Innovation or Laziness?

For all the pastas and pizzas that I've made, I've never made the Lasagna.
Some nagging fear factor has kept me from trying it this long. Yesterday, I finally took the plunge. I thought I'd start small, something mini, courtesy the Internet.

Lasagna Cupcakes

Lasagna Cupcakes

Things you need:

Olive oil
Onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs
Chicken - boiled and shredded
Loads and loads of cheese - I used cheddar, mozzarella and sliced cheese
Samosa leaves
Muffin tray

Marinara Sauce, the lazy way:

1. Sweat some chopped onions and a handful of garlic in lots of olive oil. Weight-watchers needn't be as generous with the oil. Time-watchers can speed up the sauteing process by added a pinch of salt to the onions.
2. Next up, your herbs. My regular additive is oregano. Since rosemary is my new-found love, I added it too.
3. Squish some tomatoes and toss 'em in the pan. Well, I couldn't bother with the mess, so I just substituted it with tomato paste and Maggi pizza sauce (Maggi pizza sauce tends to overpower the rosemary and all the other subtle flavors).
4. Finally, chuck in the shredded chicken. Viola! Lazy Marinara sauce is ready.

Bechamel, rich and creamy:
I made no compromise making a panful of cheesy Bechamel sauce. Sorry weight-watchers. I already cut a lot of corners, couldn't cut back on the cheese.

Assembling the Lasagna:

1. Line your muffin tins with samosa squares. The original recipe for lasagna cupcakes replaced lasagna sheets with wanton wraps. I innovated the innovation one notch further and  used samosa leaves. Big mistake - they are too thin, I should've placed a couple of sheets for each layer. The flavor's ok though.
2. Pour some of the lazy marinara sauce over the samosa squares.
3. Next spoon some bechamel, and tear up some sliced cheese over it. 
4. Repeat the layers and bake it over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until you are through with an episode of Two and a Half Men.

PS: If you don't oil your muffin tins, you will end up eating it straight off the tray. Luckily for me, I also baked a batch in my silicone muffin tray.

You don't need a silver fork to eat good food.  ~ Paul Prudhomme

Why do people ask for recipes?

I keep hearing ladies asking for recipes of melt-in-the-mouth kebabs and delectable desserts. So why do they do that? That too when you can easily get recipes online or more traditionally, from cookbooks?

 Kladdkaka - A simple Swedish Gooey chocolate cake

Well, here’s what I think.

People are hesitant to go online and sift through hundreds of recipes for a simple Chocolate cake. It's too much of a pain to find a good recipe.  Here, good means eye-catching or easy-to-make. 

• You have to judge the recipe based on the techniques applied. Of course, your ability to execute those techniques is just as important. 
• You must have all the ingredients listed in the recipe ready at hand. Better yet, you already have them at home!

The other reason why people ask for recipes? 

Imagine this. You are at a dinner party and you've just had this mouthwatering lasagna. So you would love to get that recipe 'coz:

• Someone's tried it, and it's obviously turned out well.
• You've already taste-tested it and really liked it.

Kladdkaka - not much of a looker, but it sure tastes yum! 

I got this recipe from a Facebook friend who got it from her friend's blog. I tried it out 'coz I was in the mood to bake. More importantly, it was simple and I had all the ingredients with me. I posted this pic on Facebook, and it caught on like wild fire.

A few days later, I made another batch for my nephew as an incentive for him to fast. Well, he was very motivated - come sundown and he downed the whole thing.

 

PS: What got me thinking about all this? I was thinking about Seena's sinfully delightful cupcakes, not to mention they were cute and quaint. Had 'em about 2 years ago, and those were the best cupcakes I've ever had! Would really love to try it out myself :)