Butter Almond Thumbprint Cookies

1 cup butter, room temp
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (you could try a little more, maybe? up to 1 tsp)
2 cups flour
Jam of some sort

Cream the butter in a mixer until beaten.

Add the sugar and extracts and beat an additional couple of minutes, scraping the bowl, until thoroughly mixed.

Turn the mixer off, add all of the flour, and then turn on low until mixed together.

Compact the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for, I dunno, an hour? A day? Seemed to work either way.

Roll into balls of dough, press into the center to leave a little hole.

Fill little hole with a dollop of jam (don't overfill).

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes on a silpat mat. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter (half a stick), softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well blended.  Sift powdered sugar and add gradually to cream cheese mixture until combined.

Wonderful on it's own, or as a base for flavors such as chocolate, pumpkin, and cinnamon sugar.

Lasagna II (Bechamel Lasagna Bolognese)

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork (optional)

1 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 jars marinara sauce

1 box lasagna noodles (i used no boil)

16 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded

8 oz shredded parmesan

bechamel sauce

2.5 tbsp butter

1/8 cup flour

2 cups whole milk

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz shredded parmesan

Preheat oven to 375. Grease bottom of 13x9 pan. Pour in enough marinara sauce to just cover the bottom.  

Heat olive oil in a large skillet at medium heat. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add beef/pork and sprinkle with onion powder and Italian seasoning. Brown.

Add marinara sauce to meat mixture. Reserve about 1/2 jar of the two jars for later. Set meat mixture aside.

Begin the bechamel sauce. Add butter to medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter melts, quickly whisk in flour until smooth. Keep whisking for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is a golden color.

Increase the heat slightly. Slowly add the milk while whisking. Bring to a boil and whisk continuously for about 5 minutes. Continue to simmer over low heat while whisking for about 15 minutes to cook the flour taste out. When sauce has thickened*, remove from heat and add salt and parmesan cheese. Whisk.  

Cover bottom of pan with layer of noodles. Layer as follows: 1/3 of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the bechamel sauce, 1/4 of the mozzarella. Cover this layer with noodles and repeat. Cover the final layer with noodles and cover with the remaining marinara sauce (if using no boil noodles, make sure that the sides of the noodles are covered in sauce or they will not cook through). Cover top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Cover lasagna with aluminum foil (tented, if necessary, to avoid touching the top).  Bake for 35 minutes.  Check to see that sides are cooking--if not, baste in the sauce that will boil up from the sides. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes.  

When finished, remove and let sit for 15 minutes before enjoying.

*If sauce doesn't thicken, you can do so by adding a cold roux.  Knead 1 tablespoon butter with slightly less than 1 tablespoon flour.  Add a few chunks at a time to the sauce while whisking and sauce should thicken.