Spontaneous Moment #55: Lasagna is for Lovers

My husband LOVES lasagna. I avoid it at all costs because I like to watch my weight. So we came up with a nice compromise (which also happened to be a quick and easy recipe).

Lasagna Roll Up

Ingredients:

• lasagna noodles
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 32 oz tomato sauce
• hot sauce to taste (I like to use Sriracha)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook your lasagna noodles and then dry them. 

In a bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, parmesan, 1/4 mozzarella cheese, egg, salt and pepper. 

Place a piece of wax paper or cutting board on the counter and lay out your cooked lasagnas noodles on top. Take a spoonful of the spinach ricotta mixture and spread it evenly over the noodle. 

Carefully roll the noodle.

Ladle (or as I do, pour and spread) some tomato sauce on the bottom of your baking dish and place each rolled up noodle in the dish seam side down.

Spread more tomato sauce on top of the lasagnas rolls, add a little hot sauce and sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the cheese melts. 

Take your serving plate and place some sauce in the center. Decorate with hot sauce. Top with two lasagna rolls.

Spontaneous Moment #54: 60 Facts for a 60th Birthday

My father turned 60 this year and I wanted to do a little something special to celebrate. Since I don't live near him, I wanted to send him something a little special and different.

I spent a few months researching facts about things that happened in the year my dad was born: 1955. From companies that were established in 1955 to inventions to favorite TV shows or how much something cost. I put together 60 facts about 1955 for my dad's 60th birthday. 

I wanted my dad to open the box with a poem about his gift:

60 years you've been alive

Since you were born in '55.

Let's see what happened in the year

That Michael arrived here.

The world was changing quick and fast

and Dad, you would see it pass.

New inventions; all things change!At times it must have seemed so strange.

So back we'll go- let's tae a dive

And see what was in 1955!

I wrote out facts on little tags and tied them with string. I numbered each tag so that he could read everything in order. I had gathered 20 gifts for him to physically keep or use. The other tags were separated. If I had a cluster of tags (ex: fact 20-24) I would put them on a piece of paper together.

Some of facts I wrote out.

I started every tag with "In 1955..."

A better look at how I wrote everything.

What the group of tags looked like. Below you'll see tags 46-49.

I wrapped all the presents in green and used the same string that was used on the fact tags. As you can read some of the tags below, I got corresponding gifts. Del Monte came out with Stewed Tomatoes in 1955. The Banana Boat song was popular in 1955, so I got my dad some Banana Boat sunscreen. Coca-Cola switched from soda bottles to soda cans in 1955, so I got my dad some sodas. MGM & Warner Bros. were established in 1955, so I got my dad a Fandango card. VW came out with the beetle in 1955, so I purchased my dad a mini replica of the exact beetle... and the list goes on and on.

The used the 60th as a sweet letter to my dad. It started with "In 1955, I wasn't even the slightest figment of your imagination..." and then wrote a personal note to my dad.

After putting lots of padding at the bottom of the box, I put all the gifts in.

Then I put padding on top and put all the facts in. I placed them in numerical order.

Last, but certainly not least, I put more padding in and then had it so that the poem was on top for when he first opened the box.

I wrapped the box in brown paper wrapping and then put washi tape around it to look like I wrapped it with a bow. 

My dad was incredibly touched when he opened the package. It was the perfect gift and a sweet personal touch! It was also way more fun to put together than going out and buying something.