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 :))

DH loves meatloaf… I’m not normally a fan. I LOVED this one! It will be made again! I did them in a muffin tin so we could do reasonable portions

  INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup ketchup, divided
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons McCormick® Parsley Flakes
• 2 tablespoons McCormick® Minced Onion
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Season-All® Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Basil Leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Oregano Leaves

 DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine first 8 ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup ketchup. Mix thoroughly; shape into 8 loaves. Place in 13×9-inch baking pan.
2. Combine reserved 1/4 cup ketchup, basil and oregano; spoon over loaves. Bake 35 minutes or until done (165 degrees F. on meat thermometer).

Mashed potatoes are just Yukon Gold potatoes and chicken broth…. no dairy for me!!

This recipe came from the lovely Nestie Gomela (aka Rachel of Culinary Kicks) and we enjoyed it! It was good the first day, but great the second!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 large can Bush’s baked beans (any canned baked beans work fine)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat hamburger buns (we used white… shhh!)

DIRECTIONS
Brown the beef and pour off fat.
Add the beans to the meat and mix well.
Add ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Cook until hot and bubbly.
Serve on hamburger buns.

no recipe even needed! homemade burgers +fries… mmmm

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.