Ham & Swiss Casserole

Tonight I tortured the family with a new recipe and it went better than expected--despite issues with a particular ingredient.  You see, the original recipe calls for cream of celery soup. This particular soup is persona non-gratis in this house, no one likes it. I am willing to bet even the dog would turn up her nose to this creamy toxicity.

As I was leaving the house this afternoon to pick up Miss M from school I took a quick peek over at my storage shelves in the garage. From the driver seat of the mom-mobile it appeared we had the cans of cream of mushroom I planned as a substitute. I made a point of my quick check because I was planning to brave the commissary after picking up the littlest Wheeler. (We survived the trip to the commissary because I gave Miss M the job of crossing things off mom's list.)

After returning home and putting away the groceries I decided to start dinner. Out to the garage I go to retrieve my cream of mushroom soup. A quick look to the bottom of the can I discover that soup expired in 2010! Yikes! Peel the label off for the Campbell soup points for the PTO and back out to the garage for the last can of cream of mushroom soup. Checking the bottom of that soup I learn it expired in 2011. Growling I remove that label for the PTO and stomp out to the garage. My choices now are cheddar soup or cream of chicken. I grab both cans of the cheddar soup, surely one of those has yet to expire. Wrong. One expired in 2011, and the other in 2009. Not only is throwing four cans of soup in the garbage sad, but add to it the fact that at least one of those cans of soup made the move from Utah to South Korea and then back again. I really need to 1) come up with a better system rotating can goods, 2) check expiry dates on can goods BEFORE the packers come to pack us for a move, and 3) check them again when unpacking. I suppose the best option would to channel my friend Denise, she makes her own cream of *fill in the blank* soups for use in casseroles.

After the great soup massacre, my only choice was to use cream of chicken. That soup is a common one used around here so I KNEW none of those were expired.  I did worry about how the cream of chicken soup would taste in a ham dish. It proved to be a mute point as I received a thumbs up from Hero and a double thumbs up from Miss M.

Below is the recipe, as always changes and thoughts are in red.

Ham & Swiss Casserole

• 8 oz. package of egg noodles (The egg noodles in our commissary are in 12 oz. pkgs, so I just used the whole package.)
• 2 cups cubed ham (I found my ham in the meat section already cut, the packages were 8 ozs., so I used two for this recipe.)
• 1 can cream of celery soup (After discovering almost all of my "Cream of" soups had expired, the only option left was to use cream of chicken, turned out just fine.)
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese.
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper (I only had red, yellow, and orange in the crisper, so I used the orange one.)
• 1/2 cup diced onion

1. Boil the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain, rinse and set aside. 
2. In a bowl mix together the soup, sour cream, pepper, and onion.
3. Grease a 13"x9" baking dish, I use Pam and just spray the pan while on the inside of the open door of the dishwasher this way the next time I run the dishwasher any over spray is washed away. Just make sure your dishwasher is empty of any clean dishes. 
4. Layer the bottom of the pan with half the noodles.
5. Add half the ham and then half the cheese.
6. Spread half of the soup mixture. 
7. Repeat with the second half of ingredients. 
8. Bake uncovered at 350*F for 30 to 45 minutes until heated through. 

Final thoughts: This made a rather large casserole for my small family. In the future I will make this dividing the recipe into 2-8"x 8" pans--one for that night and the other for the freezer. Keep in mind that when reheating frozen pasta it tends to get mushy, so under cook the pasta just a bit to help prevent this. Also, instead of layering the ingredients I will mix them with half the cheese, putting that into the dish and then topping with remaining cheese. By layering we found that some of the noodles on the bottom and around the edge became hard and not that yummy lasagna corner hard either. I might even add a vegetable such as peas or broccoli the next time. The final change I will make is using perhaps two cans of soup or adding just a bit of milk to make sure there is enough sauce to coat all the pasta. 

Enjoy!

Potatoes and Sausage

I am back. Back to menu planning, back to torturing trying new recipes on my family, I am back. Last week I tried this recipe for spicy chicken stew. It was a crock pot recipe, and it did make the house smell scrumptious. However, it was not received well, even the dog turned up her nose. After dinner the rest of the dinner was bid a farewell into the garbage disposal. It is very rare around here that a fail goes straight down the drain without passing go, without becoming a science project in the refrigerator.

