Won Ton what?

Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that making lasagna with won tons would be fun.  Maybe it was the fact that I had a package of won ton wrappers in the refrigerator that I needed to use.  Maybe I really thought it would be fun.  Either way, I finally did it! 

David gave me "permission" to make a veggie lasagna and I decided to use the won tons.  I just lined the pan with won tons and did layers of veggies, spaghetti sauce, and cheese mixture the repeated.  It wasn't a complete loss but not a complete winner either.  Honestly, I think the thing that we all disliked the most was the wontons.  They just lent a funny flavor to the lasagna. 

Oddly enough, the veggies weren't the problem.  David actually took this to work for lunch on several days.  I'm assuming he actually ate it.  ;-)  Unfortunately, he caught a few of the thicker slices of eggplant.  I decided to slice the eggplant thinly and roast it but I caught a few slices more thickly than I would have liked.  I guess I could have pulled out my mandolin but I didn't.  I will definitely be doing veggie lasagna again (though I KNOW that David still wants the real lasagna more!  Gotta cook for myself some, right?!)...just not with wontons. 

Wonton Veggie Lasagna
wontons
1 eggplant, sliced paperthin and roasted
2 small yellow squash, cubed and roasted
2 small zucchini, cubed and roasted
1 onion, sliced and roasted
spaghetti sauce
2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
parsley
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare vegetables.  Mix the squash, zucchini, and onions together but keep the eggplant separate.  Meanwhile, mix cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt, parsley together in a bowl.  Spread about 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan.  Line with wonton wrappers.  Top this with a layer of the eggplant followed by the squash mixture.  Layer with spaghetti sauce. Then top with cheese mixture and mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layers ending with mozzarella cheese.  Place pan in oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Enjoy!

Baby, Baby, How was I Supposed to Know...

On Tuesday I started my new rotation in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Now, this is somewhat...okay, TOTALLY uncharted territory for me. I did not do a NICU rotation my fourth year in medical school and it just kind of scares me. Most of these babies are teeny tiny. All of mine are less than four pounds (most less than three) and turning them over to listen to their hearts the first day was a bit nerve wracking...I'm a pro now. Now, I'm on call tomorrow and have no upper level to help me as there are three interns this month to two upper levels. Yes, I am the chosen one to be on call alone. Apparently, this won't really change much because there are nurse practitioners on with us, but it still makes me nervous. I guess that's all the more chance for me to learn quickly. There is SO much that I just don't know.....but one thing I do know is that browned butter makes just about everything better. I've found that using browned butter allows you to use LESS butter. I guess the flavor is just so rich, that you don't need as much to give the flavor. So, several months ago I decided to make a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies using browned butter. I must say that they were a success. I took these to a college Sunday School gathering and several of the other teachers requested the cookies just for them! The texture of these was just perfect....crispy on the outside and soft, almost chewy on the inside. I'm definitely going to try this technique again for some other "traditional" cookies...wonder what a browned butter snickerdoodle would be like? Would it change the taste too much? Hmmm...might just have to try that out! In the mean time, enjoy these! Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 cup chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the butter until melted and browned (about 3-4 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. When cooled, cream together the browned butter and sugars. This will be thinner than the typical creamed mixture. Add egg and buttermilk and mix until combined. Stir together flour, soda, and bran. Mix into the butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks. Place the dough on baking stone or sheet in tablespoon sized balls. Place stone in oven and cook for 8-9 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove from stone and cool on cooling rack until ready to enjoy!

New Beginnings

I have officially written my first order (and many more) and signed it with an M.D. behind it...that means my order is official, no one has to sign behind me. My first day on the job was Wednesday and I had the privilege of being the intern on call that night...meaning that I got to work at 7:30 and left at 1:30 the next day, all with 1.5 hours of non-consecutive sleep and dinner at 1:30 am! It sounds horrible but I guess it's not that bad. I'm doing what I love (really!) and I guess your adrenaline gets going and you're able to do it. By 1:30 I wasn't even really hungry but I had already ALMOST made a mistake in an order and knew my brain and body needed fuel. After that 30 hours on you just come home take a nap, wake up do about one thing productive, eat, and go back to sleep! Today I took another nap and feel great...I do it all again on Sunday!

Just as I did when a medical student, I will be trying to take on-call snacks...so be on the look out. AND if you have any ideas for a good treat for young docs up all night, let me know...I'll pick some to try and then post about them here! In honor of my new step in life, I decided to let you in on a new peanut butter cookie recipe that I came up with. It ended up having a kind of sandy (as in pecan sandy) texture...which I like. The cinnamon chips add a different dimension and the peanut butter chips heighten the peanut butter flavor. I don't really think that chocolate chips taste quite right in these (it's just not the same) but if you can't find cinnamon chips (Hersey's makes them) then either increase the peanut butter chips or add you choice of chips. Cinnamon Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
1 stick butter/margarine
1 cup PB
½ cup turbinado sugar (this gives it a little crunch and texture...SO good!)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (I used the King Arthur white whole wheat...a little less grainy in cookies OR use whole wheat pastry flour)
½ cup AP flour (or cake flour…I used White Lily)
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup cinnamon chips
½ cup peanut butter chips

Preheat over to 350. Cream butter and peanut butter together. When light, add sugars. Mix. When well incorporated, add egg. When this is well mixed add the dry ingredients. Mix. Stir in chips. Place on baking stones or sheet in tablespoon sized scoops. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until done. After removing from oven, "tap" slightly with the back of a spoon or cookie scoop to SLIGHTLY flatten.