Happy Thanksgiving!!

The secret is in the sauce...

I hesitated to share this recipe because would it would reveal that I am not a "from scratch" person all the time.  It would mar my rep so to speak.  A  good friend asked for my lasagna recipe sooo here I am, an open book, now.  : )    Here's my lasagna recipe...

3/4 lb. ground beef

8 -ish lasagna noodles (make 'em fit in the pan however you can) I do three in a row lengthwise and then break one into about a 2/3 piece and place it at the end (perpendicular to the other ones).  I buy the oven ready kind.  No need to dirty another pot, right?

1 beaten egg

2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese divided (I'm cheap so I use the kind in the can)

1 T dried parsley flakes

4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Are your ready for the final ingredient??  Drum roll please...

1 can of Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce.                                                                         There...I'm outed...are you happy now, L?  LOL : )

--------------

Brown beef  in a small stock pot (I usually sprinkle in a little pepper, onion powder and garlic powder while it's browning), drain, and then pour in one (ugh, dare I say it again?) can of Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce.  Heat until the sauce is warmed.

For filling: Combine the egg, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and parsley flakes.

Layer half noodles, then half filling (spread it out the best you can), half sauce/meat mixture, sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella, then repeat.  Once it's assembled sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.  Let it stand about 10 minutes.  This gives you a chance to pop in some yummy garlic bread!  

Note:  Sometimes I'm out of the Secret Sauce so I'll use a different brand.  Just make sure to add some extra garlic powder, oregano, basil and hint of onion powder.   I love Hunt's Garlic & Herb. Way back in the beginning of our marriage a friend shared the secret of Hunt's Garlic & Herb and it was the start of my kitchen coup d'état (another story).

There you have it...my life is an open book, now!  Ha!!

Enjoy!

-

Lemony Pork Piccata

Here's yet another Gooseberry Patch recipe that our whole family loves!  (I've tweaked it a bit.)

2 lb. pork tenderloin, sliced into 16 portions

4 t. lemon-pepper seasoning

6 T. all-purpose flour

4T. butter

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. lemon juice (I use the bottled kind)

Pound pork into slices to 1/8 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Lightly sprinkle pork with lemon-pepper seasoing and flour.  Melt 2 T. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add half of pork and saute 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, turning once.  Repeat procedure with remaining butter and pork.  Remove pork to a serving plate; set aside.

Add chicken broth and lemon juice to skillet.  Cook 2 minutes until slightly thickened, scraping up browned bits.  Add pork and heat thoroughly.  

Serve over quick-cooking angel hair pasta or brown rice to enjoy every drop of the lemony goodness!

Pumpkin Spice Latte...oooh oooh oooooh!!

I found this website here and thought I'd share the recipe...

Just Like Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
Makes 1-2 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute – adjust to taste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (or 1/4 cup of espresso if you have an espresso machine)

Directions:
In a saucepan stir together milk, pumpkin and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds or until foamy. I don’t usually bother with the blender and just whip the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs if you decide to share. Add the coffee or espresso on top.

Optional: (But don’t even think about skipping this step. I mean it). Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

Good Day Chart and Chore Money

Once again, I typed up a comment on another blog and it was so long I decided to make it a post for the 'ol blog.

Kendra over at Preschoolers and Peace wrote a post about their point system with chores, etc. I thought I'd share with everyone what we do here...

I call it the "Good Day Chart". (It's a piece of printer paper with their names and the title markered on it and then it's slipped in a plastic binder sleeve so we can use the dry erase marker on it.) They start out with 5 points each. They can lose points for bad behavior, not doing a chore, not getting a certain amount of schoolwork done before lunch (we have some daydreamers here!) etc. (The bad behavior gets disciplined in other areas, too, not just the chart, by the way.) They can earn points for chores (how helpful they are, doing something that needs to be done without asking, etc.). I also give extra points for extra special kindness, doing extra out of the way things for the adults, getting a certain amount of school work done before lunch, and for doing extra school work at the end of the day. If they have 10 points at the end of the day (before bed) they get a "goody" for the goody basket (usually bubbles, small cans of play-doh, pencils, dollar store things, etc.). On the other side of the coin If they don't have at least 3 points by the end of the day they don't get dessert with dinner. If they have 2 points they go to bed 15 minutes earlier than everyone else (with the exception of the older child who's bed time is later, but he's never had to go to bed earlier), if they have 1 point then they go to bed 30 minutes earlier, 0 points then they go to bed after dinner. It's funny (not funny ha ha, but funny weird!) that if someone is down to 1 point they will work hard on a specific job to get a few more points to ensure their bedtime and dessert.

As far as getting paid chore money we do pay them, but it's a dollar per year of age per month. (We usually do twice a month but with the current economic situation in our house that's been shrunk down to one.) From that they give a portion in the offering, 20 percent of it into their savings account, 20 for a family "tax" (which we compile and spend on things like a video series or a treat out), and the rest goes in their spending jar (they usually use to save for something big or save for Christmas gifts, etc.).