Tonight's new recipe was a much bigger hit. In fact, I got the green light from Hero to try it again with chicken instead of sausage. (He'd rather I not cook sausage at all, but Mama loves sausage so he tolerates it on occasion.) When I first came across this recipe in a grocery check out recipe magazine there was an ingredient and a step that threw me off for a bit, but it proved to be a pleasant surprise. As always, my thoughts, and changes to the recipe are in red. Since I doubled the recipe that is the way I will share the recipe with you.

Potatoes and Sausage

• 1 pkg. Kielbasa, sliced into 1-inch pieces, I like to use the skinless variety
• 1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced
• 1 medium sweet bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces, I completely forgot this ingredient and it still tasted delicious
• 8 red potatoes cut into fourths, I left the peels on, removing any eyes or blemishes on the potatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• 4 TBsp olive oil, I just used the canola I had in the cupboard
• 1/4 tsp salt, I didn't measure and I probably put in closer to 1/2 tsp
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, again, I didn't measure and probably used closer to 1/2 tsp
•  1 TBsp of dried thyme, I didn't measure this either, just eyeballed it in my palm
• 1 TBsp of dried rosemary, I didn't measure this either, just eyeballed it in my palm
• 1/2 C. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. I used a mortar and pestle to crush up my dried herbs. 
3. Mix all the ingredients, except for the cream, in a bowl. Then pour into a greased 2-qt. casserole dish.
4. Bake covered for 45 minutes.
5. Stir in the cream, mix well, continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until potatoes are cooked and most of the cream is incorporated. 

This casserole fed my family of three with some left overs. Meghan and I each had a small portion, while Hero had a couple of servings. I think this would feed a family of six with no left overs, but be sure to have plenty of sides just in case. The next time I make this I think I will substitute the sausage for cut up chicken breasts, and I will try using my favorite seasoning, Cavender's Greek Seasoning. 

Enjoy!

Lunch Lady Bars

Earlier this spring I was trolling the internet for recipes when I stumbled upon this glorious recipe that is a combination of oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate. Merely reading the ingredients, I KNEW I was addicted. This recipe has all the right elements. The perfect marriage of flavors that were meant to be together, this recipe is quick, easy, and makes enough to take half the pan to a party while leaving the other half at home for you to devour.  The girls at Six Sisters' Stuff do not disappoint, and this recipe is no exception.

In fact, this recipe is so delish that my friends and I have re-dubbed it, "Soccer Mom Crack." I know that is not a very nice name and is right up there with "Slutty Brownies" on the offensive food titles...but I warn you and you will be HOOKED.

When I make this recipe I do deviate a smidge from the recipe. I use quick oats because that is what the hubs prefers in baked goods, and I use a bit more peanut butter in the base layer. Additionally, I use more peanut butter in the middle layer. I do not bother measuring it out, instead, I simply slather the peanut butter on. When it comes to the chocolate frosting, I am LAZY, therefore, I use the pre-made stuff. It takes about two cans of the frosting to cover my bars.

I have made this recipe twice this week for parties. Unfortunately not a single bar is left for me to include a picture.

Roasted Vegetables

Mr. Wheeler LOVES roasted vegetables, a fact I have just recently learned after almost 12 years of marriage. Tonight I made roasted vegetables, and tonight I took the easy way out.

• 2 medium sized red potatoes (remember we are a small family of three)
• 2 medium sized red onions
• 2 carrots
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 packet of Lipton's onion soup mix
• splash of olive oil

1. Wash your potatoes, cut them into similar sized chunks. Place potatoes into a zip-loc bag, or if you prefer a bowl that will be large enough to mix all your ingredients.
2. Peel onion. Leave a smidge of the root attached so that when you cut your wedges your onion maintains its shape. Cut onion into wedges, I cut each of my onions into 6 wedges. Add to cut potatoes.
3. Peel (or not depending on preference) carrots, cut into similar sized chunks. My carrots were like me, short and squat, so I cut them in half. Then I cut the bottom halves into half again and the tops into fourths. Add to other cut vegetables.
4. Peel garlic and add to other vegetables. I have taken to buying my garlic already peeled, it is just easier for me since we use a fair amount of garlic in our house.
5. Sprinkle vegetables with soup mix, add enough oil to coat vegetables evenly. I love to use a zip-loc bag for this step because then I can close it up and give it to Miss M to shake it up. She LOVES to help in the kitchen.
6. Spread coated vegetables on baking sheet. 
7. Bake at 350F for at least 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Tonight I baked them at 350F for 25 minutes and then at 425F for 20 minutes when I added my chicken to the oven. Turned out great.

