Lasagna Cupcakes (Yes I said cupcakes!)

Welcome back lovelies! It's another Tuesday so your blog foodie diva's are back rolling out another recipe for you. What a relaxing weekend it was for Ma and myself. We packed up and headed to the country (about an hour and a half away) to visit with our family. Always on the prowl for new food idea's I tried to get my Unkie Wade to give up his fried potatoes and gravy recipes (thinking a traditional southern breakfast for dinner was in our blog future) but the southern man would not budge an inch. He'll be more than happy to talk to you about anything to do with John Deere but the man is a stone wall on what goes into his amazing breakfast. To sweeten the deal I made him strawberry butter cream brownies for his birthday this past weekend and not even brownies will get this man talking. I think Unkie Wade has a future in espionage. So faithful blog readers I have lost the battle but I refuse to give up the war! I'll get the recipes out of him one day. Unkie Wade will talk. :D.

So now back from the country we are rested and ready to bring you guys a new recipe. This week comes from yours truly. Well, it's not entirely my idea. I was shuffling my feet at looking for a recipe (nothing caught my eye) and then Ma showed me tonight's recipe and it has yours truly written all over it. One word: CUPCAKES! Yep, I Dinah the blog/baking mistress wonder gal love the little fluffy concoctions. Come on, who actually doesn't? Exactly, what I thought. Now, before you think I'm serving you cupcakes that will send you into a diabetic coma, fear not these are on the savory side and have mucho to do with Italian cuisine. Intrigued? Follow me!

Lasagna Cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup marinara sauce
3/4 pound ground beef
12 wonton wrappers
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
3 ounces Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Ricotta cheese
(optional) basil for garnish

Directions

1] Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
2] Brown beef and season with salt and pepper. Drain.
3] Cut wonton wrappers into circle shapes using a biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass. You can cut several at a time.
4] Reserve 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 6 tablespoon mozzarella for the top of you cupcakes. Start layering your lasagna cupcakes. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Top with a little meat sauce and marinara sauce. Use around 1-2 teaspoons of all the ingredients depending on your personal preference.
5] Repeat layers ending with marinara sauce. Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
6] Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each lasagna out.
7] Garnish with basil and serve.









This was beyond a hit! It's amazing, it gives you the taste of lasagna without all the fuss of actually making a big pan full of lasagna. I'd say this is a definite keeper.



Tid Bits:
*These would be good as an appetizer. Hand held, mini, and not too messy so they would work great for a party.

*You can make these a day in advance and place them into the fridge. Bake the next day and then serve.

*If beef isn't something you fancy you could try turkey or chicken.

*With the leftover wonton clippings (from cutting the squares into circles) take them and mix them in a bowl with cinnamon and sugar then bake until golden brown. They turn into a nice treat.



Ma's Spot: I love lasagna but sometimes I don't like all the muss and fuss that comes with making it. This you get the wonderful taste of lasagna without all the work. Very enjoyable and the possibilities with the wontons are endless. I'm going to make them again this coming week but I'm going to make a taco version with sour cream and salsa on top. You could make mini pot pies with them, like I said the possibilities are endless, so I encourage you to use your imagination when it comes to this dish.

*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:



Dinah: Tonight's snack is by Magnum ice cream. We picked up the Double Caramel Bars. This ice cream is a tad on the expensive side but I think the taste is amazing. Maybe amazing enough for the price? Me myself, I don't know if I'd buy this again. The taste was epic but consider these things: You only get 3 bars in the box and it's around $7 a box. Taste VS. quantity. Is it really worth it? I say this, it's something to try at least once and if you have the cash to splurge then this just may be the ice cream to check out.

Ma: The chocolate on the outside of these bars was the smoothest chocolate I have ever tasted. I love the caramel and vanilla especially. These are on the expensive side, I encourage you to try them at least once. For me though, next time I would only buy these if I caught them on sale or had a coupon. It's hard for me to rate ice cream because I think ice cream and popcorn should be their own food groups, ha!


Just a short reminder, send in your own family recipes for us to showcase on the blog and try out for ourselves! Send us your yummy recipes for "Recipe Reach Out" at : tuesdaycookers@yahoo.com!

Alrighty guys, that's all we got for you this week. You know the drill be back here in 7 days to catch up on what's we're making next! Have a great week!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma