My New Years Eve Watch List

I’m a big proponent for all holidays getting their fair share of celebration. Yes, Christmas is still my all time favorite with Halloween trailing not too far behind, but let’s give them all a chance. That’s why I make special meals, decorate, and even watch themed movies and shows to get me in the spirit of the all the holidays. Like my Thanksgiving roundup, I decided to do one for New Year. Now, putting it out there from the start, only a couple of these are actually New Years themed in their entirety. While the others may not outright be, some of their key scenes are New Years related or simply stick out in some way that gives me that new year feel. No matter what, all of these are perfect for curling up on the couch for a night in to ring it in. Let’s get started!

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! I figured it get ya started with an actual New Years one out of the gate. The story is pretty random and in typical Charlie Brown fashion, a little depressing at times…but that’s what makes it so charming! I couldn’t let a holiday pass without paying my depressed 8 year old blockheaded friend a viewing. Plus, it’s short and sweet.

Mermaids I love this movie so much! I mean, what’s not to like? It’s set in my favorite era (early 60s) Cher is is fabulous as always, and Winona Ryder, our 90s movie queen; gives such a great performance. The storyline is nothing hugely over the top and yet somehow still incredibly enthralling. New Years Eve marks an eruption of emotion between Charlotte and Mrs. Flax, making it perfect for this list.

While You Were Sleeping This is one of those super watchable movies. No matter how many times it’s on you never really get sick of it. It’s just easy watching. Lucy (Sandra Bullock) is super awkward but loveable (I love the scene where she dips her Oreo in the cats dish lol) and it makes for one of the best and least cheesy love stories in the 90s era of romantic comedies. The story starts just before Christmas, takes a big turn on New Years Eve, then wraps up shortly after that. It definitely qualifies as good New Years Eve cinema.

MASH- A War for All Seasons S9E6 Mash is one of my favorite shows of all time! And while this episode is far from my top in ranking, it’s a fun watch in the spirit of the New Year. The episode opens and closes almost identically (which is actually pretty ad) and in between they show you life over the course of the year at war. Centered around a few small instances such as Margaret’s knitting project and a Sear’s catalog as running bits to follow.

An Affair To Remember Now, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit this movie makes me totally uncomfortable. Two people who fall in love while both engaged to other people…yikes. Uncomfy at best. But yet somehow I still like the movie…even if they are cheating you know what’s. Oh, and they kiss on New Years even while being cheating you know whats…that’s why it’s on this list.

Sex and the City the Movie (and for the love of god, NOT the second one) I’ve been watching this movie around the New Year for years now. Even though the movie takes place over the course of months and shows several holidays, the New Years scene of Carrie looking fabulous in her pajamas and fur as she hurries across town to make it to Miranda in time for midnight so she isn’t alone will always standout. Well, that and Charlotte shitting herself and Carrie beating Big with her bouquet on their wedding day….but mostly the pajamas and fur. Oh, and they eat Chinese food together. That too. But really, I adore this movie and it makes for a good cry while bundled up on the couch with a cocktail (make that a cosmopolitan)

Do It Yourself Mr. Bean I grew up staying up late on Saturday nights to catch Mr. Bean on PBS and the holiday episodes are some of my favorites. This particular episode, Mr. Bean throws a New Year’s Eve rager and being Mr. Bean…I’m sure you have an idea of how that goes. It’s funny and short. Perfect to watch before nodding off at 12:04.

Holiday Inn Yet another one that is not specifically geared towards New Years in particular and also features allllll the holidays. I have just always reserved this movie in my head as a New Years movie simply because I have enough to watch at Christmas time (I own 33 Christmas movies to be exact) and don’t really get to it any other time of year. It just feels like it fits this time of year. It’s a weird love story…actually a lot of older movies are really weird love stories. People up and love their partners super easily. It’s weird. But I still like it anyhow.

That sums up my New Years watch list. Anything you would add to it?

Pumpkin Roll with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

About 12 years ago I was an unemployed 19 year old in culinary school hustling to go meals out of my moms house to pay my bills.  Another thing I did was to sell baked goods around the holidays like pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin rolls.