Enjoy!

Mini Meat Loaves

I  have an obsession with love recipes, recipe blogs, cookbooks. Many hours are easily spent trolling the Internet for the next new recipe to try--the next recipe my family will enjoy. When we first arrived in South Korea and moved into our home we did not have fast Internet, I was using my cell phone as a hot spot. It worked, but not as fast as my mind switches gears. Therefore, I discovered the cookbook section at the library on base--much to my husband's delight. See, book checked out of the library means that (1) I didn't spend money and (2) it eventually has to go back and thus keeps my cookbook obsession under control. One day while perusing the shelves I stumbled upon Betty Crocker Quick & Easy Cookbook, I swear promise, I saw the heavens part, a ray of light shone down on this enormous spiral bound book and just dared me to take it home. To appease the culinary gods I checked out that immense cookbook and about 4 of her best friends. Why only 9? Because the library has a limit on the number of books you can check out once and I had to let the kid get a few books too. *sigh*

Anyway, from that book I stumbled upon a few recipes I would be willing to use my family as guinea pigs for--this is one of them. I made them for the first time a few months ago. We ate them for dinner one night and I froze the rest into packages of three for future meals. Now three months later we are out of mini meat loaves in the freezer, so, it's what's for dinner tonight. As always my thoughts and changes are in red.

Mini Meat Loaves

Prep Time: 10 minutes  Start to Finish: 30 minutes  

6 servings(2 loaves each) My husband can eat two loaves, Meghan and I share a loaf.

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 lb. lean ground beef (at least 80%) since this recipe also has ground pork I spent the big bucks and got the really lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb. ground pork 
• 1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix 
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup) (I don't know where they found their small onion, but I have NEVER come across a small onion that only yielded a 1/4 cup when chopped...just saying)
• 1 egg
• Garlic....must have garlic, I minced two cloves for this amount. Tonight I will be doubling this recipe and will most likely do four to five cloves, but we love our garlic.

1. Heat oven to 450*F. In small bowl, stir ketchup and brown sugar until mixed; reserve 1/4 cup for topping. In large bowl, stir remaining ingredients and remaining ketchup mixture until well mixed.
2. Spray 13 X 9-inch pan with cooking spray. (I just take my cookie sheet and cover it with tin foil so when I am done cooking I can toss the foil. I know wasteful and increasing my carbon footprint, but as I have already said a couple of times--I am lazy.) Place meat mixture in pan; pat into a 12 X 4-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise down center and then crosswise into sixths to form 12 loaves. Separate loaves, using spatula, so no edges are touching. Brush loaves with reserved 1/4 cup ketchup mixture.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until loaves are no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160*F.

Tonight I am going to serve this with garlic mashed potatoes, I TOLD you we love our garlic, and either a salad or green beans. I also have some lovely Korean pears, I might cut one of those up...my mouth waters just thinking about it.

Enjoy!

Taco Soup

I have neglected my recipe blog for nearly a year, and some have let me know how your families are bored with dinners because I haven’t posted anything recently. Well, time has come to rescue your families. However, don’t get too excited as Hero is deployed and there really isn’t any cooking going on in the Wheeler household.

This recipe is coming to you because I joined some wonderful ladies at church tonight for a soup tasting and this was my offering. After scouring my favorite recipe site, www.allrecipes.com, I took a look at what I had in my food storage and combined three different recipes to come up with this one. I LOVED it! There are a few suggestions, if you don’t like warmth choose a mild Ro*Tel or trade plain stewed tomatoes for the Ro*Tel. Since Hero doesn’t like chunky tomatoes, I will be using petite diced tomatoes when I make this recipe for hime.

Recipe for: Taco Soup

To prepare: Defrost your meat. This recipe can be done on the stove or in a Crockpot. If using a Crockpot, do steps one and two in a pan and then add meat mixture to your Crockpot with remaining ingredients.)

