C'mon over man. I get a kick out of cookin' but being single now, I usually cook way too much and end up...freezing or worse, throwing a lot of it out. sigh.

Hey, If there is one thing us military guys know, it's how to cook.

 

I know talking about franchise food in this thread is sacrilegious but I just tried Pizza Huts new Tuscani Lasagna and it didn't suck too much .. pretty good actually .. just order it and put it in a dish and act like you made it and deny anything otherwise ... props to you for knowing how to cook though!

 

Voodoo....man, one thing I forgot to mention is since the lasanga takes a while to prepare you need to have an appetizer for her to snack on before the main course. Yes, I know how that sounds, get your heads outta the gutter for a sec.

at your supermarket, go by the deli and buy some of their FRESH italian or french loaf breads. Maybe even one of those chopped garlic breads, or herb crusted breads. Get the uncut loaf. You may have to put it in the oven for about 12 minutes or so to get the crust crispy. Spread about a tablespoon of italian seasoning on a serving dish or small plate...or hell make your own with some fresh herbs cut finely. Basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. The drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top to infuse everything. Ta da! you have a great appetizer and great accoutrement to your dinner.

 

Okay Voodoo, you should feel priveledged cuz I called my mom on this one, and she never gives her recipes out for anyone lol She emailed this so everything after this sentence are her words.

INGREDIENTS
[ul][*]1 pound lean ground beef [*]1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce [*]32 ounces cottage cheese [*]3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese [*]2 eggs [*]1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese [*]2 teaspoons dried parsley [*]salt to taste [*]ground black pepper to taste [*]9 lasagna noodles [*]1/2 cup water [/ul]

DIRECTIONS
[ol][*]In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef. Drain the grease. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. [*]In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, half of the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper. [*]To assemble, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of the sauce mixture. Cover with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 water to the edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil. [*]Bake in a preheated 350 degree F(175 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. [/ol][/align]

 

if you cant make good sauce then the lasagna is worth didily imo...n if you dont cook the sauce all day on a sunday (like 3-6 hours) then it aint the right sauce, trust me. nutmeg is also very key. only use hot sausage if your gonna use any at all, the mild crap is just that, crap. and its gotta be italian, not smoked or anything other than that. but like i said, the secret is the sauce (i think in ny city the wops there call it "gravy" for some reason). pm me if you want a recipe. not tryin to give out my families' recipe to the world so just shoot me a pm if ur interested.

 

I agree 100%, however, you should remove the seeds from the tomatos prior to any lengthy cooking. The seeds add bitterness and a foul taste that come out after a long time, say more than an hour. What you do it get nice San Marzano tomatos, whole peeled. Take each one and just scoop and discard the inside of each. then blend the juice and flesh or use a potato mashers if you want some body to it. I do the masher or just the knife in a can trick.

This step is key for high end sauce usually I cook for a shorter time out of laziness, but if I need to impress I remove seeds.

 

i dont ever remove the seeds, to much work. comes out fine, trick is to add a lil bit of sugar...takes the bitter right out

 

I have heard of using sugar too, removing seeds is a pain. I have also heard an apple, carrots, and a pinch of baking soda will help. I actually use a little baking sode usually.

 

She ALWAYS cooks? Lucky!

 

frozen section at the local supermarket!!!

done in 2 hours.....