Confectionery Canary

What you'll Need:
Yields about 4-6 servings in a 9x9 pan
- About 10 lasagna sheets broken in half (depends on pan size and number of layers)
- 1 cup cooked ground chicken
- 1/4 onion or 2 Tbs finely diced
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbs parsley
- 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 Tbs tomato paste
- 1/4 cup cream
- Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 365.  Combine tomato sauce, paste, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.  If you have the time, skip the garlic powder and saute some minced garlic and onion with a little olive oil until translucent, then add your tomato sauce etc.  Simmer sauce on low until ready to layer lasagna.  Boil water for noodles.  Brown ground chicken.  Salt boiling pasta water and add in lasagna sheets.  Season cooked chicken with diced onions, salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, leave on heat for a couple more minutes until the onions become translucent.  I don't use nonstick pans, so I get good brown flavor on the bottom of my frying pan from cooking the chicken.  I like to add a couple tablespoons of water to the hot pan to loosen it up and mix that in with the chicken so no flavor gets lost!  Drain pasta sheets at al dente so you can still handle them without them breaking as easily as a fully cooked pasta sheet would.  Remove sauce from heat and add 1/4 cup cream to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and make it richer.  You can also add a little less cream and about a tablespoon of pasta water to make your sauce even smoother if you'd like.  Mix ricotta with egg, a bit of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the parsley.  Now it's time to layer!  I like to start with a little sauce in the bottom of my greased pan, then put down my first layer of lasagna sheets, followed by 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, a handful of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the cooked chicken, a ladle of sauce, then repeat until you get to the top layer.  I add a final layer of lasagna sheets, a ladle of sauce and tons of mozzarella to the top.  Then place into oven for about 35-45 minutes until it gets golden brown and bubbly.  We like this meal with garlic bread and a salad.

If you're looking for the perfect Memorial Day treat, look no further!  These turnovers are super fast and easy depending on what type of filling you decide to use.  I made a strawberry filling for mine but you can use the cooking directions for any fruit filling, just use the kind of fruit you like and cook until it reaches the consistency you prefer.  Let's get started!

What You'll Need:
- Puffed pastry dough (each sheet typically makes 4 turnovers)
- 16 oz of clean chopped strawberries (or other fruit)
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 egg & 1 tablespoon water

Directions:
You can make your own puffed pastry dough but it can be pretty tricky with humidity variations and all. I picked up a box of Pepperidge Farm Puffed Pasty sheets from the refrigerated isle near pie crusts.  Let the sheets thaw for 40 minutes to an hour then unfold them.  While you're waiting for the pastry sheets to thaw, take a small pan and mix your strawberries, water, sugar, and cornstarch.  Let it cook on medium low for about an hour (if you like chunky fruit filling, cook about 20-30 minutes.) Stir frequently because the fruit tends to scorch very easily.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Once your filling is ready, unfold your pastry sheets on a floured surface and roll them out slightly with a rolling pin, cut into four squares. Put a tablespoon or two of filling into the center of each square. Make sure none of the filling touches the edges or else your turnover won't seal. Beat together the egg and water, brush around the edges, then fold into a triangle. Mash the folded edges with a floured fork. Brush egg wash on top of turnovers and make a small slit in the top for steam to escape through.  Place on a greased baking pan and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Top with a dusting of confectioner's sugar or a simple glaze made with confectioner's sugar and a little cold milk.

One of our favorite pizza restaurants serves a Buffalo Chicken pizza so I decided to try to make my own version at home.  My hubby and I eat lots of spicy food so we have a pretty high tolerance for heat, but this was a bit nuclear, tasty nonetheless though! I'll include some tips on how to cool it down. If you enjoy spicy food, this is for you!