Ingredients

Directions

·       1 lb. pork sausage ·       1 lb. ground beef ·       1 onion, chopped ·       2 cloves of garlic, minced ·       1 pkg taco seasoning ·       1 ½ tsp of cumin (add more to your taste) ·       2  - 10 oz. cans Ro*Tel ·       1 – 15 ¼ oz. can of corn, drained ·       2 – 16 oz. cans of Chili Beans ·       2 – 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed ·       2 – 14 ½ oz. cans beef broth ·       1 – 28 oz. can diced tomatoes ·       Sour cream and shredded cheese to garnish with

1.     Brown the meats together until cooked then drain any fat. 2.     Add the onion, garlic, taco seasoning, and cumin to the meat and sauté for a few minutes to toast your seasonings. 3.     Add remaining ingredients. If doing on stovetop, bring to a simmer, then turn to low, and allow it to cook for at least an hour. The longer you let it cook the more your flavors will meld, and the yummier your house smells.  If using a Crockpot, cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours. I like to use my enameled covered cast iron pot and put it in the oven at 300° F for a couple of hours. 4.     Garnish with sour cream and shredded cheese. 5.     ENJOY!

Beans and franks bake

We had this for dinner the other night and it was almost a hit with everyone, Phillip wasn't too fond of having the corn bread on top. The extra casserole I put in the freezer does not have the corn bread batter on top, we will baking corn bread separately.

I got this recipe from a "Taste of Home" cookbook that you can find at the checkout counter. I love those and used to have a serious addiction to collecting them. I have managed to cut my impulse to buy new cookbooks drastically much to my husband's delight.

Yields: 2 Casseroles (4 servings each) (This casserole fed my family two meals)

• 2 packages (8-1/2 ounces each) corn bread/muffin mix (the recipe doesn't say this, but be sure you have the ingredients needed to mix the corn bread and follow the directions on the package.)
  
• 1 can (28 ounces) baked beans(I did not have baked beans on hand so I just used Pork n' beans, I am glad I did because if I had used baked beans it would have been too sweet for my family)
  
• 4 hot dogs, halved lengthwise and sliced (I used a whole package of hot dogs and just sliced them, we like hot dogs)
  
• ½ pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
  
• 1 cup ketchup
  
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
  
• ½ cup chopped onion
  
• 2 cups(8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  
• The recipe does not call for this…but we like a little bit of mustard in our baked beans, the next time I make this recipe I will either put in a couple of tablespoons of prepared mustard or about 1 teaspoon of dry mustard in the mixture.
  

1. Prepare corn bread batter according to the package; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the beans, hot dogs, bacon, ketchup, brown sugar, and onion. Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese; top with corn batter.
   
2. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake the second casserole, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
   
   
   To Use Frozen Casserole: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through.
   

Creamed Chicken & Biscuits

I did not take this picture...I scanned it off the recipe card

This recipe comes from a recipe card I got in the mail over a decade ago. You know the kind you get in the mail in hopes that you will subscribe and pay an outrageous price for the rest. I have been holding on to it for years and figured it was about time I tried it out.

Hero doesn't like chicken and dumplings; this recipe reminded him too much of the dish he dislikes. This was not a hit with him. However, Miss M and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Prep time: 28 minutes Baking time: 35 minutes Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large onion
• 1 1/2 tsp butter
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped pimiento
• 1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 frozen biscuits, thawed
• I had a handful of fresh mushrooms that I wouldn't use before they went bad, I quarted them and added them to this recipe. I thought it was good, but then again I like mushrooms.
• I also added a clove of garlic to this recipe...we are garlic people.
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 11x7-inch baking dish.
2. Chop the onion. Heat butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Stir in onion. Saute until tender. At this point I added the chopped mushrooms and sauted them for a few minutes with the onions. I also added one clove of fresh garlic at this point.
3. Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream, milk and pimiento in a medium bowl and mix well. Soon mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. Sprinkle baked layer with 3/4 cup of the cheddar. Arrange biscuits is single layer over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar.
5. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and the sauce is bubbly. About 20 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
   

We are a small family of three and I didn't really want to have this as left overs right away. So I made the recipe as it reads up to the cheese. I used about double the cheese, and instead of frozen biscuits I used the Pillsbury Grand biscuits that come in a tube of eight biscuits. I split the chicken mixture between two 8x8 inch pans. I baked both casseroles for the initial 15 minutes. Added the cheese and biscuits to both casseroles as directed. One casserole went back into the oven to finish baking for dinner that night. The other casserole cooled and was then frozen before being vacuumed sealed for another night. All that needs to be done with the second casserole is thawed and then baked for that last twenty minutes.

