Lasagna - The Easy Way (sort-of)

Yesterday Mom (Mare) and I decided we needed to cook something good... so after a quick trip to the store to stock up we set off on the task of making Lasagna... now if you are anything like me - this is one dish that is a major pain to make - NOT ANYMORE - Nancy introduced me to the idea of noodles that don't need boiling first they are great... it took a little convincing to get mom to try them - I think what did it was every pan in the kitchen was already in use. But the end result was delicious and since Mare and I both had no idea these wonderful noodles existed - I thought I'd share this tip with you (FYI you need to use a little more sauce/liquid and keep the pan covered while cooking so they don't dry out) - happy cooking :-)

Recipe (not that we used one)

1lb sausage (or hamburger if you prefer)

Sweet Onion

Sweet Pepper

2 jars favorite sauce (Peck's love Vodka Sauce)

4 Roma Tomatoes - slices

16oz. Cottage Cheese or Ricotta (We vote Cottage Cheese)

2 Eggs

4 Cups Mozzarella or other Italian Cheese

Portabella Mushrooms (for Bill's half)

Garlic and Italian Seasoning

Cook your sausage, and saute your onions peppers and mushrooms - seasoning as needed.

Heat up sauce and doctor it up appropriately

Mix Cottage Cheese or Ricotta with 2 eggs and 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

Using 9x16 pan Start with 1 C. sauce in bottom of pan - then 4 noodles then layer with sausage/veggies, cottage cheese, tomato slices, sauce and sprinkle some more cheese on top, then repeat making sure all noodles are totally covered with sauce. Bake covered for approx. 1 1/2 - 2 hours and enjoy.

If you try it - let us know what you think.

Pheasant Winnings

Each year Bill and his buddies head up to Lansing to the Pheasants Forever Banquet... in years past he has won guns, boats, and a whole load of other hunting paraphernalia. This year the guys decided to bring their wifes/girlfriends thinking they might have a chance to win 'more stuff'... as you might imagine that plan backfired and we didn't need the lucky trailer hitch to pull home the boat or the quad. We did however win a very cool smoker... (ps. ask Bill about the small fire)

Birthday's Galore

As you all know the last week of Feb. is a birthday bonanza... this year we bowled and celebrated Lexi turning 5 ... as you can see from the pic's we had a good time and I still can't manage to get Lexi to look at the camera