I'm Back with Buffalo Chicken Lasagna!!

How do you come back after an unannounced hiatus from blogging? I have no idea, but I figured an explanation with an awesome recipe couldn't hurt.

We got some very unexpected news... that we are pregnant! Very unexpected, but very exciting. :) We are almost 14 weeks along and already anticipating meeting our new, little ones. Wait, ones? Yes, there are 2 peas in this pod, twins! Trust me, it was an overload of unexpected news. But we are very happy and looking forward to the growth of our family. :)

The news was a bit overwhelming at first - the thought of doubling our children was definitely mentally challenging. Not in a bad way, more of like a " Holy moly, what needs to happen now?" way. A lot of brainstorming had left me in no condition to be blogging. Then on top of the mental exhaustion - fatigue and morning sickness set in, in doses far greater than either of our previous pregnancies. Needless to say, I have been relaxing and enjoying the precious time I have to spend with Bubba and Blue before the twins arrive.

So, I am back to the extent that I can be. There may be short breaks here and there, but no more taking months off. I am sorry that I didn't announce my little "vacation", everything was just so unexpected.

One thing I didn't stop, was cooking, so I do have quite a few gems to share! The last recipe I shared was Homemade Ricotta Cheese, over a month ago... Well, of course I had to make something with that wonderful mound of soft cheese. :) Have you ever heard of Buffalo Chicken Lasagna? I found it while scouring the internet for a chicken lasagna. A lot of results came back for Alfredo Chicken Lasagna, but I wanted something even more out-of-this-world.(Sidenote: I am totally following the landing of Curiousity on Mars by NASA and am LOVING it!!) This Buffalo Chicken Lasagna was exactly what I was in search of. :) It is complete with everything you would need for a plate of hot wings; hot sauce, chicken, blue cheese, carrots and celery. It is both delicious and able to satisfy a crazed salt craving. Score!

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna - PRINTABLE RECIPE
adapted from Wingless Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
Ingredients
1.5 lbs ground chicken
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 bottle (12 ounces) buffalo wing sauce - I used Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup water
1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese - I used 1 batch of Homemade Ricotta Cheese instead
1-3/4 cups (7 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, divided
1/2 cup minced Italian flat leaf parsley
1 egg
9 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package
5 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
1. In largish pan, brown chicken - drain and return to pan. Add onion, celery, carrot and cook until tender. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, wing sauce, water, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. While chicken mixture is simmering; combine ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup blue cheese, parsley and egg. Mix thoroughly and keep cool in fridge.
3. Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 baking dish. I started the layering with sauce mix and then followed this order: 3 noodles, ricotta cheese, sauce mix, mozzarella, blue cheese. I repeated this order 2 more times.
4. Cover with foil or lid and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 30 minutes longer or until cheese is starting to bubble and turn golden. (Too bad cheese doesn’t really turn into gold, huh?)
5. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading - I truly have missed you all!!