Makeover Baked Potato Soup

Holy Hannah! This was a super easy dinner to make! I got this recipe from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine, the April/May 2008 edition. I have a subscription, and it is by far my favorite magazine. Phillip and I were decided the night I made this that this would be a great soup for once I make it to the mushy foods phase after my WLS.

Prep: 30 min. Cook: 20 min. Yield: 8 servings(2 quarts)

Ingredients:

• 3 medium potatoes
• 5 bacon strips, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup, plus 3 TBsp all-purpose flour, divided
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 to 1-1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (we like spicey so I used the upper measurement of pepper sauce....whew....next time I will cut it back some)
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (we don't like sharp, so we I used mild, and it was still yummy, go with what your family likes)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, white portion only
• Additional parsley, cheese, green onions, crumbled cooked bacon, optional

Directions:

1. Scrub and pierce potatoes; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 8 to 12 minutes or until tender, turning once. (The next time I will make this I will boil the potatoes whole in skin, like for a potato salad, the morning or night before.)
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels.
3. In the drippings, saute onion until tender. Stir in 1/4 cup flour; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Gradually stir in broth. Add the parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining flour with milk until smooth; add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
5. Peel and cube potatoes; add to soup. Add bacon. Cook and stir until heated through. Add cheese and green onions; stir just until cheese is melted. Garnish with additional parsley, cheese, green onions and bacon if desired.
   

Overnight Monkey Bread

I found this recipe on a friend's recipe blog. Go here if you want the recipe.

We made it for our Christmas morning breakfast. It was a hit with the entire family, Emma included. The only thing I did differently from this recipe is, I used a container of store bought cream cheese frosting to frost the monkey bread with. I just put it in the microwave at 30 second intervals until it was the right pouring consistency and then pored over the monkey bread while it was still warm. You really only need about 1/2 the container, but I used it all because I knew I didn't have another purpose for the frosting coming up soon.

Italian-Style Shepherd's Pie

Unforturnately this recipe and a few more to follow don't have an y corresponding pictures. I will try to do better in the future at remembering to get pictures before I am doing dishes and dinner is all done. Sometimes I get so caught up in hurrying up and feeding my family, that I forget to take pictures.

I got this recipe from a Betty Crocker check out stand cookbook. As in the past I will note any changes I made to the original recipe in red.

Prep Time: 20 Min. Start to Finish: 50 Min.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef boneless sirloin, trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch cubes. DO NOT use stew meat, this does not cook long enough to make the meat tender.
• 1 cup sliced onions (about 1 medium)
• 2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 jar (14oz) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 package (7.2oz size) Betty Crocker roasted garlic mashed potatoes (1 pouch) Phillip doesn't like instant potatoes, so I used a package of Ore-Ida steam in a bag potatoes that I had in the freezer. I think they were a garlic mashed type flavor. It was more than the recipe called for, but I used the whole bag. Followed the directions on the package to make the mashed potatoes and then used them in the recipe as directed.
• 1 cup hot water (this is for the potatoes that I didn't use)
• 2/3 cup milk (for the potatoes I didn't use)
• 2 TBsp butter or margarine (for the potatoes I didn't use)
• 2 TBsp shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375F. Spray 2 quart casserole or 11x7 inch glass baking dish ith cooking spray. Heat 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onions, and carrots to skillet; sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently until beef is brown.
2. Stir in mushromms and pasta sauce. Heat to boiling. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Spread in casserole.
3. Make potatoes as directed on package for 4 servings, using 1 pouch Potatoes and Seasoning, water, milk, and butter. Spoon into 8 mounds around the edge of hot beef mixture. Sprinkle cheese over all. I had more potatoes than needed, so I just layered them in one layer on top of my meat mixture.
4. Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and potatoes are light golden brown. 4 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

Lasagna

Tonight we are having Lasagna. I am sure everyone has their own special recipe, this is mine.

