Skillet Lasagna -- a one-pan dinner from Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Who doesn’t love lasagna? I admit, though, to not loving all the steps, putting together this and that, and layering it all together. No-boil noodles have made the dish a lot easier – no more cooking the pasta, then handling the hot, cooked noodles. This skillet version solves all those problems, with only one dish to clean! 

I found the inspiration recipe in Country Living – I’ve had a subscription for decades. We did make a few changes, mostly to clarify the ingredients. The lack of mention of no-boil noodles, or of boiling them in advance, made me wonder if the boil-first version had disappeared from grocery shelves. Turns out they are still available, but I guessed right and chose the no-boil version. The noodles aren’t as easy to break as I expected; put them in a plastic bag so pieces don’t fly around your kitchen when you snap them! The original also called for sausage in casings, then removing the casings; just buy bulk sausage! And chicken stock? Some cooks and recipes treat it as a neutral flavor, but I don’t see the point in using it with sausage; vegetable stock worked beautifully. 

You’ll notice that the recipe doesn’t call for salt and pepper, or the traditional Italian herbs. You’ll get some of that in your sausage, and possibly in your marinara. My advice: taste and add herbs or seasoning if your tongue tells you to!

I was worried about moving a hot, heavy cast-iron pan into a hot oven, but a 12" skillet has high sides, and won’t be so full that spills become a risk. I tucked a rimmed baking sheet on a lower rack, just in case, but there was no spillage. 

Serve with a green salad, crusty bread, and a glass of red wine. Buon appetivo! 

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing. 

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Skillet Lasagna 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound sweet Italian sausage 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups marinara sauce

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes 

8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles, broken into large pieces (see note above) 

Italian herbs, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper (optional) 

2/3 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish

1/3 cup ricotta

4 ounces mozzarella, grated (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoon grated Parmesan

Place an oven rack in the top position and heat oven to 450 degrees. 

Using a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up with your spatula, until the pieces begin to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add stock, marinara, and tomatoes. 

Tuck the lasagna noodles into the mixture. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 4 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Taste and add herbs or salt and pepper, if needed. 

Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Top with the ricotta, spreading it lightly with the back of your spoon, then sprinkle on the mozzarella and Parmesan. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown, again about 6 to 8 minutes. 

Remove from oven and allow to sit on the stove top a few minutes. 

Serve with a large spoon or spatula and top, if you’d like, with additional fresh basil. 

Serves 6-8. Refrigerate leftovers covered; they reheat nicely. 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .  

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills. 

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket. 

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf. 

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook 

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.  

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine. 

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

Queso Blanco Easter Egg Appetizer #Easter #recipe from Kim Davis

 

KIM DAVIS: Easter is a time for families to gather today, and having young children around makes the day even more special. When my granddaughters were young, I acquired quite the collection of cookie cutters, including mini ones to use on fondant to decorate both cookies and cakes, and we had a lot of decorating sessions, over the years. I started them young starting with basic sprinkles, then graduating to fondant decorations!

My youngest granddaughter (18 months) always had to have a cookie in one hand to nibble on while working, lol!

Here she is (12 years), decorating Easter cookies with fondant. She often invited friends to join our cookie decorating projects too!

Of course cookies are their favorite base for decorating but I thought it would be fun to take the same principles for decorating cookies with fondant (or just playing around with PlayDoh) and do the same thing with a cheese appetizer for Easter. It would work for any holiday or occasion as well. Starting with melted Velveeta Queso Blanco, silicone molds, and some food coloring, this fun-to-make appetizer couldn't be simpler! 

Queso Blanco Easter Egg Appetizer

 

This is a fun Easter “cooking” project perfect for letting young children take part in! It’s as easy as playing with Play-Doh!

