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All the classics without the effort.
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Aly Walansky
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With the holiday season officially in full swing, now is the time to perfect your decor game! Who better to turn to in your time of need than Target? Thanksgiving is coming in fast — luckily we’re prepared with these elegant tumblers and adorable vegetable-themed cheese knife accessories — and Christmas is not far behind.
Target consistently has amazing holiday decor that fits your style and budget. And now that Christmas is rolling around, Target has new Christmas glasses that will have you stocking up for your next party.
When it comes to holiday decor, we want something that’s going to light up the room without totally breaking the bank. Since most of these items only make an appearance for a small fraction of the year, we want them to make a statement. No one seems to understand that concept better than our old pal, Target. They’re like a best friend we can always rely on.
Their latest Christmas tumblers are adorable and will easily fit any holiday scene. Each 13.8-ounce glass displays its own unique holiday design including a decked-out Christmas tree with tons of presents, a beautiful array of red cranberries with green leaves, and a simple “Joy” written in gold. Each glass has a gold rim for that extra fancy touch and would be the ultimate fit for your next round of winter cocktails.
But we haven’t even gotten to the best part… the price! For only $3 each, you can grab every one of these glasses without spending a fortune. When you compare them to similar glasses at Crate & Barrel for around $13 each, you can understand how much of a steal this really is. Now every person at your next Christmas get-together can feel ornate and festive.
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Melany Love
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One of the many reasons the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year is because of the abundance of seasonal treats, beverages, and products from all of our favorite retailers and coffee chains. Starbucks has a reputation for delicious handcrafted seasonal drinks, Trader Joe’s is known for its festive seasonal food items, and Target is the go-to destination for holiday home decor. What you might not have known, however, is that Target also pulls out all the stops when it comes to tasty holiday treats, and most recently the retailer whipped out its annual batch of holiday whipped creams.
There is no better way to jazz up any sweet treat than by adding a little whipped cream, and this year Target’s holiday whipped cream flavors are on point. Newly added to Target’s shelves are Peppermint, Gingerbread, Salted Caramel, and Hot Cocoa flavored whipped creams, and seeing as they are priced at only $3.69 each, it’s tempting to run to the nearest Target and scoop up all four.
Just imagine the endless possibilities: a little dollop on hot chocolate or a latte, a swirl on a piece of pie, a sweet treat on the side of some freshly cut fruit. Merely thinking about hot cocoa whipped cream paired with strawberries is enough to make me reach for my car keys.
Once you stock up on Target’s new seasonal whipped creams, you’ll be itching to give them a try. Consider whipping up (see what we did there?) a stack of fluffy chocolate chip pancakes and add a whipped cream topping, or make a chocolate olive oil cake and put a dollop on the side. Alternatively, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy it straight out of the can — because with flavors like these, the whipped cream is a treat all on its own. Just make sure you don’t wait too long to head to Target, because once they are sold out these whipped cream flavors are gone for the season.
Buy: Favorite Day Holiday Peppermint Whipped Dairy Topping, $3.49
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Nina Derwin
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Trader Joe’s has been a haven for exciting new snacks and products for as long as the store has been around, and this year is no different. While we’re still drooling over the fact that Jingle Jangle has made its way back into our lives for the season, we’re also turning our attention to other treats — you know, like their sweet and salty Butter Toffee Pretzels. If you’ve never had ‘em, don’t worry: I’ll give you the rundown on this crunchy snack.
These pretzels will be your new favorite midnight snack, or daytime snack, or just all-the-time snack. Each bag is full of a concoction you didn’t know you needed until right now: butter, toffee, and pretzels. The parts are simple, but the sum sounds incredible.
Each twisted pretzel is covered in its own array of butter toffee for the ultimate mix of sweet, salty, and crunchy. For only $3.49 per 10-ounce bag, that’s not a bad deal at all. And with Trader Joe’s stellar snack track record, it can be hard to ignore the probable deliciousness.
To start off, the brown and blue diamond-studded bag is super simple and cute. For those of you who don’t mind keeping your snacks in the package, it won’t ruin your household aesthetic. (I myself am one of those people.)
Each pretzel has the perfect amount of crunch. The first flavor you encounter is definitely the butter, and it doesn’t like to hide in the background of the flavors. It’s warming, it’s nostalgic, and it’s ever-present. The sweetness of the toffee hits soon after as it coats your tongue. It’s an interesting mix with the butter, but it’s absolutely delicious. Definitely an uncommon flavor profile to my usual, but I found myself reaching in the bag again and again without realizing it.
