White Chicken Spinach Lasagna and a week full of joy~

First things first….I gotta share this recipe with you…..it was out of this world~

White Chicken Spinach Lasagna

lasagna noodles
1/4 c. butter (which was really hard for me to use….but recipe called for 1/2 cup so i felt a little better narrowing it down…that’s why i allowed myself 2 pieces)
1/2 onion, minced
1 carton of bella mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced (i used Gourmet Gardens)
basil and oregano (once again i used the toothpaste tubes of Gourmet Gardens…i seriously use these in everything)
1/2 c. flour
salt and pepper
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. nonfat milk
4 c. mozzarella cheese, divided ~i don’t measure…..
1 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 carton part-skim ricotta cheese
3 cooked and shredded chicken breast (i steam mine)
1 small box frozen spinach, thawed and drained; liquid squeezed out

Directions

Cook Lasagna noodle according to box and while cooking….Melt butter in a large saucepot. Add onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper, basil, oregano, and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add flour. Cook flour mixture 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and milk. Bring to a full boil; cook and stir 1 minute. Turn off heat and add 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.

in another bowl, add chicken, spinach and ricotta and mix together

Lightly spray a 9×13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle some cheese sauce onto the bottom to thinly cover. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Layer with more cheese sauce, the chicken, spinach, ricotta. Add another layer of pasta. Top with cheese sauce, and 1 c. mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of pasta. Top with cheese sauce, and chicken, spinach and ricotta mixture… Top with remaining 1 c. mozzarella cheese and 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese. Add final layer of lasagna. Top with remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook until bubbly. If cheese doesn’t brown on top, turn on the broiler for the last couple minutes. Allow lasagna to sit about 15 minutes before serving for easier slicing. It was Fabulous!

I’m finally enjoying some time back in my kitchen…..i’ve missed it soooo much…and i’m sure my family has too! This week was filled with many things…..

Still working on TONS of orders…..it seems like a never ending cycle right now….and as soon as we mail out, we’ve got more coming in….can’t complain…business is the strongest it’s ever been

and just think…these are only MY orders…not Mom’s…and you should see the ones down by my garage door ready for pickup….AMAZING….you are all so supportive! We had another exciting announcement…..We are bringing back Art Moms and Friends Holiday Boutique !!!!

Date have yet to be announced but we are shooting for opening black friday again and running the following 2 weekends….last year we ran three weekends but this year is different…we had more exciting news…..see this little girl right here….

For the first time, she auditioned for the play Peter Pan at the Washington Pavillion. We showed up on the first of 2 nights of audition…2 hours in…we were given the number 92…wow! 92 kids already and it’s only 2 hours into an 8 hour audition….we read our lines and then sat and waited for our number to be called….my anxiety was at an all time high….as our number was called, i watched her walk up on stage in front of 3 judges (american idol style) and audition….

that is when i had another parenting “a-ha” moment….for the first time in my life, i realized “she is not me” …i could never have done what she did with such bravery, emotion, excitement, joy….i would have gotten up on stage, froze and cowardly ran away….not her….she was in her glory…..and guess what? We got a phone call wednesday night and she was cast as Nana the Dog…..words can’t even express how proud of her we are…she’s amazing!

In between sitting at my paint desk and working on orders, I’ve been also getting our family room back into shape…i used our family room for over a year as my paint room…and even tho i loved having my own paint room, my family desperately missed our most used gathering place….so i moved my paint area back down to our front living room and created quite the project for myself during this busy time…but if i could spend every day redecorating my house….i would be in heaven….enjoy a few pictures of our new family room….

this was the first part to go up….my computer desk…..i would be lost without her…and even tho she is normally right along side my paint desk, she fits perfectly here…so i’ll either use the laptop while i’m working or drop major hints for an ipad (hint hint honey!)

i finished my collage wall art over the couch

got my new curtains hung

laid down my new rug…swoon

displayed some of noodles artwork above the bookshelf

invested in some new pens for my work station…i swear…i need a missing pen department….we lose them more than socks…love this little elephant…found him at a thrift store years ago…..and will never part with him

and found a new home for one of my favorite pieces…my dragon mommy reading a book to her dragon baby incense burner…love her…..i’ll immerse myself in sandlewood or patchouli everyday as i work~

Last night my husband came home with a replay of his daddy daughter date

except this time, i tagged along…we went to huhot (gracie’s choice to celebrate her casting in peter pan…plus friday night is shrimp night…her favorite thing)