Lasagna Roll-ups & a Vintage Tablescape

I have a passion for Homer Laughlin china!  I just love it!  I purchased this china set during the summer for a great price, but this is the first time I've used it.  Nina and her friends were going to the Preference dance, where the girls ask the boys and the theme was The Great Gatsby.  I told her I'd make their "fancy" dinner before the dance!  It gave me a chance to use this beautiful 1940's china!

 I love Italian food almost as much as I love vintage dishes!  I knew I had to make an Italian menu for the night!  Caesar salad is my ultimate favorite salad.  I'm not sure why, but I love it.

Lasagna roll-ups are one of my favorite dinners!  Since Nina is a vegetarian they made a great main dish choice for the night!  These always come out great, can be made ahead and freeze fabulously before they're cooked, plus they're fancy enough for company!  This makes a large batch, so you can freeze half if you don't need them all now.

Lasagna Roll-ups

16 oz package of lasagna noodles, cooked & cooled

32 oz small curd cottage cheese
3 eggs
4 c. loosely packed chopped fresh spinach
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 c. shredded Italian cheese mix

Mix filling ingredients well and spread some filling onto each noodle.  Roll up carefully and place in a pan seam down.  You should be able to fill 15-18 noodles depending on how full you make them.  If you are making these ahead of time, this is the point where you'd freeze or refrigerate them.  To freeze, place carefully in a ziplock bag and freeze, then you can pull out how many you need.  To refrigerate, cover your pan and place in fridge up to a day in advance.  I top the roll-ups with a jar of spaghetti sauce before baking, but you could use any pasta sauce or no sauce at all if you prefer.  You can also add more cheese to the top.  Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.  If they are frozen they will take longer to bake.  Let cool a few minutes before serving.  These are great leftover and I have to admit I've had them for breakfast more than once!

 Nina decided to wear a vintage cream colored lace dress that I've had since I was younger than her!  She looked beautiful!

I don't know if I've shared it yet, but she cut her hair off!  She's had waist-length hair for years, but she chopped it to her shoulders, got layers and dyed it all black!  It looks great on her!

 The kids enjoyed their formal dinner and I enjoyed making it for them!

Along with the lasagna roll-ups and caesar salad I also made homemade loaves of french bread and served it with balsamic vinegar and oil.  The oil and vinegar went into teacups!  They had sparkling cider and ice water in crystal goblets to drink.  I pulled out the gold flatware and the linen napkins.  Fancy dinners are so much fun!

Dessert was chocolate cream cheese roll cake and vanilla ice cream!

I miss doing nice tablescapes on a regular basis!  I'm making a goal to do them more often!