Even if you've never had a pumpkin roll, you've probably seen one.  They've made their way into grocery store bakeries in the last 6 years or so.  They are traditionally a pumpkin sponge cake with a basic cream cheese frosting as the filling. 

I've decided to update my personal recipe with a slight spin.  Instead of your run of the mill cream cheese frosting that's sweetened with powdered sugar I've opted to trade in brown sugar and add just a tiny touch of cinnamon.  You still get the light tang of cream cheese but a little more depth of flavor with these two changes.  I think it makes for a really nice twist on the classic.

Included below are step by step instructions on how to roll your cake.  That's definitely the part that makes people most nervous to try, but I promise you it's really not hard at all.  You might see or read other recipes reference using a towel to roll their cakes...but I don't mess with that.  I think it's 1. Kind of gross and 2. Unnecessary and bulky. I feel like you don't get as tight of a roll when using a towel. I've always used parchment paper and it works out great for me.

Pumpkin Roll with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

Cake

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

Filling

1 package of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter (half a stick), softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk together all the ingredients for the cake until well combined.  Spread batter evenly into parchment lined and sprayed jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until done and springs back to the touch (or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).  

When it's fully baked, remove the cake from the pan and immediately roll it up while still warm (detailed step by step instructions below)  Allow to cool completely rolled up before unrolling to fill with icing.

For the filling, blend together until smooth.  Spread evenly into unrolled cake and roll back up.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before slicing and serving.

Rolling Instructions 

1. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper ensuring it covers the whole pan plus goes over the edges a little (this will help you lift the cake out later). Spray lightly with nonstick spray. 

2. Fill the pan with your batter, smoothing out to cover the whole pan and evenly distributed.

3.  After it’s fully baked and still hot, grab to opposite corners of the parchment and lift the entire cake out of the pan.

4. Cover the cake with another piece of parchment paper. We are going to flip it because I think the top baked side pictured above looks the best for presentation and I want the bottom side that was sitting directly in the pan to become the middle that gets rolled up.  

5. Lay your cooling rack (or a sheet tray will work too) on top of the parchment and flip the whole thing over.

6. Now that it’s been flipped over, peel off the top piece of parchment paper. (Do you see why I wanted this to be the inside of the roll now?)

7.  Roll your cake up as tight as you can while still warm.  Allow it to cool completely while rolled up like this.  

8.  After it has cooled completely, unroll your cake. 

9.  Spread your cream cheese icing evenly on the cake.

10.  Roll your cake back up, peeling the parchment paper off as you roll.  

11.  I recommend letting your completely roll set in the fridge for 1-2 hours for the icing to set up before slicing. (You can cut it right away it just won’t cut as cleanly). Some people like to sprinkle their rolls with powdered sugar for garnish as well.

Ultimate Fall Salad (build your own!)

wI looooove me a good arugula salad.  In fact, if you scroll through my Instagram over the last few years there is no shortage of arugula salad photos in case you’re ever jonesin’ to look at one.  I have several different combinations of ingredients I use: olives, capers, tomatoes, sunflower seeds..... all kinds of things.  But two ingredients are almost always present no matter what: red onion and beets.  They pair so beautifully with arugula I can’t eat it without it!  Today I wanted to share with you one of my many variations: the Fall Arugula Salad.

 

This version makes me think of my friend/ former coworker, Maddie.  She knew my affinity for arugula salads and made a similar salad for lunch one day and shared it with me.  She even made sure I had enough of each ingredient on my plate, digging back into the bowl and giving me more of something if needed so I would always have “the perfect bite.” Now that’s a quality friend for ya!

 

This recipe is actually not much of a recipe.  The only measurements I actually give are for the apple cider vinegar dressing.  The rest is just the salad components and substitutions you can use.  Feel free to mix and match as you want and use a lot or a little of anything.  Make it your own!

 

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

 

3/8 cup light tasting olive oil (or other neutral oil)

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. maple syrup (you can add more if you like a sweeter dressing)

A couple grinds of black pepper

 

Whisk all the ingredients together well to emulsify or add all ingredients to a small jar and shake to combine (my preferred method)

 

Other Ingredients

Arugula- I really like the peppery bite of arugula. It has so much flavor!  You can sub spinach or spring mix if you’d prefer, it just won’t pack as much flavor.

