Michele's Baked Lasagna

Many years ago, I purchased R&F Brand Lasagna noodles.  I decided to save the recipe knowing someday I would not be able to find it. Sure enough, the parent company sold and today this brand no longer exists.   But I still have the recipe.  This recipe is my base. It is great as is, but I will enhance it, making it a little different each time.  I ALWAYS double the meat that is called for.

These are my ingredients.  I start with opening my wine, because I love to enjoy a glass as I cook.

Ingredients

1 lb. Lasagna noodles

3/4 lb. Ricotta (or full container)

2 eggs

4 Cups Meat Sauce - See below

1 lb. Mozzarella Cheese

4 Tbls or more, Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Pepper

Meat Sauce

1 lb. or More Ground meat ( 1/2 beef - 1/2 Pork)  

    (Boston Burger works great and I like to add Italian Sausage.)

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Large Onion

1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley

1 Clove Garlic, chopped or pressed

1 Carrot, grated

1 Can Tomatoes, chopped or mixed in blender for a few seconds

1 (6 oz) can Tomato Paste

1/2 Cup Dry Red Wine

12 oz. water

1 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Pepper

1 Tsp Basil

Sauté onion, parsley, garlic and carrot in oil. Add meat and brown.

Add tomato paste, wine and water, salt, pepper and basil.  Simmer 1 hour.

Boil Lasagna 10 minutes in 6 Qts. salted water.  Add cold water until noodles can be handles.  Do NOT drain.

In a separate bowl mix eggs and ricotta.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 Grease Baking dish and arrange the bottom with parallel layers of lasagna.  Add 1/3 of Meat Sauce, 1/3 Ricotta mixture, 1/3 thin slices Mozzarella.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.  Cover with another layer of each, and a third layer of each.  Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes. 

Serves 8

I chopped my onion, added grated carrots, and pressed garlic.

Saute in 1/4 cup Olive Oil

I added 1 lb. each of

  Harter House Ground Round (95%  lean)

and Harter House homemade Italian Sausage.

At Harter House, all of our ground meats are ground fresh daily from our own trimmings, to ensure the freshest product for your family.

Brown the meat and drain the fat and oil from the pot.

I like to use Bounty paper towels to soak up the liquid.

I added basil rather than parsley.  I love the flavor of basil and I find that fresh spices add an extra kick that always wins the prize.

Next I added chopped Roasted Red Peppers, tomatoes, and tomato paste.

I added 1 cup Cabernet Wine and 1 cup water.

(a little different from the original recipe)

              

                                                       

Now, we let it simmer for an hour.

Next, I've set up my work station to layer each ingredient.

A little oil on the Pampered Chef Stone Bakeware. 

Layer noodles, meat sauce, Ricotta and egg mixture, Mozzarella slices, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat for three layers.  Then bake in a 350 degree oven 30-45 minutes. (since I made a larger amount, I cooked it a little longer)  Then I broiled the lasagna just long enough to make the cheese bubbly on top.

Finally, I made a Cheesy Garlic Bread with English Muffins.  Melted butter and garlic powder sprinkled on muffins and topped with shredded mozzarella.  Broil for about 8 minutes, till the cheese is browned a bit.

Easy Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) can prepared pizza crust

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried basil

salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Unroll pizza dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush with butter and garlic mixture.

4. Sprinkle cheeses and spices evenly over the dough.

5. Use a pizza cutter and cut dough into stick shapes (Lengthwise into 7 long strips and crosswise into 3 strips). Do not separate strips.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.

7. Recut along each strip and remove from cooking sheet.

8. Serve sticks warm with marinara sauce.

I found this recipe at SugarApron.com.

Blue Cheese Salad Wedge

 

I first ordered a Blue Cheese Salad Wedge at Jimm's Steakhouse and I thought it was delicious.
 And I also thought, "this would be easy to prepare at home."  And it truly is.

Ingredients

¾ cup sour cream
1 small garlic clove minced
3 ounces blue cheese crumbled and divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
milk for thinning dressing
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 head iceberg lettuce
4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

Tomatoes, chopped

Additional Blue Cheese crumbles

** For the Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing:

• To make the dressing, add sour cream, garlic, two ounces of the blue cheese, and lemon juice to a small bowl. Use a fork to combine the ingredients, smashing the blue cheese crumbles against the side of the bowl to infuse the sour cream with flavor.
• Add chives to dressing and stir to combine. Add milk a teaspoon at a time until the dressing reaches your desired consistency. Season dressing to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To Assemble Wedge Salad:

• Remove any wilted or brown leaves from the head of lettuce. 
• Cut the head in half starting from the top and slicing down through the core. Then cut each half in half again so that each wedge has ¼ of the core. Rinse each wedge and pat dry with paper towels. Carefully cut core from each keeping wedge intact and place on separate salad plates.
• Spoon desired amount of dressing over each wedge. Sprinkle each wedge with ¼ of the bacon crumbles and ¼ of the remaining blue cheese. Serve.

 

**  Use a Premium Prepared Blue Cheese Dressing such as Marzetti Brand.
Found in the Refrigerated case, in the Produce section.

Panko Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

4 Harter House Tenderized Pork Cutlet.

2 egg, beaten
1/2 Cup buttermilk (or whole milk)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teas cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup peanut oil for frying

4 Kaiser rolls, split
4 teaspoons mayonnaise, or as needed (optional)
4 teaspoons ketchup, or as needed (optional)
4 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard, or as needed (optional)
4 leaves lettuce (optional)
4 slices tomato (optional)
4 slices onion (optional)
4 slices pickle, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Start with 4 Harter House, tenderized, Pork Cutlets.
2. Beat the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl, and whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, marjoram, oregano, salt, and pepper until the spices are well blended into the mixture. Place the flour in a shallow bowl.  Place the panko in another shallow bowl. 
3. Dip each flattened cutlet into the seasoned milk-egg mixture and then into the flour, back to the egg mixture then into the panko crumbs, thoroughly coating the cutlets with crumbs. Set the breaded cutlets aside on a piece of parchment or waxed paper; do not stack.
4. Heat the oil in a large skillet until the oil is shimmering. Gently lower the cutlets, one at a time, into the hot oil, and fry until golden brown on each side, about 8 minutes per cutlet. Drain the cutlets on paper towels.
5. Preheat oven broiler, and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
6. Spread the Kaiser rolls open with the cut sides up, and broil until the rolls are toasted and hot, about 1 minute. Top each roll with a fried cutlet (hopefully the sides of the meat will hang out of the roll by at least an inch on each side); top each cutlet with choice of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a pickle slice, if desired.

YouTube - Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
This recipe uses saltines and flour.
It also recommends to let the cutlet marinate in the egg and milk mixture about 4 hours.