Little slice of home

I've been to Pavillions.  You might remember that last week I had heard of this lovely store on the Hill called Pavillions.  Well.. friends... I've been and it was a little messy, a little crowded for a Tuesday afternoon and a lot like Tom Thumb.  I loved it .

It was like walking into the Tom Thumb on Hulen and I-20 in the Fort and it was just what I needed after trying in vain to find all of the tings I have been looking for in the grocery store for weeks.  I'm not saying that I'm turning into a grocery store freak or anything, draw your own conclusion there, but when they had the big Thanksgiving baking pre-set pallet right in the front door... well- I was excited to see a little bit of Safeway safety just 1.2 miles from home.

 Tonight we're having Lasagna for dinner. It's a recipe that I think I've shared before- one that the Paper Family loves- and that they request much more than I love making- for it makes much more than the three of us can consume in two sittings and then there I am with noodles and sauce stinking up my fridge... so I am considering making friends with the neighbors to see if they're in the mood for ooey-goey cheesey saucy pasta for dinner.

So here's a re-post of the recipe with a few updates- Lasagna 201

Ingredients- all approximate measures:

8 or 9 oz package flat homestyle dry lasagna noodles
2 jars of spaghetti sauce- I like Barialla Basil
1# ground beef
1 c water
15 oz part skim ricotta
1 egg
1# shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup water
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 T parsley flakes
Dash nutmeg
¼ c fresh basil chopped
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350

Brown ground beef in a dutch oven or other deep pot- flavoring it with salt, pepper and garlic. Drain any excess fat. Add to the pot 2 jars of sauce and a cup of water. I use the water to rinse the jars so we get every last drop of tasty sauce. Bring to a low boil.

Meanwhile, mix together in a small bowl the ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, egg, ½ cup water, parsley flakes, fresh basil and nutmeg.

Assemble: Spray a 9x13 glass pan and a small side dish oven proof pan with cooking spray.

Put about a ½ cup of sauce in the 9x13 pan and ¼ cup into the small one to serve as the base. Lay 3 noodles side by side in the 9x13 to cover most of the bottom. Spread about a tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on each noodle, sprinkle with ¼ of the mozzarella, top with a generous ladle of the sauce meat mixture. Then repeat two more times in the 9x13 and use the remaining noodles and sauce in the small pan.

Sprinkle all remaining Parmesan cheese and mozzarella over the top of the assembled lasagna. Spray cooking spray on foil or use easy release foil to tightly cover the pans. Bake for 45 minutes covered. Then, uncover and bake for 15 minutes more to brown the top nicely. Remove from oven to rest for 15 minutes before cutting to give cheese time to settle.

Refrigerate any uneaten portion and reheat for lunch the next day or dinner the next night...

Uncooked lasagna can be frozen. Cover tightly with additional foil and freeze for up to 2 months. To cook, thaw in refrigerator 24 hours, let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking- I've never done it though-

We like to eat Lasagna with salad (ha) and garlic biscuits-

take a can of small biscuits- cut the dough in half to make 20 half moon shapes- dip the uncooked dough in a mixture of melted butter, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and Italian seasoning.  Bake for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven after you take the lasagna from the oven.  Smells like heaven.  Tastes pretty good too...