Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Mama's Homemade Lasagna

When I think about my mom's home cooking a few of my favorites come to mind and this lasagna recipe is one of them! I HEART this lasagna so much that I never ever ever order lasagna at a restaurant because it never comes close to my mom's!


If you look at most other lasagna recipes, they call for ricotta cheese and my mom uses cottage cheese which I think that is what makes this one so different and taste so good.

My mom is one of those cooks that doesn't measure anything when she cooks so it was so hard to get her to write down her lasagna recipe. I tweaked a couple of things and I've got it right!

Ingredients:
1 1/2- 2lbs ground beef
2 small cans tomato paste (and water in cans)
1 tbsp oregano
garlic salt to taste
chopped garlic clove (optional)
1 can of sliced tomatoes
1 box lasagna noodles
2 large cottage cheese (small curd)
2 large pkg shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Boil water in large pot -- cook lasagna noodles
Brown ground beef, mix together tomato paste, oregano, garlic salt, sliced tomatoes
Let simmer together.

Mix a little oregano in the cottage cheese (optional)

In deep rectangle pan, layer noodles, pour sauce over noodles, next layer is cottage cheese, last layer mozzarella cheese. Layer again.
Noodles
Sauce
Cottage cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Bake at 425 (unless it's glass dish, bake at 350), until top begins to brown, about 40 minutes.

This is one of those recipes that taste phenomenal warmed up as leftovers. I think my husband could eat on this for weeks. Oh and my kids--they gobbled it up! YUM!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies


Simple, soft and cheap cookies! This is something I love to make when I'm in a bind and need something sweet at a moment's notice. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry AND there are so many variations to it!

You only need 3 ingredients to make these!

1 box of strawberry cake mix (or any other flavor you have on hand)
2 eggs
1/3 cup of oil

That's it!!!

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.
Aren't they pretty? They even look soft! Perfection right here!!!

Okay, now let's think of all the variations we can make with these: lemon cake mix cookies, chocolate fudge, funfetti cake mix, RED VELVET cake mix cookies...I could go on and on! :)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Paula Deen's Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed (omit 3/4 cup)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Cream Cheese frosting --I just bought mine but she does give us her recipe to make your own.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

This cake was super moist and soooo delicious! I made several changes to the original recipe. I read quite a few reviews that said it was too dense. I ended up making it twice in the same weekend so I could experiment quite a bit. My 1st time, I omitted about 1/4 of the pureed strawberries and added water just like the recipe calls for. I ended up having to cook it an additional 20 minutes just to get it done. My 2nd try, I omitted 3/4 cup of pureed strawberries and the water. It came out much better but still had to cook longer than recipe stated.
Original recipe can be found here !

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Chopped Salad Recipe

This salad is SO easy to make and incredibly healthy and delicious! There's no right way to do it --just get to chopping. If you're making it for yourself, chop about 1/2 cup of each thing. If you're making it for a group --go up to 2 or 3 cups of each ingredient.

Ingredients:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach leaves
Yellow Bell Pepper
Tomato
Corn (raw from the cob)
Avocado
Egg Whites Only (Hard Boiled)
Ham (deli sliced)
Turkey (deli sliced)
Salami (deli sliced)

Chop everything into bite sized pieces and mix! Add pepper to taste. I drizzled a teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil after it was plated. I suggest doing so, in case you have leftovers. This way it won't get soggy in the fridge.

Here's the key: The avocado adds it's own oil --keeping everything together and flavorful. You really don't need any dressing because of it. <-----I love that!

I only added pepper to taste because the ham and salami have enough salt on their own. Remember, salt in excess isn't good for you. I also put a teaspoon of feta cheese on top.
Hard boiled eggs are pure protein! If you're needing more protein in your diet, this is a great way to get it.

Aside from the meats and eggs, everything should be chopped raw. No cooking required! How easy is that?

I hope you enjoy this incredibly easy and uber tasty salad! It's perfect for lunch OR dinner!