 
Ingredients

1 16- to 32-ounce package Velveeta Queso Blanco, depending on the size of your Easter egg mold(s) and how many you’d like to make*
Pink, green, purple, blue, yellow, and orange gel food coloring, or whatever colors you desire

 
Equipment

Easter egg mold(s)** 
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Food-safe paintbrushes (fine tip and medium tip)
Fondant and/or small cookie cutters (or you can free-form decorations)

 
Instructions

Cut 8 to 12 ounces (or the amount needed for the size of your mold(s)*) of the Velveeta queso blanco into small chunks. Place in a microwave-safe dish and melt in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and repeat in 30-second increments until the cheese is fully melted.

Carefully pour the melted cheese into the egg mold(s) and immediately tap the mold on the counter several times to release air bubbles. Place the filled egg mold(s) in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.

While the cheese eggs are chilling, place 1 ounce of queso blanco per color you plan on using for decorations in small microwave-safe bowls. Working with one bowl at a time, heat for 15 seconds, then stir. If not entirely melted, heat for an additional 5 seconds.

Add 1 drop of the desired gel food coloring to the melted cheese and stir. Add additional food coloring until the desired color is reached.

I totally forgot to take a photo of this step - sorry!

Place the tinted cheese onto parchment paper. Top with another piece of parchment paper and roll over the melted cheese until it becomes a thin layer, about 1/8-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining colors and cheese.

Keeping the cheese layered between the parchment paper, stack on a baking sheet and refrigerate until 20 minutes before ready to decorate, then freeze the tinted cheese for 20 minutes. The cheese should firm up but remain flexible.

Remove the egg mold(s) from the refrigerator. Turn the cheese egg(s) out onto a serving platter and refrigerate until ready to decorate. If the cheese egg doesn’t release easily from the mold, dip the back of the mold in hot water for several seconds, then try again.**

Working with one color at a time, remove the tinted cheese from the freezer and, using small Easter-themed cookie and fondant cutters, cut out decorations. If you prefer, you may also make free-form decorations, working with the tinted, pliable cheese, such as you’d do with Play-Doh. Press the cut-outs onto the cheese eggs. If the cheese softens and becomes difficult to work with, return it to the freezer for a few minutes before proceeding. Repeat with the remaining colors.

If desired, you can use a food-safe fine-tip paintbrush with gel food coloring to add accents to the egg(s) and cut-out decorations.

Refrigerate until ready to serve alongside your favorite crackers.

Notes

*To determine how much cheese you will need, fill the egg mold(s) with water, then pour the water into a measuring cup. For example, I made three cheese eggs which required 13 ounces of melted cheese, plus an extra 6 ounces for the tinted cheese for decorations.

**Egg molds: Silicone molds are preferable for easy release of the formed cheese. If you use a metal mold, liberally grease the cavity with vegetable shortening before filling. After removing the mold from the refrigerator, use a flexible utensil to loosen the sides of the cheese egg(s) before inverting onto a serving platter.

If your silicone mold(s) are flimsy, place a sturdy tray beneath the mold(s) before filling with melted cheese.

Keep chilled until just before serving and refrigerate any leftovers covered with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.

This technique also works well for any holiday molds and celebrations!

 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF of the recipe!💕

Books available at most online retailers

 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Apple

 

Cupcake Catering Mysteries * Essentials of Murder

 

About the Author:

Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. She has also written several children’s nature articles published in a variety of magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

She lives in Southern California with her husband and rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters or chasing Missy around, she can be found either writing on her next book, working on blogs, or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats to share.

Click here to sign up here for Kim’s newsletter: Newsletter

Connect with Kim: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Bluesky, Bookbub, Goodreads, TikTok, and website

 

Readers, do you have a particular Easter dish that you make for the holiday?

Ricotta Pie: An Easter Tradition Made Simple by Ang Pompano

Ang Pompano: Ricotta pie (Torta di Ricotta), one of my favorites, is a traditional Italian dessert often served at Easter to mark the end of Lent. It has a light, cheesecake-like texture and a slightly sweet filling made from ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and a touch of vanilla or citrus zest such as orange or lemon. This version, handed down from my wife’s great-aunt, keeps things simple with an easy graham cracker crust.

