Lasagna

My family prefers this without the cottage cheese layer and it works fine without it, but I will include it as an option.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
2 - 14 oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp chili powder (I add extra)
1 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp basil
9-12 lasagna noodles (oven-ready)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the beef with the onions and garlic. Once brown, add the tomato sauce, water and spices. In an 8x11 baking dish layer 1/3 of the sauce, noodles, 1/3 sauce, noodles and the rest of the sauce. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 350. Remove foil, top with mozza cheese and bake another 15 minutes uncovered.

Cottage Cheese Layer:
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt

Mix together and spread on top of the first layer of noodles. Top with more noodles and then remaining sauce.

I make my lasagna in an 8x11 dish because it's saucier. It can also be done in a 9x13 but will be a bit drier. It's a personal preference.

Chili

1 lb ground beef
1/2 an onion, chopped
1/2 a green pepper, chopped
2 tsp garlic powder
14 oz can pasta sauce
12 oz can stewed tomatoes
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano

2 tsp beef bouillon
14 oz can kidney beans (I use navy beans instead)


Brown the beef, onion, pepper and garlic. Add the beans, tomatoes, pasta sauce and spices. Simmer 30-45 minutes. Makes a good sized batch, perfect for more than one meal.

Meatballs, Meatloaf and Hamburger Patties

I use the same recipe for all three. It's an old family recipe that's been passed down on Dad's side.

Basic Recipe
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1 package onion soup mix
salt & pepper

Mix beef with egg and milk, then add the dry ingredients and mix well. Now for the prep....

For Meatloaf:
Spread into an 8x11 or 8x8 baking dish (depending on how thick you want your meatloaf to be) and bake 45 minutes at 350. Serve with ketchup. I like to line my pan with parchment paper because it gets good and greasy.

For Meatballs:
Roll meat into small balls and place on a baking sheet. Brown them in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. Then you can add your sauce and bake them about another hour. We like Auntie Edie's meatballs here.

Auntie Edie's Meatball Sauce
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup ketchup
3 T soy sauce

I use these amounts for 1.5 lbs of meatballs but you can easily increase the amounts for larger batches. Pour over the meatballs and bake an hour at 350. I serve them over rice or mashed potatoes.


For Hamburger Patties:
Shape meat into patties and stack with waxed or parchment paper between. Freeze until ready to grill. Makes 8-9 patties from 1.5 lbs of meat. These make the most amazing hamburgers! In summer we have hamburgers at least once a week.

Unstuffed Shells

4 cups medium pasta shells
1 lb. ground beef
chopped onions
1 tsp garlic salt
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp basil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella


Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, brown the beef, onions and garlic. When beef is brown, add the jar of pasta sauce. Whisk together cream cheese, milk, parmesan and basil and toss with the drained pasta. Spread half the meat mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, top with the pasta and the remaining meat mixture. Top with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 375, uncovering after 10 minutes.

Honey'd Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts (cut up or left whole)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger

Mix honey, soy sauce and remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken in a casserole dish. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350. Serve over rice.

Chicken Stir-fry with Pasta

1 T oil
1-2 chicken breasts, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Brown chicken in oil, then add the vegetables. Combine chicken broth with the remaining ingredients. Once the veggies are cooked through, add the sauce and cook until sauce thickens. Serve over pasta or rice.

The original recipe calls for a sauce of just the chicken broth and the cornstarch, with a sprinkle of rosemary added to the veggies as they stir-fry. This version is also good.

You can pretty much add any veggies you like to this; red peppers and mushrooms are very good but almost anything will work.

You could also make this with pork or beef, substituting beef broth for the chicken broth and adding brown sugar instead of white.

Rice Stir-fry

1 T oil
1 chicken breast, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1-2 cups broccoli florets (frozen works well)
4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp sugar

1 T soy sauce
1 T oyster sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 cups instant rice

Brown the chicken in oil until cooked through. Add the veggies. Combine the chicken broth with soy sauce, oyster sauce and garlic. Add to pan along with instant rice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice and veggies are cooked through.

This recipe is very forgiving. If you use a deeper wok pan, you can do equal amounts of rice and broth (I usually do a bit more broth than rice). You can add whatever you want to the sauce (ginger, a bit of sugar, varying amounts of soy or oyster sauce). You can also use chicken broth by itself without adding anything to it or use different types of vegetables. This feeds my family of 6; if you are cooking for fewer people, decrease the broth and rice amounts.