Beef Carrot Casserole

This is one of Kerrys favorite dishes.  Probably because it somewhat resembles Lasagna.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 c minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup parsley
2 - 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
8 oz. cooked egg noodles
1 cup cooked  sliced carrots

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese( for top)

Brown hamburger .  When meat turns brown add onion and garlic.  Cook and stir in tomato sauce and salt and pepper.  Simmer uncovered 5 minutes.
Combine sour cream, cottage cheese, parsley,  carrots and cooked noodles.

Alternate layers, begin and end with cottage cheese mixture
Cottage cheese mixture
Meat mixture

Cook in a greased   9x13
Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes  last five minutes top with shredded cheese.
If frozen cook 1 hour at 400°

Pasta e Fagioli Olive Garden Style

Olive Garden is one of our favorites with their soups, salad, and breadsticks.  McKenzie began making this for us while she was still in high school.

1 c ditalini pasta or mini shells
2 T olive oil
1 lb hamburger
3 cloves garlic
1 onion diced
3 carrots peeled and diced
3 stalks celery diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to tast
15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can of Great northern beans , drained and rinsed



Cook pasta  drain and set aside.

Saute  ground beef in oil in large 10 qt pot until brown.  Add onions, carrots, celery  and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Whisk in chicken broth , tomato sauce, basil, oregano thyme, Hamburger and 1 c water.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered until vegetables are tender.

Stir in pasta and beans until heated through
Serve immediately.

Kerry's Lasagna

This lasagna is good - A+ good. Dad makes homemade noodles to go in it which kicks it up a notch but I use store-bought ones and it's an "acceptable" substitute :) This is Garrisons all-time favorite, #1 requested meal. Chase hates lasagna in general but loves this one. For me, the fennel is a must but it can be left out if you don't care for the taste of fennel. I recommend making the french bread found HERE to go with this dish.

Kerry's Lasagna

1lb sweet Italian sausage
1lb lean ground beef
1 large white onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
12 oz tomato paste
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c chicken broth
2 tbs white sugar
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
1 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c + 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 lb lasagna noodles (Dad makes homemade noodle. Find the recipe for his homemade noodles here)
30 oz cottage cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pound mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, add in ground sausage and ground beef. Use a spoon to break up the meat into small pieces. Add in onion and garlic and cook until meat is well browned, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar, fresh basil, fennel, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, place lasagna noodles into the bottom of a pan. Pour hot tap water directly over the noodles, making sure the pasta is completely immersed in the water. Let them soak for 30 minutes, then drain and discard water.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a deep 9x13 pan.

To assemble, spread about 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 4 noodles on top. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/4 of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat layering two more times to create three complete layers. To finish, place a final layer of pasta, topped with another 1 cup of meat sauce to cover the pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes to allow the cheese to brown. Serve hot.

Aunt NaTel's French Bread

Aunt NaTel's French Bread

1/2 cup warm water
2T Yeast
3T sugar
dissolve yeast and sugar in water and let sit while preparing other ingredients
2c hot water
1T salt
1/2 c oil
3 cups flour
Beat well with spoon.  Add 3 more cups of flour(total of 6 cups of flour). Add yeast mixture and beat well with spoon.  Rest 10 minutes.  Beat down.  Repeat 5 times.
Divide into 2 parts.  Roll into a 12X14 rectangle on floured surface. Put on a oiled cookie sheet.  Brush top with beaten egg whites and then cut slits with a serrated knife diagonally about 2-3 inches apart along top of bread.  Rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Parmesan Chicken

I made this the other day and I thought it was easy and super yummy. I made some alterations though! They want you to put salad on top, but I wanted it more un-healthy and just better, so after I cooked it I put it in a pan, covered it in spaghetti sauce and sprinkled it with mozarella until it melted! Than of course put it over some pasta. I recommend it unless you want your chicken to be more crisp, the sauce will sog it up.

Ingredients
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt (used regular)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil (used canola)

---- The rest is a receipe for the salad that can go on top, I did not do this but the judging from the reviews they really liked it.

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)1/2 cup good olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry

Directions
Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.*
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through.** Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

* I double dipped the chicken in all of it so that the crust would be thicker and crispier
**I didn't pound my chicken thin enough, so once it was cooked to how I wanted it I put it in the oven so it wouldn't turn black