Now, the crunch of the toffee combined with the crunch of the pretzel is divine. I have always been a large proponent of sweet and salty snacks, and this has launched up on my list of favorites for the season. While the pretzel flavor does seem to be a bit overwhelmed by the sweetness of the toffee, I don’t mind all that much. It has just the right amount of salty to combat the sweet, and even then, the sweet isn’t too much. This might just be one of my new Trader Joe’s must-haves!
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Melany Love
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Barrymore’s episode was dedicated to decluttering — and Rachael’s recipe does exactly that for your fridge and pantry. It was a match made in celebrity-culinary heaven, and I was more than ready to give this one-pot soup a try to see if it’s worth adding to my regular soup repertoire.
Start by placing a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven-style pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and toss in diced pancetta. Cook until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes, then add in diced onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes, letting the onions sweat out. Add the Calabrian chile paste, or red pepper flakes if a substitute is needed, and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender.
Now you can add in the chopped escarole (I swapped in chopped kale due to my grocery store being out of escarole) and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. After giving everything a nice stir, add the chicken and vegetable stocks along with the rind from your block of Parmesan. Bring the pot to a boil, then add the ditalini and canned white beans; cook according to the instructions on the pasta package.
When ready, add lemon juice, stir, and adjust the seasoning to your preference. Ladle the contents of the pot into a shallow bowl and top with a healthy amount of freshly shaved Parmesan and enjoy!
From the very first taste, I was a major fan of this recipe. All it took was one little dunk of my tiny piece of French baguette and I knew that Rachael Ray had struck gold with this one. I loved the idea of using ingredients that I was likely to find already in my kitchen, and the addition of the dark, leafy greens was just like a breath of fresh air and brought everything together.
The simple yet impactful addition of lemon juice and a fresh topping of shaved Parmesan are probably my two favorite aspects of the recipe. I felt they both played a key role in the overall satisfaction of each bite, and I found myself going back for more shavings of Parmesan before I could even finish the bowl.
It’s very fitting that Barrymore featured this recipe in her episode dedicated to decluttering. This soup truly helps you get rid of those pesky leftovers in a hearty and delicious way. Barrymore wasn’t lying when she claimed Rachael Ray was coming with some “hot tips and a hot recipe,” and her description of the soup as being “so beautiful” is really beyond accurate. I’ll certainly be making this one again soon, and I am officially going to be on the lookout for future seasonal recipes from Rachael from now on, too.
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Nathan Hutsenpiller
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Lately the food world seems to be overtaken by recipes that draw inspiration from a surprising source: cowboys. From butter, to casseroles, to “caviar,” there appears to be some mystical draw to these hearty, almost nostalgic recipes. Although it’s hard to say whether any cowboy ever actually ate any of this stuff, we can’t deny the appeal.
The latest cowboy craze? Cowboy stew. Kathleen of Gonna Want Seconds has a version that is rapidly garnering five-star reviews, so we figured it was only natural we gave this Western-inspired recipe a shot. Although it’s quite different from the colorfully named cowboy stew of yore, which featured meat and organs from a calf, it’s still loaded with lots of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs ingredients.
Get the recipe: Cowboy Stew
Slice kielbasa sausages into 1/2-inch pieces and chop slices of bacon. Add bacon to a large pot over medium heat. Cook until crispy, then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Add the sliced sausage to the pot and brown on both sides, then remove to another paper towel-lined plate. Add 80/20 ground beef to the pot, along with diced onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink. Add all-purpose flour, salt, black pepper, and chili powder, and cook for one minute more. Add canned petite diced tomatoes (with liquid), baked beans, chopped green chilies, canned sweet corn (with liquid), peeled and cubed russet potatoes, and water. Return bacon and sausage to pot, bring mixture up to a simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for an hour.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley. If the stew is too thick, loosen with additional water.
As someone who eats meat rather infrequently, I found the inclusion of ground beef and two types of pork to be somewhat intimidating. The resulting stew is a bit like chili, but even meatier. Incorporating all of this protein makes for an intensely savory dish, with baked beans and corn bringing some sweetness for balance. The addition of potatoes and flour creates a thick, ultra-rich broth imbued with tons of smoky flavor from the kielbasa. All this to say that this stew is about as hearty as it gets. If you’re a meat-lover, there’s a good chance you’ll be into this recipe, but for me it was a bit too intense.
