Here goes nothing

So this blog used to be about my life in Taiwan...

However, after a few months of telling everyone on facebook what I was making for dinner, lunch, snack etc, a former classmate and friend suggested I start a blog recording recipes.  You've probably all heard of that movie "Julia and Julia" with Meryll Streep and Amy Adams.  I have no intention of working my way through a Julia Child cookbook.  For starters, I don't have the time.  Secondly, I live in Taiwan where getting the right ingredients for Julia Child's recipes is not as easy as you would think.


What you will find from time to time are my somewhat creative cooking outbursts (I swear my husband is much better at being spontaneous than I am), accompanied by delicious baking recipes that I will occasionally get right.


So let's back up a week.  Last Monday after a hard day's work with my amazing second graders, I decided to make lasagna for dinner.  Since ricotta is hard to come by in Taiwan I decided I'd try using tofu instead.  My husband was not super excited by the idea (he does not like tofu, and I can't really blame him) yet everyone who had done it swore that he wouldn't be able to tell it was tofu.  So I went for it.  After about two hours the lasagna was perfectly prepped and baking in the oven, and I had about 30 minutes to sit down for the first time that day.


I'm not a huge bragger, but that lasagna was scrumptious.  I packed some for my lunch the next day and went to bed. The next morning I woke up to find the lasagna right on the counter where I had left it the night before.


Whoops.


Needless to say I was furious at myself and did not win the battle against the tears stinging my eyes.  You must be thinking, it's really not a big deal, but it was to me at the moment!  I can laugh about it now.


After throwing it out, my husband and I decided another lasagna (refrigerated this time) was on the horizon.  So this past Saturday he helped me make another one.  Amazingly enough it was almost better than the first one! We added a TON of pasta sauce to it.


Here goes the recipe.  It's from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook which was loaned to me by a good friend, my adjustments are in italics.


Lasagna


Ingredients:
¾ pound Ground Beef, Ground Pork, Bulk Pork Sausage Or Bulk Italian Sausage (I used 1 pound of ground beef)
1 cup Chopped Onion
2 cloves Garlic Minced
1 7.5 ounce Can Tomatoes, Cut Up (as my friend suggested, I scratched all the tomato suggestions and used a can of garlic and cheese spaghetti sauce, plus a can of diced tomatoes)
1 8 ounce Can Tomato Sauce
1 6-ounce Can Tomato Paste
2 tsp Basil, Crushed
1 tsp Dried Oregano, Crushed
1 tsp Fennel Seed, Crushed , optional (didn't bother)
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
5 ounces Lasagna Noodles , (6 noodles)
1 Egg, beaten
2 cups Ricotta Cheese Or Cream-Style Cottage Cheese, Drained, (I used one container tofu)
½ cup Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese
1 Tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes
1 8-ounce Package Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
Preheat oven to 375 F


For meat sauce, in a large saucepan cook meat, onion, and garlic till meat is brown and onion is tender.  Drain fat.  stir in undrained tomatoes; tomato sauce; tomato paste; basil; oregano; fennel, if desired; salt; and pepper.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes; stir occasionally.  Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (I skipped this step).  Drain.


For filling, combine egg, ricotta or cottage cheese, ¼ cup of the Parmesan or Romano cheese, and the parsley flakes.


Layer half of the cooked noodles in a 12x7/12x2-inch baking dish.  Spread with half of the filling.  Top with half of the meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layers.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese atop.


Bake in 375 oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till heated through.  Let stand 10 minutes. Serves 8.


To make ahead: Prepare as above, except, after assembling cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours.  Remove plastic wrap and cover with foil.  Bake in a 375 oven for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more or until heated through.