Lasagna Casserole

This recipe is from a "Quick Cooking" cookbook and may be a lot like something you already fix, but we liked the flavors. It feeds 8-10 people easily and is great for sharing with a friend in need if you are feeding fewer people.

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 - lb ground beef
• 1 tsp. crushed garlic
• 26-32 oz. spaghetti sauce (to taste)
• 1 lb. medium shell pasta (We also like Piccolini miniature bowtie pasta in this)
• 15 oz. container cottage cheese
• 3 cups Italian blend cheese or mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp oregano*
• 1/2 teaspoon basil*

(*or 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning)

Brown chopped onion with 1 lb of ground beef and garlic to taste. Add 26-32 ounces of spaghetti sauce (depending n how much sauce you like.)

Boil medium shell pasta till just tender (I've also used campanelle curly pasta; it is fun). Drain. To pasta add 15 ounce container cottage cheese and 2 cups grated Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella), 1/3 cup parmesan and 2 tablespoons parsley flakes. Mix well. Stir in sauce. Pour into greased 9x13 pan (which will be very full) or two smaller casserole dishes. Cover and bake about 45-50 minutes till hot and bubbly. Add remaining grated Italian blend cheese to the top and heat till melted.

Creamy Garlic Shrimp

One day we couldn't decide on scampi or alfredo, so I blended both ideas and came up with the creamier than scampi-lighter than traditional alfredo shrimp dinner. Like most entrees with shrimp, it is very quick to prepare! I think this would also be good with frozen peas thrown into the pasta in the last minutes of cooking.

Creamy Garlic Shrimp with Pasta

6- 8 servings

• 1 lb. fettucine
• ¼ cup butter
• 1-2 tablespoons mnced garlic (I buy it in a jar for convenience)
• 2 lbs peeled, deveined shrimp (I prefer the jumbo shrimp
• 2 cups room temp. chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon dill
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook fettucine according to package directions.

While the fettucine cooks, melt butter in a large sauté pan and then sauté garlic on a low heat until it is fragrant. Sauté shrimp until just pink.

Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Whisk flour into cold chicken broth until it is smooth. Pour into sauté pan.

Add herbs and lemon juice.

Cook on medium hat, stirring constantly until broth is thickened.

Whisk in heavy cream and heat to boiling. When it boils, reduce heat to a slow simmer until pasta is ready.

Just before pasta is done return shrimp to sauce and heat through, being careful not to overcook the shrimp.

Drain pasta and toss with parmesan cheese. Add sauce and shrimp and stir until pasta is evenly coated. Let pasta stand briefly so the sauce soaks into the pasta.

Ina Garten's Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

This was a great recipe from "The Barefoot Contessa", Ina Garten. I think we could be kindred spirits. I would live barefoot if it was socially acceptable and didn't make my back hurt so much!

This is a great meal that is quick and easy to prepare. It takes about as long to make as it does to boil pasta. It actually takes longer for the pasta water to heat than it does for the whole meal.

Some variations we might try would be to make this with leftover grilled chicken, or to make the pasta with sauted summer vegetables for a light meal when the heat and humidity soar. I also wonder if it might be good cold as a pasta salad, but we haven't tried that yet. It's a good recipe to use as a springboard for creativity!

This recipe serves 6.

Shrimp

2 pounds (17 to 21 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pasta

1 pound angel hair pasta

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cip olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 medium sized lemons, zested and juiced (about 1/3 cup juice)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss well, spread them in 1 layer, and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until they're pink and cooked through.

Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the angel hair, and cook al dente, about 3-6 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Quickly toss the angel hair with the melted butter, 1/4 cup olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and about 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp and serve hot.

Since I had frozen, cooked shrimp on hand I simply thawed the shrimp and added it to the pasta for a minute of heating through (be VERY careful not to overcook if you are using pre-cooked shrimp). Then I tossed it with the pasta and some Parmesan cheese. A hint of garlic might be a nice addition too...

The Joys of Multi-generational Living

The late summer brought a lot of changes to our household as we mourned the loss of my father-in-law, welcomed my mother-in-law, as well as our son, Scott, his wife Meg and their son, Timothy into our home and brought Elisa home from a summer at Delanco. Scott and his family will be staying with us until they go to Uganda, East Africa, as missionaries with World Gospel Mission in about a year. My mother-in-law is with us indefinitely. and Elisa is home until another camp season or until she leaves for college, whichever comes first!

One of the joys of lots of people in the house is sharing the cooking. It's nice after nearly 30 years of marriage to have someone take a turn as head chef. Meg served will in that role at a recent dinner party for 10. She made a great Chicken Florentine recipe from "Simple and Delicious", a Reiman publication. Served with bread hot from the oven and a salad brought by a guest, the meal was just right! The recipe, with Meg's adaptations is below. You can get the original recipe at Taste of Home

SERVINGS: 6

CATEGORY: Main Dish

METHOD: Other stovetop

TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sherry or chicken broth+ up to 1 cup additional chicken broth
  
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, saute onions and garlic in remaining butter for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Gradually add flour and salt; stir in milk and sherry or broth until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spinach and cheese and sour cream, thinning the sauce as needed with additional chicken broth; heat through.
Remove from the heat. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

Elsie's Lasagna

My mother-in-law is an amazing woman.  This is her recipe for lasagna that I have adjusted to suit our family's tastes.   

Life always takes some adjusting as we've always known, but now, as we enjoy grandchildren and deal with the realities of aging parents it seems like ever bigger adjustments are needed.  

How truly wonderful it is to be able to rely on God's all-sufficiency when things that need adjusting seem just too big.  He is so faithful to give all that is needed in every situation, no matter if it is motivation to wash the dishes or wisdom to make decisions for parents who no longer seem able to make decisions.  

Here's the recipe.   Soon I will post the fabulous bread that goes so very well with this!

Elsie’s Lasagna
Makes two pans of lasagna . (I use foil casserole pans that are about 13x9, but deeper than a cake pan.

1-3 lbs ground beef (I use one)
1c. chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
1 32 oz. can tomato puree
1 quart water
3 tablspoons parsley
(3 tablespoons sugar)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano

Brown ground beef. Saute onions and garlic until tender. Add other sauce ingredients and simmer uncovered for one hour.

2 lbs. Cottage cheese (Ricotta will work)
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ pounds grated mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
(2 teaspoons salt)
2 teaspoons oregano

Mix filling ingredients well.

Bring a large pot of water and about a tablespoon of oil to a boil. Boil lasagna noodles and then chill with cold water. Leave the in water so they do not stick together. Usualy I don’t add oil to water for pasta, but this is one time it is needed.

Put some sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan. Layer noodles, cheese and more sauce in three or four layers. End with noodles, top with a little more sauce and additional Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45- 60 minutes.

This dish freezes well and it is just as much trouble to make 4 pans of lasagna as it is to make two