Ricotta Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

18 graham crackers (or 3 cups graham cracker crumbs)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 to 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted (use 1 1/2 sticks for a firmer crust)

1/4 cup flour

Ricotta Filling

2 pounds ricotta cheese

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

5 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

Prepare the Graham Cracker Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, melted butter, and flour. Mix until evenly moistened.

Press the mixture firmly into one or two 9-inch pie dishes, covering the bottom and sides evenly.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.

Instructions 

Ricotta Filling

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

In a large bowl, beat the ricotta cheese until smooth.

Add milk, sugar, flour, egg yolks, and vanilla. Beat until fully combined and smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

Assemble and Bake

Pour the filling into the cooled crust(s).

Bake for 1 hour, or until the filling is set but still slightly soft in the center.

Allow to cool before serving.

Ricotta Pie is closely related to another favorite of mine, Ricotta and Rice pie (Pastiera di Riso), which adds cooked rice to the filling, giving it a soft, slightly grainy texture that sets it apart.

Long-time followers of Mystery Lover’s Kitchen may remember when Lucy Burdette shared a version of the rice pie from my wife’s family in 2013. If you’d like that recipe, along with a buttery crust that works beautifully for this ricotta pie as well, you can find it here.

Ang Pompano is a mystery author, editor, publisher and blogger. He writes the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency, and the Reluctant Food Columnist series, both published by Level Best Books. In addition to his writing, Ang is a co-founder of Crime Spell Books and serves as co-editor of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and their two rescue dogs, Dexter and Alfie.

Just Released!

Diet of Death

by Ang Pompano

The first in the Reluctant Food Columnist series.

Buy Link

Betty Ann Green is a beloved culinary icon…who doesn’t exist. She is the brilliant, beautiful illusion created by two unlikely collaborators. Behind the façade is Quincy Lazzaro, a culinarily challenged writer whose witty, sharp prose is the public face of Betty, while those flawless, genius recipes are all thanks to his octogenarian neighbor, Mary Ticarelli.

When the arrogant diet guru, Dr. Alan Tolzer, inventor of the Westport Diet, demands a face-to-face interview, Quincy reluctantly steps in as Betty’s frontman, only for Tolzer to drop dead. The police call it natural causes, but Quincy knows better. He sees it as the investigative break he’s been waiting for.

Now, caught between a crime-solving grandma, a no-nonsense detective girlfriend, and a killer who may be one step ahead, Quincy must unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again.

When It’s Time for Leaving

by Ang Pompano

Buy Link

Al DeLucia walked away from the police—and his past. But when his long-lost father leaves him a detective agency in Savannah, Al finds himself trapped between family secrets and a murder on the agency’s dock. Partnered with Maxine Brophy, a fierce detective who doesn’t trust him, Al is pulled into a deadly search through Savannah and the Okefenokee Swamp—where the truth about the case, and his father, may cost him everything.

Blood Ties and Deadly Lies

by Ang Pompano

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Al DeLucia returns to Sachem Creek expecting a kayak race and a chance to confront his childhood bully, Abe Cromwell. Instead, he finds a dead lawyer, a web of deceit, and Abe claiming they’re brothers by DNA. Reluctantly joined by Maxine Brophy, his formidable partner and girlfriend, Al dives into a murder investigation that exposes land swindles, hidden maps, and buried family secrets. In a town where the past won’t stay buried, Al must face truths that could upend everything.

Snakeberry: Best New England Crime Stories 2025

Edited by

Christine Bagley, Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, and Leslie Wheeler

BUY LINK

Every year the anthology brings welcome surprises and satisfactions, and this year is no different, featuring stories by 21 of New England’s best crime writers.

Includes “Minnie the Air Raid Warden” by Ang Pompano.