Yummy Homemade Lasagna

My mom taught me how to make Lasagna when I was really young. Its really easy, hard to screw up, and ALWAYS delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of Lasagna noodles. (they have pre-cooked noodles....don't get those)

1 lb of hamburger

1 lb of sausage

1 egg

1 TBL. Parsley

2 bags of Mozzarella cheese (or just one big bag)

2 jars of marinara sauce (or one big jar)

16 oz container of large or small curd cottage cheese

2-3 garlic cloves chopped

HOW TO PREPARE:


First off, I like to cook my meat first and then cook my noodles. While my noodles are cooking, I prepare the other ingredients.

Cook your sausage, hamburger, and garlic all together. Once its cooked, drain it out and add the marinara sauce, stir and set aside.

Cook your Lasagna noodles to the directions on the box.

• While your noodles are cooking, take your cottage cheese, egg, and parsley and mix all together. The egg just helps the cottage cheese go a little further when layering everything in the pan. You don't have to add the egg, but it definitely helps.

Once your noodles are cooked, drain the water and run cold water over them. This helps when you have to pick the noodles up to layer in the pan.

Once everything is laid out, I like to start with just a little bit of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan so that when you lay the noodles down, they don't stick to the pan. There is no wrong way to layer your Lasagna but I like to Layer this way: noodles, cottage cheese, meat sauce, mozzarella cheese....and repeat the process. When I layer it this way, it ensures that I will end with mozzarella cheese on the top.

AGAIN: THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO MAKE LASAGNA!!!

This meal goes great with any type of green salad and french/garlic bread.

ENJOY!

French Bread Cheese Dip

This is such an awesome dip to have in cold weather because you cook it and serve it hot!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:


2 Loaves of French Bread
16 oz. Cream Cheese
8 oz. Sour Cream
8 oz Chunky Salsa
3 c. Shredded Cheese

HOW TO PREPARE:

• Take one loaf of french bread and cut the top off, then hallow out the inside keeping the pieces that you take out. Rip the pieces of bread into bite size pieces and put into a bowl. Once you have hallowed out the first loaf put it in the oven for 5 minutes at 450* of bread set aside.
• In a microwaveable bowl soften your cream cheese. You don't need to melt it all the way down, just soften it enough so that you can stir it.
• Once your cream cheese is softened, add the all the other ingredients and mix well.
• Spoon your mixture into the baked bread and place the top back on and cover with tin foil and bake for 1 hour at 350*.
• While that is cooking, cut your other loaf of french bread into bite size pieces and place in bowl.

If you have left overs don't fret, this dip is also super yummy cold! It tastes great with chips, bread, crackers, and my favorite Triscuits!!

This is a great dip for parties, I had this at our pumpkin carving party with my family and it was a hit. My three year old daughter even eats it.

Chicken Noodle Soup

OK, so chicken noodle soup is really easy to make no real measurements or anything. Now that the weather is obviously cooler as of yesterday, soups always make you feel nice and cozy.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

• 3 cans of chicken broth
• 1-2lbs of chicken (depending on the serving size)
• 1 bag of frozen peas
• 1 bag of medium size egg noodles
• celery seeds (if you actually like celery then add 1-2 stalks of celery)
• 1 bag of frozen carrots (I don't really liked cooked carrots so I don't put them in)
• Home style chicken stock (I like to use Knorr)

HOW TO COOK:

1. Take your chicken (better if its thawed out) and put it in a crock pot with two cans of chicken broth (leave the third one for later) Put your crock pot on high for about two hours (or until your chicken is cooked all the way through) Putting it in the crock pot makes it very tender and you can actually just pull it apart.
2. Once your put your chicken and broth in a big pot and add the peas (carrots if you want) celery seeds to taste. Add the other can of chicken broth and about 1 1/2 cans of water.
3. Bring it to a boil and then add your egg noodles. Check the package to see how long to cook the egg noodles. While the noodles are cooking add your chicken stock. Taste test your soup to make sure it tastes the way you want it. If you need to add more water because the chicken flavor is too strong go ahead. Also, don't add too much salt because your broth and your chicken stock are pretty salty. Add pepper to taste as well.
4. I like to cook Rhodes rolls with the soup, they are yummy to dip in the broth.

I hope this soup warms you up in these cold months!