Sweet potato- My salad had fresh sweet potatoes that I cubed and roasted but even crisped up frozen sweet potato fries that you chop up would work great too! You can also use another roasted squash like butternut.

Beets- Red or golden. Fresh or canned/jarred.  Plain or pickled.  Any kind of beet will work here.  Canned beets are a staple in my house.  They have great texture and earthiness.  A little too earthy for your taste?  Try them pickled.

Red Onion- Red onion is my favorite for eating raw.  It gives a nice zip without being quite as overwhelming as a white or brown onion.  Very thinly sliced or shaved with a peeler is the way to go.  Nice and thin so you aren’t chomping down on a giant chunk and dispersed more evenly throughout the salad

Goat Cheese- Goat cheese is the GOAT for this type of salad (see what I did there?) It has a slight bit of tang and it’s SUPER creamy.  It’s perfection with the beets and arugula.  I opted for the crumbles but you can also buy the logs and chunk it up yourself.  You could substitute feta if necessary, but actual goat cheese (often labeled chevre) is optimal.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds- A lot of my arugula salads contain sunflower seeds, but for Fall it is all about the pumpkin seeds! I buy them preroasted and salted for ease.  They add a nice crispy crunch.

Toasted Pecans- Yep...I went double the crunch in this salad.  It has both a seed and a nut, but they offer two different things.  The pumpkin seeds are a crispy type of crunch and the pecans are a hearty kind of crunch.  They hit different.  Plus, toasting the pecans brings out the flavor that make you think of Fall.

 

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.  It really gives you all the Fall feels (well, as much as a salad can lol)

 one.  I have several different combinations of ingredients I use: olives, capers, tomatoes, sunflower seeds..... all kinds of things.  But two ingredients are almost always present no matter what: red onion and beets.  They pair so beautifully with arugula I can’t eat it without it!  Today I wanted to share with you one of my many variations, the Fall Arugula Salad. 

 

This version makes me think of my friend/ former coworker, Maddie.  She knew my affinity for arugula salads and made a similar salad for lunch one day and shared it with me.  She even made sure I had enough of each ingredient on my plate, digging back into the bowl and giving me more of something if needed so I would always have “the perfect bite.” Now that’s a quality friend for ya!

 

This recipe is actually not much of a recipe.  The only measurements I actually give are for the apple cider vinegar dressing.  The rest is just the salad components and substitutions you can use.  Feel free to mix and match as you want and use a lot or a little of anything.  Make it your own! 

 

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

 

3/8 cup light tasting olive oil (or other neutral oil)

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. maple syrup (you can add more if you like a sweeter dressing)

A couple grinds black pepper 

 

Whisk all the ingredients together well to emulsify or add all ingredients to a small jar and shake to combine (my preferred method)

 

Other Ingredients

 

Arugula- I really like the peppery bite of arugula. It has so much flavor!  You can sub spinach or spring mix if you’d prefer, it just won’t pack as much flavor.

Sweet potato- My salad had fresh sweet potatoes that I cubed and roasted but even crisped up frozen sweet potato fries that you chop up would work great too! You can also use another roasted squash like butternut.

Beets- Red or golden. Fresh or canned/jarred.  Plain or pickled.  Any kind of beet will work here.  Canned beets are a staple in my house.  They have great texture and earthiness.  A little too earthy for your taste?  Try them pickled.

Red Onion- Red onion is my favorite for eating raw.  It gives a nice zip without being quite as overwhelming as a white or brown onion.  Very thinly sliced or shaved with a peeler is the way to go.  Nice and thin so you aren’t chomping down on a giant chunk and dispersed more evenly throughout the salad

Goat Cheese- Goat cheese is the GOAT for this type of salad (see what I did there?) It has a slight bit of tang and it’s SUPER creamy.  It’s perfection with the beets and arugula.  I opted for the crumbles but you can also buy the logs and chunk it up yourself.  You could substitute feta if necessary, but actual goat cheese (often labeled chevre) is optimal.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds- A lot of my arugula salads contain sunflower seeds, but for Fall it is all about the pumpkin seeds! I buy them preroasted and salted for ease.  They add a nice crispy crunch.

