March 13: Contentment and Homecooking / Lasagne Recipe

CONTENTMENT SCRIPTURES

Psa. 31:15 My times are in Your hand;

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. 

Prov. 16:20 He who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. 

Psa. 34:8-9 O taste and see that the LORD is good;

How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 

O fear the LORD, you His saints;

For to those who fear Him there is no want. 

2Chr. 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His..."

A Prayer of Contentment

Blessed Creator, may I hold life loosely in my hand, knowing that I receive it on  condition of its surrender...Make me a happy, holy person.  Teach me to laud, adore and magnify Thee with the music of heaven, and make me a perfume of gratitude to Thee.  (A  Puritan Prayer)

[excerpted from Contentment: A Matter of the Heart by Karen Horsey / Karen's Kreations]

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I  enjoy going out for meals occasionally but in my constant quest to be frugal I have found that I actually enjoy (did I say that?) making meals at home most of the time.  There are busy days of course, when I certainly don't object to my husband picking up dinner or buying something at Sam's Club from the deli already cooked.  Here is a simple recipe for Lasagne that is delicious, economical and very easy to prepare.   Forget the Stouffer's frozen lasagne.  For less than the price of one large frozen meal they make, you can fill TWO 9" x 13"  casserole dishes from this recipe and it is much healthier.  I made it Thursday night.  It took exactly 35 minutes  to prepare from the time I decided to make it until the casserole dishes were in the oven.  There is plenty to serve a large family or company plus some for the freezer for another time.

MY RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box of lasagne noodles (16 oz. / 1 lb.)
• 1 1/2  lb. ground beef (I use 90% lean)
• Seasonings--oregano, garlic, basil
• 1 large jar + 1 small jar of spaghetti sauce (I used sauce left over from a meal earlier in the week)
• 1  3-lb. container of Ricotta cheese (best price is at Sam's Club)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (optional, for a cheesier dish)
• Note: Use every bit of all ingredients except the seasonings.

DIRECTIONS
Cook the ground beef in a large skillet, drain.

Boil lasagne noodles for about 3 minutes, to soften.

After the meat is drained, add the spaghetti sauce to the skillet.

Grease two 9" x 13" casserole dishes with Pam or butter.

Begin layering the ingredients in the casserole dishes.  First the meat sauce...then the noodles.  By not overcooking the noodles, they can be removed from the pot of water more easily without breaking or sticking.

...then large dollops of ricotta cheese.  You can add mozzarella as well or any other white cheese. The more cheese, the better, in my book.  :)

Top the cheese with the seasonings.

Layer one more time--sauce, noodles, ricotta, spices, then noodles-- in the same order with noodles being the last item. Finish up with the sauce on top of  the noodles. Make sure the noodles are completely covered with the sauce or they will be too crunchy and very hard to chew.  Use a spoon or spatula to press everything down just a bit so it doesn't come over the top of the dishes while baking.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. I love using my oven timer!  I prepared everything and put both casserole dishes in the oven around 4:00 p.m. before my piano student arrived.  I set the oven to come on at 5:00 p.m. so that dinner would be ready at 6:00 p.m.   I served the lasagne with fresh green salad,  and wine.  Broccoli and garlic bread are also good accompaniments for this meal.

You can also prepare everything and put it in the refrigerator to cook the next day as well.  Some lasagne recipes tell you  not  to cook the noodles and that just covering the casserole dishes with foil will save time and cook them.  We have found the noodles to be far too hard to chew when prepared  this way so I always boil the noodles at least just a little.


Enjoy this easy meal and the leftovers,  too!


Also, remember to set your clocks ahead one hour tonight.  Daylight Savings Time begins tonight.