and salt to a boil over medium heat until sugar is smooth; stirring often. Boil without stirring for 2 minutes. Add butter and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in the hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios. Spread over crust.
Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until topping is bubbly. Cool completely on a wire rack. Using foil, lift bars out of pan. Discard foil; cut into squares. Yield: about 3 dozen.