Menu Monday

Monday*United States Institute of Peace Building Grand Openingwith VABeau and his coworker at the celebration

We were treated to many exotic and tasty hor d'oeuvres, sipped champagne and "peace" martinis, and were treated to a decadent dessert and hot cocoa bar all in a gorgeous new building on the National Mall.

On top of that, I got to get dressed up and spend an evening out with this handsome guy.
I was in HEAVEN!

Tuesday

*Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna

*Caesar Salad

Love, love, love this lasagna recipe (see below). After making it for the first time over a year ago, regular old lasagna doesn't fly in our house anymore. It's so flavorful with the perfect portions of ingredients. This time, in an effort to eat healthier meats, I substituted turkey sausage for the pork sausage and it was still delicious!

Wednesday

*Lasagna

*Salad

Love, love, love easy and painless leftovers too!

Thursday

*Dogwood Tavern

This local bar is quickly becoming our go to happy hour spot with their cheap beer, good bar food, and neighborhood bar feel. I had the crab cake sandwich and VABeau had the catfish sandwich which both came with yummy tater tots. It was the perfect rainy day meal!

Friday*Spinach Salad with Fried Egg, Bacon, and Mushrooms

*Toasted Baguette

This salad was so popular the last time I made it, it's already in the meal plan rotation. It's on its way to becoming a regular in our house!

Saturday*Peking Gourmet

Our friends, Neil and Elise, have raved about this popular Chinese restaurant for awhile so we met them there Saturday night. Unfortunately we waited awhile for our table even though we had a reservation. But as I looked at the walls covered in photos of former presidents, senators, and celebrities, I knew the wait would be well worth it. It definitely was! We all decided to split their specialty, the Peking duck. I also had egg drop soup and we all shared several appetizers. The duck was out of this world. It was perfectly prepared, perfectly carved, and was just plain perfect and delicious. It was the perfect meal for a group and we ended up having a blast. The service was incredibly and they also had great cocktails. The boys even decided to split a huge tropical drink that took up half the table.It was pretty hilarious and impressive when it arrived with the liquor on fire.
I highly recommend trying Peking Gourmet out if you're ever in Northern Virginia. It takes Chinese food to a whole other level!

Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 8-ounce packages sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning blend
• 1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 4 2/3 cups marinara sauce (from two 26-ounce jars)
• 1 9-ounce package no-cook lasagna noodles
• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 2 8-ounce bags Italian blend grated cheese (4 cups)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and seasoning blend. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add sausage and sauté until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add wine and cook until almost all liquid evaporates, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Set aside. Spread 2/3 cup marinara sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Place noodles (about 4) over sauce, forming 1 layer (noodles may overlap slightly). Spread 1 cup sauce over noodles. Top with 1/3 of ricotta, then 1 cup grated cheese. Spoon 1/3 of sausage mixture over. Repeat 2 more times with noodles, sauce, ricotta, grated cheese, and sausage mixture. Cover with 4 more noodles. Spoon remaining 1 cup sauce over; sprinkle remaining 1 cup grated cheese over. Cover with foil, tenting in center to prevent cheese from touching foil. Bake lasagna 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake until bubbling at edges and cheese is browned, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes.