Moms homemade Lasagna, Meal #1

Hi, I am Christy Gilvear. In attempts to be a better wife and mother (and to get my kids to eat better) I have set out to cook regular family meals over the next 2 weeks. I cook regularly for my family, maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I am trying to cook more often though and more healthy. My goal is to see a change in my children's tastes and appetites. So cookbook in hand I sat down to make my grocery list. I will be cooking 7 meals over the next two weeks (some nights we will have left overs or breakfast for dinner). I went to the grocery store and only spent $130 on my food! So here is meal number one for tonight:

My mom's homemade Lasagna is the best I have ever had. People always ask her for the recipe when they have it. And here it is for you!

1 lb. ground beef
2 T. parsley flakes
1 pkg. Spaghetti sauce mix
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 (6-oz.) cans tomato paste
2 c. cottage cheese
2 eggs, well beaten
1 (16-oz.) mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. salt
Lasagna noodles

Brown meat. Drain. Add sauce mix, salt tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Cook noodles, drain. Combine eggs, salt, parsley, pepper, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and cottage cheese. Set aside. Layer as follows: 1/2 noodles, 1/2 cottage cheese, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, 1/2 meat. Repeat. Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes.



Homemade Bread sticks from Rhodes dough

1 pkg. Rhodes Frozen bread dough (I just used white)
Butter
Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Bread Seasoning

Let bread set out until soft enough to cut. Slice in pieces about 1 inch thick. Roll between hands until shape of a bread stick. Melt butter. Dip bread sticks in butter then in a mixture of Parmesan cheese and Garlic Bread Seasoning. Spray Pam on your pan. Place bread sticks on pans and let raise until double or triple in size. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.


Note: serve with corn and red cabbage salad.

Unfortunately making it does not guarantee they will eat it.
Day one down.


~Christy

Rainbow cupcakes!

I have started recording studio 5 and just fast forwarding to the things that I find interesting or want to try. Here is a fun cupcake recipe I want to try for my kids. The colors are so fun and so intense! I can't wait to make them!!!


Ingredients:

* 8 ounces cream cheese (about 1 cup), softened
* 2 egg whites
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 box white cake mix
* 1 cup water
* 1 t. vanilla

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy.

3. Add the cake mix, water and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes.

4. Separate the mix and dye fun colors. She put them in plastic bags and cut a hole in the bottom and just squirted a little into each cup.

5. Fill the muffin cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.

Here are some other ideas that she had:

FROSTING: For those who had questions about the frosting, click HERE and scroll down to the bottom of the post for the Vanilla Butter Cream frosting recipe she uses. Also you can click HERE, scroll to the bottom and find a recipe for Cream Cheese frosting that would be another great option.

SPRINKLES: The sprinkles she used are "Rainbow Dots", they can be found hit and miss at most grocery stores in the baking isle. But here's a secret; go to the Macy's Bakery department (or the grocery store of your choosing) and ask to purchase them by the pound. Bakeries buy them in bulk and will usually sell them to you at a much better rate. On the shelf they run about $3.99 for 2-3 oz. The bakery department sells them for $1.99/lb; a much better deal.

CAKE: If you missed the link or recipe for the cake batter click HERE.

The last thing I wanted to mention is the versatility of this technique. She demo'ed the rainbow version, but you can take this same technique and do all kinds of colors and theme's. Here are a few idea's:

Holiday - reds and pinks for Valentines, red & green for Christmas, shades of Green and white for St. Patrick's Day, red-white-blue for the 4th of July, pastel colors for Easter etc....

Sport's parties - Color the cupcakes with your favorite team colors.

Weddings - Serve at a reception using the wedding colors.

Bridal or Baby Showers - Use the brides colors for a bridal shower, or the babies chosen bedroom colors for a baby shower.

You probably get the point. You can go crazy and do all kinds of fun multi-colored cupcakes for any and all occasions.

SO FUN!!! ENJOY!~~
-Christy