Toasted Pecans- Yep...I went double the crunch in this salad.  It has both a seed and a nut, but they offer two different things.  The pumpkin seeds are a crispy type of crunch and the pecans are a hearty kind of crunch.  They hit different.  Plus, toasting the pecans brings out the flavor that make you think of Fall.

 

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.  It really gives you all the Fall feels (well, as much as a salad can lol)

 

I l me look at one.  I have several different combinations of ingredients I use: olives, capers, tomatoes, sunflower seeds..... all kinds of things.  But two ingredients are almost always present no matter what: red onion and beets.  They pair so beautifully with arugula I can’t eat it without it!  Today I wanted to share with you one of my many variations, the Fall Arugula Salad. 

 

This version makes me think of my friend/ former coworker, Maddie.  She knew my affinity for arugula salads and made a similar salad for lunch one day and shared it with me.  She even made sure I had enough of each ingredient on my plate, digging back into the bowl and giving me more of something if needed so I would always have “the perfect bite.” Now that’s a quality friend for ya!

 

This recipe is actually not much of a recipe.  The only measurements I actually give are for the apple cider vinegar dressing.  The rest is just the salad components and substitutions you can use.  Feel free to mix and match as you want and use a lot or a little of anything.  Make it your own! 

 

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

 

3/8 cup light tasting olive oil (or other neutral oil)

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. maple syrup (you can add more if you like a sweeter dressing)

A couple grinds black pepper 

 

Whisk all the ingredients together well to emulsify or add all ingredients to a small jar and shake to combine (my preferred method)

 

Other Ingredients

 

Arugula- I really like the peppery bite of arugula. It has so much flavor!  You can sub spinach or spring mix if you’d prefer, it just won’t pack as much flavor.

Sweet potato- My salad had fresh sweet potatoes that I cubed and roasted but even crisped up frozen sweet potato fries that you chop up would work great too! You can also use another roasted squash like butternut.

Beets- Red or golden. Fresh or canned/jarred.  Plain or pickled.  Any kind of beet will work here.  Canned beets are a staple in my house.  They have great texture and earthiness.  A little too earthy for your taste?  Try them pickled.

Red Onion- Red onion is my favorite for eating raw.  It gives a nice zip without being quite as overwhelming as a white or brown onion.  Very thinly sliced or shaved with a peeler is the way to go.  Nice and thin so you aren’t chomping down on a giant chunk and dispersed more evenly throughout the salad

Goat Cheese- Goat cheese is the GOAT for this type of salad (see what I did there?) It has a slight bit of tang and it’s SUPER creamy.  It’s perfection with the beets and arugula.  I opted for the crumbles but you can also buy the logs and chunk it up yourself.  You could substitute feta if necessary, but actual goat cheese (often labeled chevre) is optimal.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds- A lot of my arugula salads contain sunflower seeds, but for Fall it is all about the pumpkin seeds! I buy them preroasted and salted for ease.  They add a nice crispy crunch.

Toasted Pecans- Yep...I went double the crunch in this salad.  It has both a seed and a nut, but they offer two different things.  The pumpkin seeds are a crispy type of crunch and the pecans are a hearty kind of crunch.  They hit different.  Plus, toasting the pecans brings out the flavor that make you think of Fall.

 

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.  It really gives you all the Fall feels (well, as much as a salad can lol) t, if you scroll through my Instagram over the last few years I looooove me a good arugula salad.  In fact, if you scroll through my Instagram over the last few years there is no shortage of arugula salad photos in case you’re ever jonesin’ to look at one.  I have several different combinations of ingredients I use: olives, capers, tomatoes, sunflower seeds..... all kinds of things.  But two ingredients are almost always present no matter what: red onion and beets.  They pair so beautifully with arugula I can’t eat it without it!  Today I wanted to share with you one of my many variations, the Fall Arugula Salad. 

 

This version makes me think of my friend/ former coworker, Maddie.  She knew my affinity for arugula salads and made a similar salad for lunch one day and shared it with me.  She even made sure I had enough of each ingredient on my plate, digging back into the bowl and giving me more of something if needed so I would always have “the perfect bite.” Now that’s a quality friend for ya!

