Bolognese Sauce

This is a hearty red sauce and the recipe that I use for everything from spaghetti, to gnocchi, and especially lasagna. The recipe comes from Giada de Laurentiis and I've been making it for years. My sister Karen lived in Italy for 3 years and makes a killer Bolognese as well, which is very similar to this one. I always make a double batch and freeze the leftovers.

1/4 c. olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground pepper
1/4 c. freshly grated romono or parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is very tender, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef, and saute until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large lumps, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, salt & pepper, and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about an hour (the longer you cook it, the better it gets). Stir in the cheese and season to taste.

Baked Cheese Crepes

If you ask my kids (especially Andrew or Harrison) what meal they would like me to make, it is usually cheese crepes. I saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on Food Network's "Everyday Italian" and I thought it looked so unusual that I decided I had to try it. My kids couldn't stop raving about them and for the last 10 years it has been a top favorite at our house.

6 lg. eggs

1/3 c. whole milk

½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

butter

Mix all ingredients (except butter) together. In a sauté pan on medium-high heat, butter the pan and add about ¼ c. of egg mixture. Turn pan to coat and pour out any excess mixture. Cook for about a minute until done on the top, but not too crispy on the bottom. Cook all the crepes.

8 oz. fontina cheese, grated or cut into cubes

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese

basil, cut into strips

1 jar of marinara sauce

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Arrange one crepe on a work surface. Place some of the fontina and mozzarella cheese in the center of the crepe, add some fresh basil and roll up. In a 9X13 baking dish, cover the bottom in some sauce, then add the crepes, seam side down. Top the crepes with the remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese (and whatever other cheese is left). Bake until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. I serve along side some simple pasta, using the extra sauce to top it with.