Not becoming a food blog, but I was asked to share Mini-lasagnes.

Preheat oven to 375F

I first cook the Italian sausage, breaking it up in the pan and getting it nice and brown. Once it is cooked, drain on several layers of paper towels. Feel free to use more than 1 lb of meat, I find that one pound gives nice flavor without being overpowering. I have used ground round, bison, turkey sausage, use what is your favorite.

While your meat is draining, assemble the ricotta cheese filling for your lasagnes. I use whole milk ricotta, part-skim works also, this recipe is very forgiving. If you have fresh basil or parsley, mince it finely to use in the filling. Don’t make a special trip out for fresh herbs.

Place the ricotta cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl. I don’t measure the spices. So to taste, add salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, some Italian herbs (I like the little grinders), and freshly grated nutmeg. Not too much nutmeg, you just want a hint to compliment the cheeses. Then I get out one of my favorite kitchen tools, the blender stick. Makes short work of making a smooth, creamy filling for your lasagnes.

Mix your cooked and drained meat with your choice of sauce. I use Mezzetta’s or something similar, yes, it is more expensive, but look at the ingredients – no sugar. Reducing carbohydrates is a necessary way of life for me, so I have an eagle eye out for added sugars.

 Grab two or three muffin tins, I prepare and bake one tray at a time, but it is nice to have the others on top of the counter waiting. Spray one muffin tin generously with cooking release spray, I love the Pam Coconut oil spray. Open a package of wonton wrappers, carb friendly little lifesavers is what they are, so easy to work with in recipes.

As you can see in the picture above, place one wrapper in each muffin cup to form your first layer. The ricotta filling goes in next. I use a number #60 scoop, two teaspoons, a generous scoop. Using a measured scoop makes this step go very quickly and neatly.

As you can see the order is: won ton wrapper, ricotta filling, sauce, shredded cheese, second won ton wrapper, ricotta filling, sauce, and cheese. The first tray is ready to go into the oven at 375 for about 18 minutes. Every oven is different, check them at 15 minutes, they could go as long as 20 minutes. When they are all melty and crispy brown on top, they are done. Trust me, you will know, you will open the oven door and be so delighted with the vision.

Allow this first tray of mini-lasagnes to cool on a rack while  you assemble the next tray. They are piping hot and will set up a bit as they cool. I use a flexible spatula to remove them from the muffin tins, but only after they have cooled a bit.I get about 36 mini-lasagnes from the above ingredients. I usually have some left over sauce and shredded cheese, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. Serve the leftover sauce with the mini-lasagnes, or freeze it for another use. You will most likely have leftover won ton wrappers also, wrapped tightly, they freeze beautifully – but, I do have something fun you can do with the leftover won ton wrappers!

Bake off the rest of your trays and allow to cool before removing from the muffin tins. I usually remove them and allow them to cool a bit more before tucking them in the refrigerator. To freeze them, I wrap each mini-lasagne individually and place in a large airtight container and place the container in the freezer. Wrapped individually they are easy to pull a couple for lunch or dinner. Defrosted in the refrigerator, they take about a minute in the microwave – every microwave is different.

I promised something fun with the leftover won ton wrappers, little mini apple pies. Brushed with melted butter and cinnamon sugar, it is an apple pie that I can have and not fret about the excessive carbs.

Preheat oven to 375.

Line a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Put down a single layer of won ton wrappers. Place a single, generous scoop of apple pie filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. I make my own filling. No recipe – a couple of older apples sliced in a saute pan, a bit of butter, your favorite apple pie spices, and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Cook the apples down until soft and mash them up a bit.

Take a pastry brush dipped in water and brush the edges of the wonton wrapper with water, place a second wrapper as “lid” over your apple filled first layer. Press down on the edges of the wonton wrappers so they stick together. Brush with melted butter.

Bake at 375 for 10 – 12 minutes, they will get browned and smell delightful. Take them out of the oven and brush again with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. They are pretty hot, so let them cool for a minute or two before you try one. We usually end up standing in the kitchen eating them right off the tray. If you have any left, cool on a rack, although they are best fresh baked, they aren’t bad a couple of hours later either.

The kitchen is where I feel most connected to my family, I am used to the ghosts that haunt my kitchen, they hang around and laugh with me, sometimes at me. I never know whether to be dismayed or impressed by the mess I can make in one small kitchen. Even a mess, it is my comfort zone, a place of warmth and memories.  May your kitchen be a place of warmth and good memories also.

Love, Terri