Traditional Lasagna

Recently I have been looking for recipes that I feel my husband and I would enjoy, but that would also give us plenty of leftovers that I could freeze so I have some meals saved for when the baby arrives next month. I have had pretty good luck freezing Italian pasta dishes and figured this lasagna would freeze well. I guess we'll see what it tastes like in the next couple of months, but I can tell you that the dish that went straight from being prepared to the oven was wonderful! I would definitely make this lasagna recipe again. This particular recipe is very cheesy, which is how I prefer my lasagna. My husband commented that it was a bit salty, so I made a notation in my cookbook to decrease the salt from 1 tsp to a 1/2 next time. I also felt the smokiness from the provolone cheese really stood out, so if you do not like that flavor either substitute the provolone with mozzarella, or decrease the amount of provolone used.

Traditional Lasagna (ToH Winning Recipes)
1 lb ground beef
3/4 lb bulk pork sausage
3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt (decrease based on your preference)
1/2 tsp pepper
3 eggs
3 Tbls minced fresh parsley
3 cups (24 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
1 carton (8 oz) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
6 slices provolone cheese
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, sugar, seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, combine eggs and parsley. Stir in cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Layer with three noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, three noodles, 2 cups meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full). Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Uncover, bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Serves 12. **Note: Freeze desired portion prior to baking. I divided the recipe between two 8x8 pans and froze one 8x8.

A Cool Dessert

My husband invited some friends from his office and their wives over for dinner tonight. It has been pretty warm here in Cheyenne and I wanted a dessert that would be cold so hopefully our guests won't realize how hot our house is...right! I'm doing my best to keep the cool air in and the hot air out, so today I am sitting in the dark as all the shades are drawn and the windows closed! As I was looking for a dessert recipe, I picked up my most recent Taste of Home magazine and turned to a page with a yummy looking pie and better yet you serve it from the freezer! I wanted to post the recipe while I have a little time, but will get a picture up later tonight.


Frosty Toffee Bits Pie
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 Tbls sugar
1/2 cup half and half cream
1 carton (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed
1 pkg (8 oz) milk chocolate English toffee bits, divided
1 graham cracker crust (9 in)

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cream until blended. Fold in whipped topping and 1 cup toffee bits. Spoon into crust; sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Cover and freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.