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 pound of your favorite Italian sausage (Before Meghan we used Hot, now with her eating what we are eating we use Mild)
• Your favorite Spaghetti sauce
• One can of petite diced tomatoes
• Small palm full of your favorite Italian Seasoning blend, mine happens to be Pampered Chef's
  

In my skillet I brown the meats together. If you buy the sausage in the casing(links) you will need to take them out of the casing before cooking. Just split the casing down the side with a paring knife and then you can turn the sausage out no problem.

*I like my lasagna chunky and full of yummy vegetables like carrots, zuchinni, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. However my husband doesn't like chunky, so sometimes I take all of my favorite veges and pulse them in the food processor until they are small bits, then I add that to the sauce. Just remember that it doesn't take much of each vege you add since you are making them small. Tonight I am not doing that because I am feeling LAZY.

Once I have my meat mixture browned and drained of the fat I add my spaghetti sauce. I buy the stuff in the cans because to me it tastes just as good as the stuff in the jars, is cheap, and I can doctor it up to suit my taste buds. Then I add the can of petite diced tomatoes, I use those because as I mentioned my husband isn't into the chunky. Finally I add a small palm full of my favorite Italian Seasoning. Turning the heat as low as it can go I leave that to simmer while I move on to my Ricotta cheese mixture.

• 1 15oz. tub of Ricotta Cheese
• 1 egg
• palm full each of grated Parmesean and Romano cheese
• small palm full of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning

Combine the five ingredients above in a bowl. Set aside.

• Your favorite 9x13 pan
• cooking spray
• Lasagna noodles
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Shredded Parmesean Blend

*If you have a package of Italian 5 Cheese blend, you can use that instead of the other cheeses.

Spray your pan with your cooking spray. When I am spraying a baking dish with cooking spray I put the dish on the inside of my dishwasher to spray that way any spray over gets washed away with the next load. Just make sure the dishwasher is empty of has dirty dishes in it, you don't want to spray your clean dishes with cooking spray.

My precious daughter, Miss M helping mommy

Layer about 1/4 of the meat mixture in the bottom of your pan. Now here is the cool part, I haven't cooked my noodles since long before those no cook noodles became the rage. I use regular noodles, or whole wheat in our case, and just make my lasagna in the morning to allow my noodles time to absorb some liquid. My pan allows me to lay 4 noodles across the pan lengthwise.
Laddle just enough of the meat and sauce to cover your noodles. Dot the meat and sauce with about 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. I use my fork to spread out the ricotta cheese out a bit.


Sprinkle the top of the ricotta cheese mixture with about a handful of the shredded cheeses. If you like cheesy, use more, if you don't use less.

Do another layer of noodles, meat sauce, ricotta cheese mixture and the shredded cheeses. Then top off with the last layer of noodles and the remaining meat sauce. I like to sprinkle the top of my lasagna with a lot of the shredded cheeses.


I started this lasagna at about 10am, and by noon it was done and ready to hang out in the refrigerator until time to bake it. Usually it doesn't take me that long, but with referring a toddler and a puppy....well you get the idea.

When it came time to bake the lasagna I took it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before I wanted to bake it to let it start coming up to room temperature....I know, I know the food police are going to be busting down my door any minute now.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Put your tin foil covered lasagna in the oven once the oven reaches temperature. Bake for 45 minutes with the foil on, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

My husband likes this much better the second evening....must be a pasta thing. To reheat, bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until warmed through.

Freezer tip: We like to eat on this for two nights, and then freeze the rest. What I do is cut the lasagna into thirds. After the baked lasagna has been in the fridge overnight and before I reheat it I put 1/3 of the lasagna on a sheet of tin foil that I placed on a cookie sheet. Removing the lasagna from the pan works much better if you use two spatulas. I then wrap the lasagna in the tin foil I set it on and place the cookie sheet with the lasagna in the freezer. Usually I let it freeze overnight. The next morning I take the cookie sheet with the frozen lasagna on it out of the freezer and vacuum seal it using my food saver. When I want to eat it, I take it out of the freezer and set it on the counter for about 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes I carefully remove the lasagna from the vacuum sealer bag and the tin foil. Then I place it in a small pan coated with cooking spray. Top the pan with tin foil and put the pan in the refrigerator to finish dethawing.

Hope you enjoy!