 

This recipe is actually not much of a recipe.  The only measurements I actually give are for the apple cider vinegar dressing.  The rest is just the salad components and substitutions you can use.  Feel free to mix and match as you want and use a lot or a little of anything.  Make it your own! 

 

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

 

3/8 cup light tasting olive oil (or other neutral oil)

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. maple syrup (you can add more if you like a sweeter dressing)

A couple grinds black pepper 

 

Whisk all the ingredients together well to emulsify or add all ingredients to a small jar and shake to combine (my preferred method)

 

Other Ingredients

 

Arugula- I really like the peppery bite of arugula. It has so much flavor!  You can sub spinach or spring mix if you’d prefer, it just won’t pack as much flavor.

Sweet potato- My salad had fresh sweet potatoes that I cubed and roasted but even crisped up frozen sweet potato fries that you chop up would work great too! You can also use another roasted squash like butternut.

Beets- Red or golden. Fresh or canned/jarred.  Plain or pickled.  Any kind of beet will work here.  Canned beets are a staple in my house.  They have great texture and earthiness.  A little too earthy for your taste?  Try them pickled.

Red Onion- Red onion is my favorite for eating raw.  It gives a nice zip without being quite as overwhelming as a white or brown onion.  Very thinly sliced or shaved with a peeler is the way to go.  Nice and thin so you aren’t chomping down on a giant chunk and dispersed more evenly throughout the salad

Goat Cheese- Goat cheese is the GOAT for this type of salad (see what I did there?) It has a slight bit of tang and it’s SUPER creamy.  It’s perfection with the beets and arugula.  I opted for the crumbles but you can also buy the logs and chunk it up yourself.  You could substitute feta if necessary, but actual goat cheese (often labeled chevre) is optimal.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds- A lot of my arugula salads contain sunflower seeds, but for Fall it is all about the pumpkin seeds! I buy them preroasted and salted for ease.  They add a nice crispy crunch.

Toasted Pecans- Yep...I went double the crunch in this salad.  It has both a seed and a nut, but they offer two different things.  The pumpkin seeds are a crispy type of crunch and the pecans are a hearty kind of crunch.  They hit different.  Plus, toasting the pecans brings out the flavor that make you think of Fall.

 

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.  It really gives you all the Fall feels (well, as much as a salad can lol) there is no shortage of arugula salad photos in case you’re ever jonesin’ to look at one.  I have several different combinations of ingredients I use: olives, capers, tomatoes, sunflower seeds..... all kinds of things.  But two ingredients are almost always present no matter what: red onion and beets.  They pair so beautifully with arugula I can’t eat it without it!  Today I wanted to share with you one of my many variations, the Fall Arugula Salad. 

 

This version makes me think of my friend/ former coworker, Maddie.  She knew my affinity for arugula salads and made a similar salad for lunch one day and shared it with me.  She even made sure I had enough of each ingredient on my plate, digging back into the bowl and giving me more of something if needed so I would always have “the perfect bite.” Now that’s a quality friend for ya!

 

This recipe is actually not much of a recipe.  The only measurements I actually give are for the apple cider vinegar dressing.  The rest is just the salad components and substitutions you can use.  Feel free to mix and match as you want and use a lot or a little of anything.  Make it your own! 

 

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

 

3/8 cup light tasting olive oil (or other neutral oil)

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. maple syrup (you can add more if you like a sweeter dressing)

A couple grinds black pepper 

 

Whisk all the ingredients together well to emulsify or add all ingredients to a small jar and shake to combine (my preferred method)

 

Other Ingredients

 

Arugula- I really like the peppery bite of arugula. It has so much flavor!  You can sub spinach or spring mix if you’d prefer, it just won’t pack as much flavor.

Sweet potato- My salad had fresh sweet potatoes that I cubed and roasted but even crisped up frozen sweet potato fries that you chop up would work great too! You can also use another roasted squash like butternut.

Beets- Red or golden. Fresh or canned/jarred.  Plain or pickled.  Any kind of beet will work here.  Canned beets are a staple in my house.  They have great texture and earthiness.  A little too earthy for your taste?  Try them pickled.