If you need to feed a lot of hungry people fast, this recipe couldn’t be easier. Although the inclusion of lots of canned ingredients does lighten up prep time considerably, I couldn’t shake the subtle tinny flavor you sometimes taste in canned ingredients. I think swapping in a couple of non-canned ingredients (like fresh or frozen corn or chopped fresh tomatoes) would help mask this unpleasant flavor. Any canning liquid lost in these swaps could easily be replaced by water or broth, as the stew is already plenty thick — even more so after spending a night in the fridge.
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Lena Abraham
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The season of entertaining creeps ever closer, and we need to make sure we’re prepped for the task. Whether it’s old friends coming in from out of town, massive family get-togethers, or just a date night in, it’s never a bad time to break out the good kitchenware. That’s why Sam’s Club is always stocked and ready to make our lives — and our parties — as easy and effortless as possible, and their newest serving tray will have you wanting to invite people over every night.
You can never have enough serving trays (that’s a fact). Having thrown a Halloween party just this past weekend, I found myself running dangerously low on display methods pretty quickly. Food and decor intertwine in the best way, and both can make lasting impressions on your guests.
The new Sam’s Club serving tray — or should I say, trays — will do just that. Each box comes with two pieces both uniquely cut from real acacia wood. One is rectangular, while the other is a circle; each have their own handle for easy serving. The woven browns are gorgeous and would go perfectly with any season and any decor choice. The best part? When treated well, they can last you a lifetime!
These must-have pieces have already been spotted at Sam’s Club locations for just under $25. That’s an absolutely bargain for both trays. Go grab yours before they’re gone for good. Once you’re home, collect your finest cheeses and create a board — even if it’s just for you.
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Melany Love
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As the holidays quickly approach and we continue to enjoy the beautiful transition of fall weather, finding a good seasonal snack becomes just about as important as knocking off items on your family’s Christmas gift list. Afterall, what would the holiday season be without the treats that keep us in the spirit while all of the chaos of this time of year ensues around us? Thankfully, companies like Trader Joe’s continue to have our collective cravings in mind no matter what time of year it is. And this year it is business as usual for everybody’s favorite neighborhood grocery chain.
Spotted by Trader Joe’s New and promptly posted to TikTok to be shared with the masses, the latest snack to hit the quirky grocery chain’s elusive shelves comes in the form of a trio of Cinnamon Sugar Toffee squares. Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Sugar Toffee Trio is a 10-ounce bag of cinnamon and sugar covered almond toffee squares featuring three different chocolate coatings: white, milk, and dark; resulting in a smooth taste of chocolate, leading up to a familiar toffee crunch and a buttery richness. Each bag retails for $4.99 and, as per usual with these seasonal releases, will only be available for a limited time.
“My [significant other] legit inhaled the cinnamon sugar toffee trio the second I bought it,” exclaimed one very surprised shopper. In a post made on the popular Trader Joe’s subreddit, another fan of the chocolate toffee snack admitted to devouring up to one bag per week. “I was a one bag a week-er. Now I’m on two a week,” they continued. “Way too sweet. but I can’t stop! Send help!”
However, for those who don’t have the sweetest tooth, some reviewers said it might be a little overboard. In response to the same Reddit post, one shopper admitted to having a minority opinion on the subject. “I really wanted to like them,” they said, “but they are TOO sweet for me, and I never say that.” The customer continued, “I think my bag had an extra three layers of sugar on each piece.”
In an entirely separate post made to Reddit regarding the seasonal snack, one shopper described the squares as being “super crunchy,” and claimed that the cinnamon was somewhat overpowering at first, “but got used to it after a few pieces.”
So if you find yourself intrigued despite the mixed reviews, why not take the plunge and snag a bag on your next TJ’s run? Just $4.99 is definitely a small price to pay for a little bit of experimentation. While it is easy to just listen to the opinion of a bunch of internet strangers, it is nice to make a decision for ourselves every once in a while. A tasty, cinnamon-sugar, chocolatey decision at that.
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Nathan Hutsenpiller
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Once temperatures start to drop I get an insatiable craving for soup. Brothy, creamy, or blended — it doesn’t matter the type as long as it’s hot. Recently I’ve seen Trader Joe’s soup dumplings pop up all over the internet, with many singing their praises. Though I’ve been curious to try them, it wasn’t until I saw Erin O’Brien’s viral soup dumpling soup recipe on TikTok that my interest was really piqued. Soup dumplings in soup? What could be cozier?
This speedy meal only requires a few ingredients: Trader Joe’s Chicken or Pork Soup Dumplings, chicken broth, soy sauce, sliced scallions, chili crisp, toasted sesame seeds, and, optionally, toasted sesame oil.
