“I get up in the morning, do my e-mail, I check my e-mails all day. I’ll go online and I’ll buy my books at Amazon.com, but I don’t want to buy all of them because I want to go to Dutton’s and I want to buy books from another human being.”
Joseph Bologna

I have never ordered a book from Amazon, specifically the used books option, you have really missed out.  I’ve thought about the River Cafe books forever and finally took the plunge, 1 for 78 cents and the other for $2.98 both in excellent condition, can’t beat that unless you get a free copy from another source that I have yet to find!  So I look forward to cooking from both books beginning with a salad tonight.   

With fresh figs ready to pick, salad for dinner was a simple salad adapted from River Cafe,  TJ’s wild arugula, figs and prosciutto with fresh basil and mint.
Dressing juice of one lemon, 3-4 tablespoons EVOO, salt, pepper and lightly drizzle over salad.

Any day that you crank out a great fresh pasta dish is a good day indeed and while the sun dove into the clouds and the afternoon rounds of rain moved in I found myself making a decision for Saturday night’s dinner with friends,  fresh pasta for a Bolognese/béchamel lasagna.  I made the sauce Wednesday so I was prepared to put it all together and have ready to bake.

My meat sauce ingredients never change too much, but this time I used a blend (3/4 lb. ground beef brisket, 3/4 lb. pork, and 1/2 lb. lamb).  The sauce was cooked in the Ninja slow cooker on the stovetop setting because I can brown the veggies and meats without using two pans and then cook on the stovetop or slow cooker setting.
*I always add a little parmesan to the béchamel and season with white pepper…recipes/sauces