The Best Lasagna

This is a recipe I found in my Dec./Jan. 2009 Wonder Time magazine. I love lasagna and am always up to seeing if a recipe is better than what I currently make. We had family over for dinner and although the kids did not eat much this night Steven and I really enjoyed it! Inf act, this will be our lasagna recipe of choice until someone presents me with a better one! Definitely worth making. I prepared it the night before and followed the directions exactly however next time I prepare it, I will probably add a carrot or squash puree to the meat sauce (this is the perfect type of recipe for a puree as it is rarely ever detected!) and chopped spinach or chopped broccoli as suggested in the recipe. I did not get a picture this go around but will certainly be making it again so I will add it the next go around. Enjoy this one and if after trying it you think you have a better recipe, please let me know!

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey (or cooked chicken, Italian sausage, seafood, andouille, etc.) I used 1 lb. hamburger and 3/4 lbs. italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
26 to 28 ounces (about 3 cups) pasta sauce
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons red wine (optional) -I used it
1 cup chicken stock
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons white wine (optional)- I used it
12 ounces (3 cups) freshly grated mozzarella
6 to 8 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups cooked, well-drained broccoli, spinach, peas, or other vegetables (optional)
1 cup (about 4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 400. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan.
Thoroughly cook the ground beef, garlic, and herbs in a large skillet, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat.
Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Season to taste and add the red wine, if using. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add cream cheese, turn heat to low, and whisk until smooth, about 6 minutes. Season to taste and add the white wine, if using.
Spoon half the meat sauce into the pan as evenly as possible. Sprinkle 1 cup grated mozzarella over the meat mixture. Top with 3 or 4 lasagna noodles. If using vegetables, toss them evenly over the noodles.
Pour the cream-cheese sauce over the noodles and cover with another cup of grated mozzarella. Arrange 3 or 4 lasagna noodles over the cheese, then spoon remaining meat mixture over noodles as evenly as possible. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and the grated Parmesan.
Bake until brown and bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes. (You'll need the longer cooking time if you have made and chilled the lasagna in advance.) Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes or it will be too gloppy to cut well. That would drive you crazy this late in the game.

Monterrey Ham Italian Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups pasta shells

Cheese Sauce:

2T margarine or butter

2T flour

1 1/2C milk

1C shredded Monterrey jack cheese

salt/pepper to taste

dash of Worcestershire

Cheese ham mixture:

1C cottage cheese

4oz. softened cream cheese

1 1/2 chopped ham

1 can chopped black olive

1 egg

1/3C fresh basil, loosely chopped

2T Parmesan

salt/pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Boil noodles and set aside.

For cheese sauce, melt margarine/ butter over medium heat, slowly add flour and stir til smooth. Whisk milk in slowly until well blended and stir constantly until boiling. Add Monterrey cheese and stir until mixed. Set aside.

For ham and cheese mixture: Mix and toss ingredients for mixture.

Toss noodles, sauce and mixture together and place in casserole dish. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes. (serves 8)

Spanish Wheels

This is a quick and easy pasta recipe my family enjoys. We use wagon wheel pasta but any style can be used.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Hamburger or turkey burger

½ med. Onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can (28 oz.) Diced Tomatoes (we like to use the ones with spiced added), undrained

2 cups uncooked wagon wheel pasta

½ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. chili powder

DIRECTIONS:

In a skillet, cook beef, garlic and onion over med. heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes, pasta, salt, sugar and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top. (Yield: 4-6 servings)

Tater Tot Casserole

This is a comfort food favorite at our house. Although the tater tots ruin the health factor of this meal I try to at least use lean turkey burger, reduced fat and sodium cream of mushroom soup and lots of vegetable puree.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Lb. lean ground turkey burger
Tater rounds (we really like Winco's generic brand)
1-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I like Campbell's healthy request reduced fat/sodium)
1/4- 1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup carrot puree
3/4 cup squash puree
1 cup grated Colby-jack cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 415F
2. Brown meat in large skillet over medium high heat I often season with garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Add milk, soup, purees and frozen vegetables. Simmer till heated.
4. Create a layer of tater rounds on the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Evenly spread the meat mixture on top of the tater rounds. Sprinkle with cheese and add a final layer of tater rounds on top. Bake at 415F for 25-30 min.

What's for breakfast?

One of the most important and favorite meals at our house is breakfast and I am always trying to make something new each day of the week for my boys. These are the weekly staple breakfasts to get my boys going each day.

Mason's favorite...Pancakes! We really like the Krusteez brand however we have been trying to buy generic in an effort to save money and really, we can't tell much of a difference. Here are the different add-ins I have tried and liked: blueberries, 1 mashed banana and chopped pecans, (1/4-1/2 cups) pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, apple sauce and cinnamon. Most pancake mornings also have eggs served on the side for some protein.

One of Garrett's favorites...oatmeal! I buy the old fashioned oats in the bulk section at Winco and prepare it on the stove top. I feel as though all the sugar in the prepackaged flavored oats is too much and unnecessary, here are the add-ins I use for delicious oatmeal (prepared with 1 cup old fashioned oats and 1 1/2 water): 1 mashed banana, frozen blueberries, apple sauce and cinnamon, 1 tsp. Splenda brown sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla, sub. apple juice for water and add some cinnamon, pumpkin oatmeal from my Deceptively Delicious cook book.

Our other weekly breakfasts consist of cold cereal (Raisin Bran, Honey Bunches of Oats, Cheerios, and Life are favorites around here), hot cereal-aside from oatmeal we also like Zoom (a wheat cereal) and cream of wheat, french toast, scrambled eggs and toast (usually with cheese sprinkled on top and occasionally diced ham as well), and egg sandwiches (English muffins with egg and cheese)

Cheesy potato, vegetable and ham chowder

This was one of those throw it all in the crock pot and see what you get recipes and it turned out to be quite tasty!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chicken broth

5 potatoes peeled and diced

2 medium carrots peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli

1 Tbs. parsley

shake of nutmeg

shake-shake of pepper

shake of celery salt

shake-shake of onion powder or chopped onion if preferred

8 oz. Velveeta cheese cut up

2 Tbs. butter

1-2 cups diced ham

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook all ingredients EXCEPT cheese, ham and butter for 3-4 hours on HIGH, longer if using LOW.

2. With a potato smasher or fork, smash 1/2 of the potatoes.

3. Stir in cheese, butter and ham. Cook an additional 30-60 min. or until cheese is melted and ham warmed.

We really enjoyed the thickness of this chowder but add milk or broth to create your desired thickness.