To prepare the dumplings, add them to a microwave-safe bowl and cover them with chicken broth. Microwave the dumplings on high for 2 minutes, then season the broth with soy sauce, chili crisp, and sesame oil, and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of these frozen soup dumplings, especially the pork version. Their light, gingery broth combined well with the seasoned chicken broth, making for a very savory and satisfying meal.
If your favorite part of the soup dumplings is the actual soup, you’ll love this hack because you can keep refilling the dumplings with broth as you eat. As a salt-lover, I found the addition of soy sauce necessary, but if you have a particularly salty chicken broth, I’d start by adding a small amount to avoid oversalting. Sliced scallions added a much-needed brightness and pleasant crunch. And though the sesame seeds didn’t add much, they did make the final dish look pretty.
You can easily upgrade this Trader Joe’s dumpling hack with a few simple add-ins. Here are a few I recommend.
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Lena Abraham
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Cant afford the Perfect Pot? Then youre going to love this.
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Aly Walansky
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This time of year I can’t help but crave a hot bowl of soup. As the year comes to an end, soup becomes that meal I can totally rely on to warm me up and give me the nutrients I need as I power through the rest of the day. I’m a big fan of all different types of soup (I recently experimented with a delicious take on Dolly Parton’s Stampede Soup that set me off on my current soup kick).
After stumbling upon a how-to video for a classic Italian minestrone shared to TikTok by Martha Stewart Living, my interest was piqued by the “use what’s in your fridge” nature of the recipe. In the video, Stewart schools viewers on the meaning of minestrone, stating that it “generally means bigness,” noting how it fits due to it having so many ingredients. Minestrone can vary depending on who is making it, but it mainly contains lots of vegetables, leafy greens, and beans. A combination of celery, carrots, and onions (known as a soffritto) acts as the foundation of flavor within minestrone.
As a devout fan of the Queen of Domestic Arts, naturally I was immediately searching my refrigerator for ingredients. After acquiring all the pieces I needed, as well as a fresh loaf of bread to toast and complement the soup, I was ready to dive into making this Italian minestrone.
As noted earlier, there are many minestrone variations. If you are in a time crunch, this version of Stewart’s recipe, which I opted for in this review, is what you’ll want to follow. However, if you would like to make this soup as authentically as possible, using dried beans which need to be soaked overnight, the TikTok version above is going to be more of your jam.
Start by heating olive oil in a large pot over medium heat to make the soffritto. Add onions, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and salt and pepper; cook until the onions turn golden, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook for about a minute, allowing for some of the liquid to evaporate. Toss in the potatoes, cabbage, cannellini beans, then add 7 cups of water. If you are using canned cannellini beans, be sure to drain and rinse thoroughly. Bring everything to a boil, then stir in the chopped green beans.
At this point, you’ll want to reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the vegetables until they are all tender, which will take about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper before stirring in the garlic and torn basil for the finishing touches. Once seasoned to your liking, serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil, a dollop of pesto, freshly grated Parmesan, and a sprinkle of torn basil.
There is really no possible way to hate this soup. I did take a tip from the TikTok recipe, in which Stewart suggests adding an end piece of prosciutto to the mix before simmering. However I couldn’t find a full chunky piece of prosciutto in my neighborhood in time, so I opted for a package of smaller cubed prosciutto instead. I added the cubed prosciutto after adding the water, allowing it to simmer with the rest of the soup. The results, in my opinion, were still just as fantastic and I appreciated the flavor that the prosciutto brought to the mix.
I think what I loved most about Stewart’s beloved minestrone is just how easily it all comes together. Most of the work lies in the prep, but after that it is smooth sailing to Flavortown. I’ll be keeping this recipe in my back pocket, as I’m excited to try some other variations as we head into the cold winter months. If you’ve been on the hunt for an authentic Italian peasant soup, this is a fantastic recipe to start with.
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Nathan Hutsenpiller
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Some say its worth it; others are saying its outrageous. What do you think?
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Aly Walansky
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Let’s face it: No one enjoys doing the dishes. Sure, some of us would rather clean up than cook a meal, but washing dishes isn’t exactly fun. Or … is it? Enter: the electric cleaning brush that has been making its way around the #cleantok side of TikTok. Washing the dishes is about to become your favorite household chore.
Online retailer Efficient Life did just that with its handheld electric cleaning brush. It comes with three different brush heads designed for all different types of cleaning jobs, and can be used not only in the kitchen, but also in the bathroom, on floors, and just about any other surface that needs a really good scrub. The brush charges via USB, so all you have to do is plug it in and get scrubbing!
TikTokers in the comments on Efficient Life’s post were pretty excited about the handy little gadget. One user commented, “I love this — I cannot stand holding a used sponge in my hand.” Another simply said, “Need it.” Honestly, we can’t help but agree.
