Tuesday- Lasagna

1 box lasagna

1 cont. cottage cheese (small curd)

1 low fat cream cheese pkg.

1 jar of Prego (any flavor you like)

1 pound of lean ground beef

1 tsp. italian seasonings

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 bag of shredded mozzarella



Brown the ground beef in a pan with the garlic, salt, pepper and italian seasonings.

Cook lasagna noodles in seperate pot with salted water

In small bowl mix one cup of mozz. with softened cream cheese and cottage cheese.

After meat cooks add sauce and warm

Put small amount of sauce in the bottom of a baking pan to keep noodles from sticking and then layer, noodles, cheese, sauce. I usually make three layers. The last layer you put however much mozz. on top you prefer and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes with cover and then 10 minutes uncovered.

I'm Back!!

So sorry about the lack of recipes lately.  I'll make it up to you I promise.  While this is not a fancy recipe blog, or sponsored, or done by a tech whiz, it is run by a woman who loves to cook.  But that woman is in college and raising four young kids with her very busy husband.  Hence, the lack of recipes and cooking before, during and after finals.  But I'm back now.  Its almost Summer, so expect to see lots of hot weather recipes, lots of fruit and vegetables and things that don't heat up a kitchen.  This is my hobby.  I don't play the piano well, I don't scrapbook, or sew or knit.  I cook.  And because I am always forgetting the recipes I love... this blog was born and my hobby was expanded. 

Since there has been a distinct lack of recipes this last month, I am going to make it up to you by sharing my menu for the entire week.  If you would like my shopping list for said meals leave me a comment, note or an email: marilee.marks@gmail.com and you can cook along with me each day.  I'm a day late with this one, and its not so much a recipe as an idea for a very basic, very delish, very healthy meal, we had it yesterday.

Sunday
Grilled pork loin chops:  only seasoned with salt and pepper
Grilled zucchini spears: on foil, drizzle zucchini with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, wrap up and cook on grill for about 15 minutes
Sliced veggies and dip: slice up a variety of your favorite vegetables, dip: light sour cream mixed with minced dried onion, 1 tsp. of minced garlic, 3 Tb minced parsley, salt and pepper to taste

Monday
Grilled Chicken breast with pesto-garlic crostini and sweet potato french fries

*1 tsp Mccormick grilled chicken rub
*Ciabatta rolls sliced open
*olive oil
*3/4 cup of pesto
*2 garlic cloves put through a garlic press
Instructions:
In a small bowl mix about 4 Tb of olive oil with pressed garlic, using a pastry brush, brush over rolls
Put bread under broiler until it starts to brown
In frying pan or on grill, cook chicken breasts that you have coated with the chicken rub.  If doing it in a pan make sure to add cooking spray or olive oil to the pan first.
When bread is done, remove and spread pesto onto bread add chicken, a slice of tomato if you wish and enjoy!

This meal is semi-homemade in that I purchased the sweet potato fries from Target!

Tuesday
Lasagna, which I've been told is fantastic

Wednesday
Hamburgers (the juicy secret is in the seasonings)

Thursday
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (of course I use recipes repeatedly when I love them) See archive for recipe

Friday
Grilled Chicken Strips and Veggie Pasta

Food For El Salvador

I recently decided to take my love of cooking to a whole other level.... or rather, country.  I will be traveling to La Libertad, El Salvador this Summer with my church, Church of the Open Door ( non-denominational) to work in a nutrition center that provides hot and healthy meals to the people of the area who would not otherwise be able to eat.  This area was hard hit by floods and mud slides last Fall and many "homes" were destroyed.  I put homes in quotes because what qualifies as a home in La Libertad, would not be offered to many of our pets as homes.  So, I will be joining a team to go and cook for the people, play with the children, translate when I can and share whatever I can.  If you would like to help support me in raising the money to bless the people of El Salvador, please follow the ChipIn link to the right and make a gift securely via PayPal.  Thanks!

Potato Salad

My Mom's Recipe. I wish I could claim it, but I can't. I've tried many places and have never found better. You may want to halve this recipe, it makes a ton! You are going to want to start this recipe early in the day or the night before. Not because it takes all day long to make, but because you need to give ample time for the potatoes and eggs to cool after cooking.

8-10 medium potatoes (also works well with red potatoes)
1 cup of mayonaise
2 TB mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
3 TB dill pickle juice (may seem strange, but it thins the mayo and adds awesome flavor)
1 tsp pepper
salt to taste, because lets face it, I never measure salt
3 Tb finely chopped parsley
3 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
1 cup coarsely chopped dill pickles
8 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

Put whole, unpeeled, potatoes into a pot of salted water. Bring to boil and let cook until a fork goes into easily, but is still nice and firm. We're not making mashed potatoes after all!

While potatoes cook, prepare the dressing. In a mixing bowl stir together mayonaise, mustard, garlic, pickle juice, lemon juice, salt and pepper, parsley and diced pickle. These ingredients will go into the fridge and sit and meld all their flavors together while you work on the potatoes and eggs.

Boil 8 eggs to a hard boil and chill.

After potatoes have cooled take a knife (I use a pairing knife for this step) and peel the skins off the potatoes. They will fall away easily. Cut into bite sized chunks.

Remove shells from eggs and slice into coarse pieces or finely diced, however you prefer your egg. I love big chunks of egg.

Mix egg in with the dressing.

Shortly before you are ready to serve, toss potatoes with dressing.

p.s. I happen to really like sliced black olive in my potato salad and so I add that in, I think it compliments the other flavors really nicely. Also, if you like a sweet pickle better than dill, just substitute it exactly for the dill pickle and dill juice. I myself like to swith between the two every once in a while.

Enjoy Angela's (Mom's) Potato Salad and please let me know what you think!