Veggie Lasagna

This basis of this recipe came from a vegetarian friend in Texas--what a great alternative to regular lasagna that honestly feels too "heavy" sometimes. I've made this quite a few times and am always tweaking it depending on what I have on hand. One of these days I'd like to try a spinach variety...

The kids don't think they like it but they always eat it just fine! 

(these measurements are for the above size meal--a 7*11 baking dish)

lasagna noodles, cooked al dente, about 1/3 of a box of noodles

1 yellow, crookneck squash, chopped

1 medium zuchinni, chopped

handful of shredded carrots

handful of chopped onions

1/2 a jar of spaghetti sauce

white cheese, mozzarella or monterey jack (I prefer the mj or a mix so that it's not so stringy/rubbery)

cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (vary amount depending on your preference--I did not use the entire small-size container) (also, I've always used cottage cheese because I generally have some around--I used to think that sounded gross, but, I don't mind it!)

Add your veggies to the spaghetti sauce and let it cook on the stove for a few minutes (mostly just to heat everything up to same temp and let flavors start to meld---do NOT cook your veggies into a mush!) You may want to add a little water but not too much because the veggies have a lot of liquid.

Gently mix your cheeses together. 

Layer in your baking dish: sauce (cuz you don't want noodles to stick to the bottom of the pan), noodles, sauce, cheese, noodles, sauce, cheese, etc. so that it creates a yummy stack that you can't wait to eat!

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and let it bake for another 5 minutes or so.

**sorry this recipe doesn't give exact amounts! I never take measurements of my vegetables and the rest is largely due to personal preferences--I've noticed people are generally pretty picky about how they like their lasagna!

Chili and Cornbread

Chili

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1-2 cans diced tomatoes (I like using petite-diced)

1 tsp chili powder

chopped onion

cumin

brown sugar

Brown the beef. Throw in some chopped onions. Add beans and tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup or so of water till you get the consistency you like. Add chili powder, some cumin (1/2 - 1 tsp) and some brown sugar (1 Tbsp or so) and adjust to taste. Let simmer while you get the rest of the dinner ready.

**This is a pretty basic chili recipe without anything fancy.  What kind of chili do YOU make?

Cornbread

The recipe I used for above photo was from Smitten Kitchen and I did NOT care for it. I chose it because it was different from my usual recipe and used buttermilk (something I've been experimenting with a lot and love to use in pancakes). The following is my good ol' standby:

2 cups flour

8 Tbsp cornmeal

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

Mix dry ingred. together. Add eggs and milk. Gently stir in melted butter. Pour in greased pan (I vary the pan size 9*9, 7*11, pie pan, etc.) and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. 

**I halve this recipe for our little family.  I've also been using powdered milk to rotate it through our food storage. It tastes fine with powdered milk but is a bit more crumbly. I keep tweaking it to compensate for that.

A Wish

I wish i was home more often to actually cook...then you'd see a recipe from me once in awhile! I can dream!

Shredded Beef Sandwiches

So dang easy!

3 lbs. beef chuck roast

1/2 large onion, chopped

1/4 cup vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced (I used more)

1-1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Place meat in slow cooker. Top with onions. Combine vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over meat. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 5-6 hours. Shred meat (you can drain the broth to save for dipping, or shred the meat and combine it with the broth--I like it combined because it keeps the meat moist).

I usually add bbq sauce to it after I shred it, and then pile it on top of buns sandwich-style. That's Geoff's favorite way--it's a Texas thing. I think it still makes good sandwiches without the bbq sauce too--it's just a little plain.

Original recipe is from "Fix-It-and-Forget-It-Entertaining"