Manly Meaty Lasagna

We had the pleasure of having Josie over last week for some family time and dinner.  I was craving our lasagna and so I went ahead and made that and tried a new salad recipe as well.  I LOVE our lasagna.  Two Christmases ago, my stocking was stuffed with a magazine called One-Pan Recipes by Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications.  I have found several good recipes but this one has been my all time favorite.  It uses no-boil noodles and a lot of meat.  It also doesn't have a real heavy red sauce AND the best part is that you put Alfredo Sauce on the top.  It is definitely a lasagna your man would love because it has so much meat and it is delicious...YUMMY!!! Check it out...

Meaty Lasagna Bolognese

Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound lean ground beef

8 oz bulk Italian sausage

4 oz pancetta or bacon (I've tried both and prefer bacon)

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, chopped (about 1 cup...I grate the carrot and chop it so it is hidden and the kids are more likely to eat it!)

2 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup) I omit the celery...not a fan.

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup whole milk or half and half

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (I use the whole can)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp snipped fresh sage

1 Tbsp snipped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

1 10 oz container refrigerated Alfredo pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 375.  For meat sauce, in a dutch oven, cook ground beef, sausages, pancetta, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is brown and vegetables are tender.  Drain off fat.

Stir in milk.  Simmer, uncovered, until milk is nearly evaporated.  Stir in wine and broth.  Simmer, uncovered, until liquid is nearly evaporated.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sage, parsley, black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper.  In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

To assemble, spread one-third of the meat sauce over the bottom of an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish.  Sprinkle with one-fourth of the cheese mixture.  Top with four noodles.  Repeat layering meat sauce, cheese mixture, and noddles two times.  Spread the Alfredo sauce evenly over the noodles.  Cover dish with foil.

Bake for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.  Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until heated through.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.  Make 9 to 10 servings. 

Wilted Greens with Bacon Vinaigrette

from Sunny Anderson's show Cooking For Real off the Food Network.

• 4 hearts romaine, chopped
• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place romaine in a serving bowl. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble over greens. To the pan, add sugar and vinegar, and simmer until sugar is dissolved, scraping up bacon bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour hot dressing over greens and toss. Serve immediately.

It was a delicious dinner and to be honest, it's always fun to have Josie here and to watch her play with the girls.  Emilie LOVES her.  She ran into the room and ran straight to Josie. When your kids open up to people and act like themselves, you know they are good people.  The girls had another opportunity to enjoy company this weekend.  Adam's parents were here and so were his great-grandparents, the Marks.  They went and saw a show at the Opry while the rest of us went to a Belmont basketball game.  It was an exciting game because Belmont wasn't just playing anybody, they were playing Stetson Steve!  It was so good to watch Steve coach at the Div I level.  Adam and I have trucked all over to watch him coach and he's worked so hard and come so far.  There is nobody more deserving of making it to this level than Steve.  Belmont won, but we sat on the Stetson side and cheered Steve on. 

We also had the pleasure of hosting Steve's wife, Brittany, here at the house.  We love having her around.  Adam likes to make fun of how healthy she eats, and I enjoy visiting with her about her occupational therapy and her love for cooking.  I've featured some of her recipes on here before.  She's such a fantastic person and Steve is so lucky.  SO LUCKY!  :)

To top it all off, the Drabyns were in town!!  Mom and Papa Bear Drabyn came over one night for pizza and fun at the Mark home.  We played, made fun of Steve, and of course, did marching band.  Everyone had an instrument and Papa Bear even found a creative way to get involved and used my vacuum as a conductor's wand.  We even had a chance to meet Aimee's beloved, Rob the Heart throb!  We had a blast and it was sad to say goodbye to everyone.

  

Loading up the pack mule



Aimee assisting Emilie with "make-up"



Emilie didn't appreciate the chicken fight.



Marching band!!!





Today we actually had tornado warnings.  I couldn't believe it.  I HATE tornado season.  I always take cover and my sister-in-law knows it is her job to call me when it is time to take cover.  I actually had to take cover today because of tornado activity on the radar, but nothing touched down.  The girls were at Mother's Day Out and they had to evacuate into the lowest level of the church.  My least favorite sound is a tornado siren.  I just wasn't prepared!  But everyone is safe and luckily I have an excellent closet under the stairs in the middle of the house! 

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!  Love to all!

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