Baked Lasagna

And here's the "after" photo of the amazing baked lasagna. And it was amazing! The key ingredient is layer upon layer of ever so thin pasta sheets piled high with a spicy and flavorful sauce. And some very fresh mozzarella to boot.

Lasagna, Unbaked

Lasagna, Unbaked
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Another "before" picture! Today it's lasagna before baking, as I prepare for my upcoming trip to Italy.

Baked Pumpkin Soup in a Pumpkin Shell

This creamy and flavorful baked soup is one of my very favorite recipes to cook in Autumn.

Ingredients
 
1 medium sized pumpkin
5 slices of toasted sourdough bread
1.5 cups grated gruyere cheese
16 oz chicken stock
8 oz heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Using a sharp and sturdy knife, cut out a lid from the pumpkin top and set aside. Scoop out the pumpkin guts and seeds, but leave the walls of the pumpkin thick and intact. Now place the pumpkin in a deep round casserole dish.

Toast the sourdough bread to a golden brown color. Rip the toast into bite-size pieces and place a layer inside the pumpkin. Cover the toast with a layer of the grated gruyere. Repeat the layering until you have used up all the toast and cheese. Sprinkle the mixture with the salt and pepper. Now pour in the heavy cream, followed by the chicken stock. Place the lid back on the pumpkin.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, then remove the lid from the pumpkin and bake for another 30 minutes or so, until golden brown. Enjoy!