Gift Scrap Blog

For me, Sunday is a day of football, beer and friends.

My NY Giants killed it yesterday and not only was it an awesome game to watch, my friends and I enjoyed the game while eating a -

SWEET POTATO, CARMELIZED ONION & BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA.

Some of you may be a little worried about such a combination, but can I just tell you how amazing it was? Well, it was amazing.

It takes a bit of time to create this architectual masterpiece, but I highly recommend you make it.  I also suggest you make it the day before – this way you can enjoy the game and your company.

Ingredients:
1 pound lasagna noodles
Extra olive oil for coating the pasta, brushing the potatoes, and greasing the dish
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium Spanish or other sweet onions, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings
1 teaspoon sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mixed grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses
1/2 pound butternut squash, cooked and mashed
1 pound mozzarella cheese, preferably fresh, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
1.Cook the pasta until al dente, drain, and coat with enough oil to keep the noodles from sticking. Set aside.

2.Preheat the oven to 475°F.

3.Spread the sweet potatoes in one layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle a little oil (about 1/4 teaspoon) over the potatoes and turn to coat both sides. Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked and lightly golden. Remove and set aside. Reduce the oven heat to 375°F.

4.Melt the butter along with the 2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Stir in the onions and sugar and sauté over medium heat for 20 minutes, until soft and beginning to turn golden. Set aside.

5.Place the egg, basil, oregano, garlic, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the ricotta and grated cheeses and whisk to smooth. Add the squash and mix to blend well. Set aside.

6.To assemble the lasagna, lightly oil a 13 by 9-inch deep baking pan. Line the bottom with a layer of noodles. Spread some of the cheese and squash mixture over the noodles. Add a layer of sweet potatoes, then a layer of the onions. Top with a layer of mozzarella and sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Continue until all the ingredients are used and the top is a layer of onions lightly covered with mozzarella.

7. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until bubbly and golden across the top. Remove and cool for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Note: To take the dish in a more savory direction, you can substitute other potatoes, such as russets or Yukon Golds, roasted in the same way.  I actually combined sweet and russets together and it was great.

Now, here’s even the best part.  Is it too cold for you to walk to the supermarket? Why leave when with one click, you can get all the ingredients delivered to your house from FreshDirect? (and no, I don’t work for them, I just think it’s awesome) http://www.freshdirect.com/recipe.jsp?recipeId=rec_wk_swtpto_on_sqush&trk=srch

I just had coffee with one of my friends who like many of us, always has a story about a guy.  The latest is definitely blog worthy and I thought it might be true for a lot of people.

You had a great relationship with someone and then sadly, it ended.  No more late night talks, cute dinner dates, or even drunken debacles.

A few months go by, and then all of a sudden you see him at a friend’s St. Paddy’s Day party.  As the shamrocks on your cheeks both glisten, you begin to reconnect over a Guinness.  It’s the luck of the Irish you think, and you begin your romance once again.

April. May. June. July. Yep – then, it’s over yet again.  You still remain friends but romance is certainly not in the cards any longer.

Over the next year, you go on dates with new men, but don’t meet anyone special.  For some reason, your ex is always in the back of your mind and you only remember the good times (because let’s face it, we never remember the bad times).

Then, this past weekend you go snowboarding a few states away.  Midway through your drive to the mountain, you realize you forget to pack your snow gear! Ugh, how annoying.  Now you realize you can buy $400 worth of new stuff, or take the more economical route, and rent some.

You go to the ski shop that you’ve never been to before and rent your wardrobe for the weekend.  After a couple days of snowboarding and drinking, you’re trip is over and it’s now time to return your rented gear.

Standing in line, you hear a familiar laugh.  You turn around – and who is it? Yep, it’s your ex.  It has to be fate you think – bumping into him at a random mountain rental ski shop doesn’t just happen, right?

I usually give a few possible outcomes, but this time I decided to just give one.  Tough Love I’m going to call this one.

It’s not fate, you’re just bored. You haven’t had any luck recently with men and running into your ex may seem like fate, but there is a reason why he’s your “ex.”  If it didn’t work the first two times, I can pretty much guarantee it’s not going to work again.

Don’t fall into the “it’s fate” trap.  Stop thinking about “what might happen,” and instead get a hobby and meet someone new!

Thoughts?

It’s NYC. It’s winter. It’s cold.

So, when I received my first “circle scarf” for Christmas from my cousin I was very excited.

I broke it out for the first time today and to my delight I do not feel too strangled and I am remarkably warm. Especially from the neck up.

Besides scrapbooking, I have been known to crochet a few things in my day. I am actually excellent at normal scarves, and now have dedicated my weekend to conquer the circle scarf.

I was thinking it would be fun to give away my first circle scarf to one of my lucky readers. The only catch is you will have to take a picture with it on and I’ll post it.

So who wants the chance to win a beautiful, FREE, hand made by Kim, circle scarf? Comment here or email me at info@giftscrap.com. It can be worn by anyone – so guys – feel free to enter too. I promise I won’t make it too girly.

Good luck and keep warm!