Recipe Mondays: Pillow Cookies and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Oh my.......I think I have to quit baking soon......I have seen just a little bit too much sugar flying around my kitchen lately. My friend, Jonelle, shared these Pillow Cookies with me, and I decided I just had to bake them and share them with you. I think I also need to start running more and baking less:):)  

I got the recipe from this website:

Bakerella

And here is what they look like from my kitchen:




W-man's hand next to these ginormous cookies



The dough with a cooked brownie in the center.  After the brownie is placed in the center, the next step is to mold the dough all the way around and over top of the brownie.

They got much bigger than I expected.....as you can see I had too many on one cookie tray.  Some of the cookies turned out like squares, rather than circles.

Lovely scrumptious brownie center

My father in law tasting his first ever pillow cookie

Thankfully I was able to share some of these cookies with my in-laws, who came for a visit and also let my husband and I escape for a little date. I am also going to share the cookies today with some friends who are coming for a playdate. Then....if there are any others left......they need to go far away from me :):)  Any takers?

My second recipe to share with you today is my first attempt at making spinach lasagna rolls. I found this while looking for a regular lasagna recipe and I thought I would give it a try. They taste very yummy, but I found the sauce a bit too chunky for my liking. I think next time, I would try to make a smoother sauce. I give this recipe a 3 out of 5 stars. You should try it and let me know what you think!! It is a great meal to divide in half and share with someone else or freeze for another time. Here are is the recipe, followed by some pictures:

Spinach Lasagna Rolls (from Better Homes and Gardens)

ingredients:
1  10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and well drained
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 beaten egg
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 dried lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
Nonstick cooking spray
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green sweet pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1  14-1/2 oz can tomatoes, cut up
1  8-oz can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

directions

1. Coat a 2 quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside

2. For filling, in medium bowl stir together the spinach, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, and nutmeg.  Spread about 1/3 cup of the filling on each noodle.  Roll up, jell-roll style, beginning at a short end.  Place rolls, seam side down, in prepared dish.

3.  Cover with foil.  Bake rolls in a 375 degree oven about 30 min. or until heated through.

4. Meanwhile, for the sauce, coat an unheated 2 quart saucepan with nonstick cooking spray.  Preheat over medium heat.  Add onion, sweet pepper, mushrooms, and garlic.  Cook until vegetables are tender.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomoate sauce, basil, sugar, and ground black pepper.  Bring to boiling, reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until desired consistency.  Serve sauce over lasagna rolls.  Makes 8 main dish servings.

5. Make ahead tip: Assemble the lasagna rolls and prepare the sauce as above.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  To serve, bake the rolls in a 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes and reheat the sauce.

Spreading the spinach filling on the lasagna noodles before rolling them up.

Finished product (before baking)

Have a great week, everyone!