Originally priced at $65, the Electric Cleaning Brush from Efficient Life is currently on sale for $44 and comes in three super-trendy colors. However, if that still feels a little steep for your dishwashing needs, Amazon has several comparable models at lower prices, like the Vikii Electric Spin Scrubber, which looks incredibly similar to the Efficient Life version but is only $19.99, or the popular Tilswall M4L Electric Spin Scrubber at $35.99 (and it has an extra 30% off coupon).
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Nina Derwin
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Lasagna has always been that dish for me. It’s an absolute staple in my home, and my mother would always make variations of it while I was growing up. Lasagna has the ability to not only give me comfort when I need it most, but it also reminds me of the simple pleasures in life. The older I get, somehow this delicious layered pasta dish never gets old with me, and I get just as excited as I was as a child when a slice is put on my plate.
That being said, not everyone knows how to make a lasagna that stands the test of time. Some lasagnas are lacking in the flavor department, and others miss the mark on the overall structure to get that perfectly layered slice. All parts of the recipe need to be working in unison, so when one ingredient is off, it can affect the rest of the dish. So when I came across Brie Larson’s recipe for the ‘Superior’ Lasagna from her hit AppleTV+ show, Lessons in Chemistry, I couldn’t help but see if the lasagna lived up to the hype.
Knowing that the Captain Marvel star actually has real-life kitchen skills that she was able to adapt for her role in Lessons in Chemistry made this recipe even more appealing to me. I was excited to get started, as I was long overdue for making the comforting pasta dish I love. Here’s how it went.
Get the recipe: The Perfect Lasagna from Lessons in Chemistry
Lasagna is no cake walk; there are multiple steps that need to be done precisely in order to have a beautiful and delicious end product. That being said, this recipe is pretty in-depth, but I promise that the outcome is more than worth the cost of labor.
Starting with the Bolognese, heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped carrot, celery, and onion. Sauté until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, add garlic and chili flakes, then cook for an additional minute. Add tomato paste and cook down until the paste coats the bottom of the pan and turns a deep brick red, about 3 minutes.
Add ground beef, ground pork, and pancetta to the vegetable mixture, cooking until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt as it cooks and use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into small bits. Stir in the milk and wine and bring to a simmer before adding oregano, reducing the heat to low, and covering to let simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally until ready to remove from heat. Finally, skim off most of the fat and season with more salt if needed.
While the Bolognese simmers, start on the ricotta béchamel. Melt butter in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat for 1 minute to thicken. Stir in salt and nutmeg and remove the pot from the heat. Let it cool for 15 minutes, then stir in the ricotta cheese, seasoning with more salt if needed.
Boil the lasagna noodles in a large pot of heavily salted water to just under al dente. As the lasagna cooks, preheat your oven to 375°F and brush a 9×13-inch pan with olive oil. When ready, drain the noodles and slick them with olive oil to help prevent sticking.
Now you are ready to assemble. Spread 3/4 cup of the ricotta béchamel on the bottom of your prepared pan and top with a layer of noodles, careful not to overlap. Spread another 3/4 cup of béchamel on top of the noodles, then spread 1/4 of the Bolognese (about 1 1/4 cups) on top. Top with a healthy dusting of Parmesan cheese (1/3 cup) then add another layer of noodles on top of that. Repeat this layering process four more times, resulting in five layers of pasta. By the fourth layer, you should be using the last of the Bolognese. The top final layer of noodles will have the remaining béchamel spread over it, as well as the remaining Parmesan and all of the mozzarella cheese.
Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles up on the sides and the top is perfectly browned. Once removed from the oven, let the dish cool for 15 minutes then sprinkle the chopped parsley on, slice, and enjoy!
Truthfully, I went into this recipe with very high expectations that only Captain Marvel herself could live up to. Anytime I have lasagna, I am fully comparing it to what my mother used to make when I was growing up, so no lasagna recipe is safe from the wrath of my core childhood memories. Thankfully Brie Larson’s recipe absolutely delivered in the best ways possible. I loved that the recipe called for five layers, each packing its own punch of delicious flavors, and the three-meat combination was a nice touch that I myself had never used together before.
I will certainly be keeping this recipe in my rotation, and I honestly do not plan on making lasagna without a Bolognese ever again. This is truly the best way to make it and I couldn’t have been more satisfied with each fantastic bite. Now it’s time to heat up some more leftovers and flick on an episode of Lessons in Chemistry.
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Nathan Hutsenpiller
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