Leslie Vennero Little
I decided to prepare a Butternut Squash and Ham Lasagna. I tried a BBQ ham, pancake, and gnocchi also.
The pancake and gnocchi were both really good, but I felt one was more of an appetizer and the other too complicated for the home cook. I thought the mystery ingredients were interesting.
The ham was the most challenging thing for me, and I was having a hard time trying to figure out something creative. My low was definitely the BBQ ham.
I made a sauce with the vanilla bean paste and xylitol that was pretty good, but when I combined it with the ham, it just didn't taste very good.
The lasagna was the third thing I tried, and it tasted delicious, but I still wanted to try making the gnocchi.
The gnocchi was really good, but I felt it was more labor intensive, so I went with the simpler meal. (I now have frozen gnocchi for another meal!)
My tester on the BBQ ham was my husband, who is very picky and he did not like the combination, this confirmed my opinion of the dish too. My friend Jeanne came and sampled the other three dishes.
She liked them all but agreed the lasagna was the way to go. My experience was really fun and positive.
I enjoyed trying to create something out of the mystery ingredients.
I plated the first dish on a white plate and took my pictures. When I looked at them, I realized that everything was too white so I switched to a different colored plate.
I used the Foodie app to enhance the photo, and I think it looks pretty and tasty.