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!

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! :)

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 !

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!

Coconut Cake with a twist!

This coconut cake recipe is the best I've ever had! It is super moist and so incredibly easy to make. The recipe calls for white cake mix but this time I made it with yellow cake instead. I think I like it best with the yellow cake mix! Both are very good, it's just a personal preference.

Ingredients
1 package white cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut (found in mixed drinks area)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut

Directions
1.Prepare and bake cake mix according to package. Remove cake from oven. While still hot, using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
2.Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the still hot cake.
Let cake cool completely

then frost with the whipped topping and top with the flaked coconut. Keep cake refrigerated.

SOOOO YUM!

I'm linking up to Balancing Beauty & Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday

Lemon Chicken with Croutons

Lemon Chicken with Croutons

A friend of mine, Margaret, shared this recipe with me last year and it has become a family favorite. I have very few baked whole chicken recipes that I just love but this one is special. YUM! The homemade croutons make it stand out and the lemon flavor....I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I had misplaced the recipe shortly after Margaret gave it to me so I googled around and found out it's actually a Barefoot Contessa recipe! That explains a lot, right? :) Makes you want to try it now? Just wait...I found a video of her actually making it!!!! *twirls*

It's super easy to make but I sooo wish I would've watched it before attempting it my first time.

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken -- (4 to 5-pound)
1 large yellow onion -- sliced
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons -- quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter -- melted
6 cups bread cubes (1 baguette or round boule) -- (3/4-inch)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Toss the onion with a little olive oil in a small roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemons inside the chicken. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels, brush it with the melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Cover with foil and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. (The onions may burn, but the flavor is good.)

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot. Lower the heat to medium-low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more olive oil, as needed, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the croutons on a serving platter. Place the whole chicken on top of the croutons and slice it, letting all the pan juices and onions distribute over the croutons. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm.

1st Recipe: No-Bake Cookies

Look at this picture of deliciousness right here!

YUM!!! Are you drooling? Yeah, I know. Trust me, they really are that good. I made these for my son's teacher at daycare. She requested them for her birthday so I was more than happy to oblige!

My mother has made No-Bake Cookies for as long as I can remember. So, every time I take a bite into this piece of heaven, it takes me back to my childhood. What better way to start off this recipe blog, right? :)

The thing I love about making these is I already had all of the ingredients on hand so no special grocery trips for me! I love it when that happens!

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (may also use creamy)
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

A couple of tips before you get started:

• It is SOOOO important to have all of the ingredients ready and to have the wax paper prepared on the counter (preferably right side up--I made this mistake and my counter tops were waxy, lol). Once you turn on the stove there is little to no time for prep.
• Very important to use the 1-minute quick oats, too.
• The trick to getting these to the perfect consistency is letting it boil for 1 1/2 minutes. I time it from the moment it starts to boil and then immediately take it off the stove. Any more or any less and the cookies will either not harden or they will crumble to pieces. I also put mine in the fridge to help harden.

ENJOY them while you can because they will disappear quickly, I promise! :)

Thanks, Mom! :)