Red Onion- Red onion is my favorite for eating raw.  It gives a nice zip without being quite as overwhelming as a white or brown onion.  Very thinly sliced or shaved with a peeler is the way to go.  Nice and thin so you aren’t chomping down on a giant chunk and dispersed more evenly throughout the salad

Goat Cheese- Goat cheese is the GOAT for this type of salad (see what I did there?) It has a slight bit of tang and it’s SUPER creamy.  It’s perfection with the beets and arugula.  I opted for the crumbles but you can also buy the logs and chunk it up yourself.  You could substitute feta if necessary, but actual goat cheese (often labeled chevre) is optimal.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds- A lot of my arugula salads contain sunflower seeds, but for Fall it is all about the pumpkin seeds! I buy them preroasted and salted for ease.  They add a nice crispy crunch.

Toasted Pecans- Yep...I went double the crunch in this salad.  It has both a seed and a nut, but they offer two different things.  The pumpkin seeds are a crispy type of crunch and the pecans are a hearty kind of crunch.  They hit different.  Plus, toasting the pecans brings out the flavor that make you think of Fall.

 

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.  It really gives you all the Fall feels (well, as much as a salad can lol)

Butternut Squash and Sage Sausage Lasagna

 I was struck with an idea not too long ago. Lasagna: but make it Fall! Sort of a cross between your classic meat lasagna and veggie lasagna but with Fall flavors.  Sage sausage instead of ground beef, cooked with bell peppers, onion, and kale.  And in place of marinara is a velvety butternut squash puree that serves as the sauce component.  Of course, there’s a rich ricotta filling and bubbly brown mozzarella on top because what’s lasagna without cheese?  It tastes great...but kind of looks like crap.  I don’t know....I just think casseroles can be so hard to photograph.  It just doesn’t look as good in a picture as it does in person.  But it tastes great and is a fun, seasonal twist on a classic.

 

Butternut Puree/Sauce

2lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch pieces 

2 tb oil, or oil spray 

2 tsp. kosher salt

Pepper to taste

½ tsp. garlic powder 

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

 

Ricotta Filling

15oz container ricotta 

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ tsp. dried thyme

 

Sausage Layer

½ onion, smallndiced

1 sweet bell pepper, small diced

1lb. sage sausage

Couple handfuls torn or chopped kale leaves

 

Other

12 lasagna noodles boiled (or you may use oven ready noodles)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Sauce: Toss butternut squash cubes in oil (or use spray) and spread out evenly on a parchment or foil lined sheet tray.  Roast in a 400 preheated oven until soft (about 25 minutes)

Transfer the cooked squash to a food processor.  Add your salt, pepper, garlic powder, and broth and blend until smooth. This should yield about 4 cups of sauce.

Ricotta Layer: Mix ricotta cheese, beaten egg, salt, garlic powder, thyme, and parmesan cheese together.

Sausage Layer: Crumble and brown the sage sausage.  Add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook until soft.  (if the fat from the sausage wasn’t enough to cook the vegetables, add a touch of oil) Once the onion and peppers are soft, remove from the heat and stir in a few handfuls of chopped kale.  You don’t need to cook the kale as it will when it is baked.   

Assembly: Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Spread half of your butternut sauce in the dish. (should be about 2 cups).  Lay out 4 of your boiled (or oven ready) lasagna noodles in the dish to cover the sauce.  Next, spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles.  Spread half the sausage/veggie mixture on the ricttoa. Layer 4 more lasagna noodles over the sausage layer. Spread the remaining half of the ricotta on the noodles, then the remaining sausage over that.  Add your third and final layer of noodles.  Spread the last of the butternut squash sauce over top. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on top

From top to bottom.

Mozzarella cheese

Butternut sauce

Noodle

Sausage

Ricotta

Noodle

Sausage

Ricotta

Noodle

Butternut sauce

Bake: Cover with nonstick sprayed foil and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes until heated all the way through.  Remove the foil the last 10-15  minutes to allow the cheese to brown, or broil.  Allow to set up for about 10-15 minutes before cutting.