Lasagna

A few weeks ago, I kept K because D had to be at work early Saturday and Sunday.  We had a med-peds party Friday night and she was passed out by the time we got to my apartment, so just put her in "her" bed.  The next day we went to the Farmer's Market.  She was so cute helping me pick out the veggies. 

We got purple snap beans and she just got so excited when they turned green while cooking.  That night we had Sarah, Jason, and Luke over for lasagna and blueberry pie.  It was a complete hit.  Apparently, Jason really likes lasagna and blueberries.  I knew D would like lasagna as that is one of his "go to" foods when eating out but I was really hoping mine would be satisfactory.  He seemed to enjoy it.  The blueberry pie was also a "yes" food.  I think D was surprised that he liked it!  YAY!  The lasagna recipe is one that my mom has been making for years...it is my dad's FAVORITE! 

The recipe calls for a pound of Italian sausage, but mama uses half beef half Italian sausage because the sausage just has such a strong flavor.  We also use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, mostly (I think) because it costs MUCH less.  The cottage cheese part is my favorite.  I'm not sure why, but I enjoyed the lasagna more than I usually do.  D even had left-overs to take to work for lunch.  Try this out for some people you love...they'll like it!

Lasagna from With Special Distinction (Mississippi College cookbook)
1/2 pound ground beef (I used 92/8)
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 clove minced garlic, (I used 1 tsp pre-minced)
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, cut
1 tsp salt
1 (16oz) can tomatoes (I used 24 oz. chopped tomatoes...liked the extra)
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
6 lasagna noodles
3 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Fresh is SOOO much better)
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Mozzarella cheese (recipe says 1 pound but I think I used 12 deli slices b/c it's what I had...not sure how much that is, it was less cheese but not really detrimental)

Brown meat.  Drain excess fat and blot with paper towel.  Return to pan and add garlic, basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, cook noodles as instructed, drain and rinse.  Combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, eggs, salt, and pepper. 

Preheat oven to 375.  In a 13X9 dish, place half the noodles. 

Spread half the cheese mixture over the noodles and top that with half mozzarella cheese then half the meat sauce.

 Repeat layers once more ending with meat mixture.  Place dish in over and bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Enchiladas for All

I've been wanting to make enchiladas for a while but D kept saying that he didn't like the sauce.  I've been looking for recipes despite this! 

Well, I came across a recipe for beef enichiladas with zucchini in the filling - compromise is key here!  D likes ground beef, I don't really...I like zucchini, D doesn't really. 

We'll just have both!  Along with this recipe was a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce that "doesn't taste like the metallic store-bought sauce."  Hmmmm....ingredients were all things that D likes.  I decided to give it a whirl. 

Now, the recipe calls for you to mix the beef and zucchini together; but, because of our differing tastes, I just decided to put the components together individually.  This gives you the ability to make each enchilada with more or less of a certain ingredient.  I made D's with more beef and less zucchini and mine just the opposite.

 Miss K ended up picking out the filling and eating it without the tortilla (and then later wouldn't eat the filling of quesadillas but only at the tortilla...go figure!).  I'd say it was a successful try at enchiladas that could be repeated.

Beef and Zucchini Enchiladas from Recipe Girl

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 1/2 cups (about 2 medium) finely diced zucchini
12 corn tortillas, slightly heated to soften
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (see below for recipe!)
About 1 cup cheese
Serve as desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.

Heat a large skillet. Add ground beef; break apart with a spoon or spatula to crumble the meat. Saute the meat on medium heat until browned (about 5 minutes). Tilt the pan and spoon the fat out of the pan; discard. Remove cooked meat to a bowl.

Return pan to medium heat and add onion and zucchini. Saute until just soft.  Now you're ready to prepare the enchiladas.

Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the prepared 13X9 pan. Spread it around so it coats the entire bottom of the pan.
Place tortilla on a work surface. Spoon the desired amounts of meat and zucchini on top of the tortilla. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese the meat and zucchini. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of sauce on top. Wrap the tortilla around the filling tightly and place it seam-side-down in the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling until you have finished filling 12 tortillas. Place the tortillas side-by-side in the pan- it's okay if they are all snuggled in there tightly. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the stuffed enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and take off the foil. Sprinkle1/2 cup cheese on top; return to the oven and let the cheese melt (about 5 minutes).  Serve immediately with desired condiments.  Enjoy!

Enchilada Sauce

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
Heat oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Whisk in flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in tomato sauce, chicken broth, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Stir until smooth, and continue simmering over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Serve immediately, or keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

Source: RecipeGirl.com

Mama's Meatloaf

One day last month I sent my mom an e-mail asking for her meatloaf recipe.  Her response..."What have you done with my daughter?"  Ha!  I wouldn't normally make meatloaf for myself, but it's one of D's favorite...so I wanted to make some for him.  Honestly, I think the best part about meatloaf is the sauce and this one has a really yummy sauce.  It uses tomato soup instead of ketchup and is, in my opinion, delicious! 

Mama says that she has had trouble with this staying together, but mine stayed together pretty well.  I didn't add any extra liquid (which the recipe does call for) and was sure to drain any excess fat off before topping it with the sauce for the last 15minutes of cooking.  Daddy likes it with mashed potatoes and English peas.  I don't like English peas, so we had roasted potatoes (apparently a new favorite!) and broccoli.  Now for a game...guess which plate is mine and which is D's!  :-) 

Though I wouldn't normally make meatloaf for myself, I think this arrangement will work.  I make meatloaf and my chosen veggie.  He takes the leftover meatloaf home with him and I keep the veggies for me!  Deal!

Mama's Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef (I used 85% lean)

1 egg

8 crackers crumbled (I used about 2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs)

1 medium onion, chopped

little bell pepper, chopped (about 1/3)

salt and pepper

1/4 can tomato soup (you'll use the rest of the can for the sauce)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together (use your hands!), put into a loaf pan and then into the oven.  Bake for one hour.  At one hour, take the pan out of the oven and pour off excess fat.  The top with the prepared sauce (see below).  Bake for 15 more minutes. 

 

Sauce

3/4 can tomato soup

2 T. yellow mustard

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. vinegar (didn't have this)

1 T. worchestershire

1/2 cup water