Pork Roast & Veggie Stew

I don't have much to say about this recipe except for YUMMY!!!!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:


2lbs boneless pork shoulder (or if you can find pork already cut into cubes, it makes life MUCH easier)
1TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP butter
2 celery stocks chopped (I hate celery so I like to use celery seeds. This way you still get the flavor)
1 large onion chopped
1TBSP dried Chives
1tsp dried parsley
1tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried dillweed
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 jar of traditional pasta sauce
1-14oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 c. frozen corn
1 c. carrots
3 medium potatoes

HOW TO COOK:

• Brown pork in a frying pan and put into pot
• In the same frying pan, cook your celery(if your not using the celery seeds), onion, chives, parsley, basil, dill weed, and pepper for about 8 minutes (or until tender) and then put into the pot with your meat.
• Add the traditional pasta sauce, tomatoes, corn, carrots, potatoes.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer (covered) for about 1 1/2 hours or until meat and veggies (especially your potatoes) are tender.

Serve with fresh rolls if desired and enjoy!!

BBQ Chicken with Spinach Salad w/Vinaigrette dressing

 I made this chicken last night and it was so delicious! My husband wanted some for lunch the next day but he ate it all!!

BBQ CHICKEN

• 4 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 12 chicken thighs.. ( You can use any part of the chicken.)
• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the water, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, mustard powder, and chili powder. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes 
• 
  
• Place the chicken thighs into an oblong baking dish, and pour the sauce over them. Cover tightly.
• 
  
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and bake for one hour. Remove cover, stir and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

SPINACH SALAD

1 bag of baby spinach

1 bag of craisens

1 bag of sliced almonds

1 box of pre-cooked bacon (cut into small pieces.)

1 red onion (save the other half chopped onion for the salad dressing)
Mozzarella cheese


Add these ingredients all together and toss.

VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

1/2 chopped red onion

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. mustard

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. red whine vinegar

1 c. oil


Put these ingredients into a blender and puree. If you have a food processor, that will work as well.

Italian Chicken, potatoes, salad, couscous, and fresh bruschetta

Cooking a whole chicken is easier than it looks!!!

WHOLE CHICKEN:

• 3-4 lb chicken
• 1 packet of Italian seasoning
• Olive oil
• Red potatoes

Make sure that your chicken is not frozen at all. I once made the mistake of not having the chicken completely thawed out and in the end......we weren't able to eat the chicken.

When you take the chicken out of the package, if there are any parts of the chicken inside the chicken take them out and throw them away. Get paper towels and completely and carefully dab dry the chicken. (this will help so that the chicken doesn't get dried out while cooking)

Cover the bottom of your pan with a thin coat of olive out. (this will help so that your chicken doesn't stick and burn to the bottom of your pan.)

Pour olive oil onto your chicken and rub it all over so its coated with the oil. You can use as much or as little as you would like of the oil.

Open your packet of dry italian seasoning and pour about half of the packet onto your chicken and then rub all over.  (save the other half of your seasoning for your potatoes)

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and put your chicken in for 15 minutes.

RED POTATOES:

Wash your potatoes and keep the skin on.

Cut them into about medium sized cubes and put them in a bowl.

Pour olive oil over your potatoes and add the rest of your italian seasoning to your potatoes.

Stir until the potatoes are completely coated.

When the  timer goes off for your chicken, take it out and add the potatoes. Make sure that your pan is big enough so that you have room for your potatoes.

Stick it all back in the oven and time for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes has gone by, take your pan back out of the oven and stir your potatoes. (This will help the potatoes cook a little faster)

Once this is done, put your chicken back in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.

SIDE NOTE:

If you have a meat thermometer, at the end of 45 minutes take your chicken out and put the thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken thigh. Making sure that you don't hit any bones. The thermometer should go up to at least 170-180 degrees. You can also tell when your chicken is done is when you put a fork in the meat and it slides out easily. If its hard to pull the fork out, your chicken is probably not done.

FRESH BRUSCHETTA:

5 ripe Roma tomatoes

3-4 cloves of garlic

Fresh Basil ( about 6-7 leaves)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 fresh loaf of a french baguette cut into slices

Cut the tomatoes and fresh basil and add in the Olive Oil. Mince the garlic and then add the salt and pepper to taste. there is no exact amount of these ingredients to add, its all just by taste. If you want to add more of something go right ahead. You can't really screw up this recipe.

As far as the salad goes, I just get pre-packaged salad that I really like and then box of couscous which takes about 5 minutes to cook.

Meat Loaf Request

I had a friend ask me to find a great recipe for a delicious Meat Loaf. Well, I found a great one and yes, I have tried it and I love it!

INGREDIENTS:


1/2 c. Milk
3 slices of whole wheat or white bread, cubed
1 egg, beaten
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 to 5 drops of hot pepper sauce
2 lbs lean ground beef

In a large bowl, pour milk over bread. Add egg, onion, chili sauce, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce; mix thoroughly. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape meat mixture into a loaf. Bake in a shallow pan at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours or until no pink remains. Drain. This makes a great meal and goes great with fresh veggies.