{ my italian lasagna }

1 lb sweet Italian sausage 
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp white sugar
2 tsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped and divided 
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground pepper
23 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp nutmeg 
1 egg                                                                                   
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
12 Lasagna Noodles

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat until browned, about 6-9 minutes. Drain.

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water. Gently stir into meat. Add sugar, basil, 2 Tbsp parsley, salt, Italian seasoning and pepper. Gently stir into sauce. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Get noodles soaking in hot water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together ricotta cheese, nutmeg, egg and remaining 2 Tbsp parsley.

Using a 9x13” pan, layer first 2 cups of meat sauce on bottom of pan, then 6 noodles, half ricotta cheese mixture, half mozzarella and half parmesan. Repeat all layers, saving a little cheese for the top, then add remaining meat and cheese.

Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes.
Serves 12.

Recipe source.

Photo Source.

{ jill’s pork tenderloin }

3 lbs pork tenderloin (1 pkg. of 2 tenderloins), cut into 4 pieces total
1 lb bacon
¾ cups soy sauce
1 Tbsp minced onions
½ tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp wine vinegar or white vinegar
¼ tsp salt
1 dash pepper
¾ cups brown sugar

Wrap the tenderloin pieces in bacon. Place in an 8 1/2″ x 11″ pan. Poke holes in meat with a fork.

Combine rest of ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Pour marinade over meat. Refrigerate, uncovered, 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest 5 minutes. Slice into 1/2” slices and serve.

Recipe and photo source.

{ asparagus risotto }

1 pound asparagus
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
About 4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces. Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.

In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

Add the wine to rice mixture. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.

Recipe and photo source.

{ hobo dinners }

I’ve received quite a few comments on the hobo dinner in my menu plan. Some of you had never heard of them, and I promise once I let you in on this little secret you’ll be making it every week!

There’s a lot of variations to this recipe… I generally stick to farmer’s sausage for the meat (we have excellent fresh options available) and a lot of people do this while camping or at least over the fire, but I generally just do it in my oven or grill.

All you need is:

Aluminum foil
Meat of some kind (hamburger, farmer’s sausage, hot dogs, chicken, even salmon, shrimp, etc. possibilities are endless!)
Potatoes, quartered
Baby carrots or carrot sticks
Onions, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, etc. cut into bite size pieces
Salt & pepper
Seasoning salt

Wrap individual amounts into little foil packets and bake at 350 for about an hour, maybe a little less. Enjoy!

Photo source here.

{ ranch potato casserole }

This is one of our very favorite recipes of all time! It’s definitely not low-calorie, but it’s easy to lighten it up a little with light sour cream, etc. A great comfort food, it’s also really good to freeze and reheat later if you wind up with an extra pan full like I did this week!

6 to 8 medium red potatoes (about 2 to 2-1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup prepared ranch-style dressing
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
2 tablespoons fresh or freeze-dried chives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Topping:
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups coarsely crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup butter, melted

Cook the potatoes until tender; quarter (leaving skins on if desired) and set aside.
Combine the sour cream, dressing, bacon, chives and 1 cup cheese. Place potatoes in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Pour sour cream mixture over potatoes and gently toss. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese. Combine cornflakes and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (3/4 cup) equals 329 calories, 23 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 481 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 9 g protein. (Weight Watchers = 9 Points Plus)