Misadventures with Tori

in all of its pathetic glory….my lasagna.

(this is the second one I’ve made EVER and it was not as layered as I would have liked. My Pyrex dish was just too shallow. there was also a layer of meat sauce UNDER it…) 

I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com…. and slightly modified is simply amazing. I’m really picky about my sauce, and this blew me away

I stole a stock picture…. DH’s is still to warm to take a good picture. (and I dont want to cut a piece out and waste it… I wont eat it.) 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef (I did a pound, its what I had.)
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I couldnt find them, so I used finely diced and it was nice- left a bit of tomato in there.)
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used dried)
• 1 tablespoon oregano (tori addition)
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced (I used shredded)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, oregano, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (Ours sat about an hour. Make sure to stir every few minutes to prevent burning!)
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. (I added 1/2 of my parmesan cheese in here too….)
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. (We were impatient- we only baked it for 30 minutes total.. oops :))

This was inspired by a post on the WC board… and the leftovers in the fridge. I took what I had and hoped it worked.. it was great! I made it twice… and forgot to measure BOTH times. (sorry!)
Here are rough directions…..

INGREDIENTS
tater tots (about 15)
leftover steak (if its been seasoned great, if not, add a seasoning of some sorts. about 1/2-3/4 cup diced pieces)
5 eggs
optional : other meats or veggies. (make sure to add enough egg to cover if you’re adding more to the bake!)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pam loaf pan.
Microwave tots for a minute or so so they’re soft.
Cut/break them up and arrange them in the bottom of the loaf pan.
Don’t pack them in.. leave a bit of space for the eggs to get in there!
Chop up your steak and layer it over the tots in the pan.
More is better here- the steak really gives it the flavor since its the only seasoned thing in here.
Crack and scramble your 5 eggs in a separate bowl and pour over the top.
Stick it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. (If it wasn’t done, I microwaved it for about 2 minutes to complete the cooking. I’m impatient.)

This served the two of us… but we both needed more… so serve with sides! (we did fruit salad.)

Here’s some TacoBake for you!
Enjoy! 

mmmm another Detroit favorite. This one’s from the mother of IHeartKeith.

DH and I love it! I split it into two pans- one with dairy for DH, one without for me.

Taco Bake

1 lb. ground round (you can also use ground chicken, ground turkey or tofu!)
1 package taco seasoning
15 oz. can tomato sauce
8 oz. seashell pasta (we use whatever we have- we like the wheel shape :))
8 oz package cream cheese (softened in microwave)
1/2 c. sour cream
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, drain.
Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl.
Spray bottom of 9 x 13 pan with Pam.
Put pasta in bottom of pan.
Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. (This is kind of hard to do. Just dollop spoonfuls of the mixture about an inch apart and spread the best you can.)
Spoon ground beef mixture over this.
Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.
Cool about 15 - 20 minutes before serving.