Week 1 recipe.
This is probably one of my favorite dishes of all time. When I started to learn to cook different meals from different cultures one of my favorite meals has always been pasta. 1st It is easy to cook and no matter how much you might not know on the cooking front cooking pasta is not hard at all. 2nd this meal can be made for a big family or a single person (cut a lot of the materials if doing for one person). So, enjoy and let me know how it works out for you. 😊
Jackie’s lasagna (now this is def not a vegetarian or vegan meal), but if you want it to be take that meat out and put in mushrooms to get that meaty taste, or whatever type of protein you would use for meat on a vegetarian or vegan front. It can feed a family def of 4 to 6 maybe more for a couple days.
1 to 2 package of mozzarella cheese
1 to 2 packages of cheddar cheese
1 to 2 packages of Italian cheese blend
1 to 2 packages of parmesan and asiago cheese
2 to 3 slices of American sliced cheese (I will explain)
1 to 2 packages of boxed lasagna noodles (oven ready kind is the best)
2 to 4 lbs of hamburger meat (ground beef)
2 to 4 lbs of Italian sausage un-cased to fry up.
2 to 4 jars of spaghetti sauce (I like to use Italian sausage or garden variety)
Veggies you like to go into the sauce (I use green peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini) (this is what is on top of what is in the garden variety sauce)
Seasoning – Italian season, mince garlic, oregano, black peppers, a little salt, (now here is the best part) adobe, and sazon (Yes, I said it) Everything is better to me with a little adobe and sazon. Lol…
Magic importance: When you use herbs and different spices you want to make sure you understand the importance of what some of them can do for you. Then you want to also ask for the wonderful things that they can give you and what you are hoping for from this food you are creating.
For example… For me when I am creating this recipe, I am always asking that whoever is eating my food to be filled with the joy and happiness that I get from preparing it, to be protected and filled with whatever they are searching for.
For example…. Garlic is good for in the health aspect with blood sugar and helps with blood flow. But from a magical standpoint it is good for protection and self-empowerment. Another spice is Oregano. The health aspect of Oregano is it helps with calming the nerves but on the magical standpoint it is good for spell work of protection and wealth.
Direction:
1. Cook the hamburger meat till done
2. Cook the Italian sausage meat till done
3. Open the jars of sauce start adding the meat you have chopped up into small enough pieces. Add the garlic and all your spices.
4. Add your meat that you cooked to the sauce.
5. If the sauce looks a little thick add some water. You don’t want it to be too runny, but you don’t want it to be too thick either.
6. (Sliced cheese) Now I know the look… yes add your slice cheese to the sauce. Why???? Why not. One of those things my nanny use to tell me to do. So, I still to this day do it I love the little taste it gives.
7. Now make sure when you are stirring you are always stirring to the right clockwise. Don’t want anyone to get sick. (Yep, one of those things Nanny use to tell me). So, as I have been learning there is a reason for everything (Like when you cast a circle you always go clockwise,) now I can’t say this was the reason my Nanny had me do this, but I don’t tempt the fates. I stir clockwise. lol…
8. Now you will need to either cook some noodle in water by following the directions or you can use the oven ready kind and start the layering process.
9. Start with a little bit of the sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan, then the layer of noodles, then start with the cheese. ALL 4 of them.
10. Then you repeat till you run out of sauce, noodles and cheese try to space the cheese out. This is one of the reasons I don’t use ricotta. The other is I just don’t like it. But hey if you like it then you should use it.
11. Once you have done completing the layering process then stick that heavy lasagna tray in your oven at 350 till the pasta is cooked per the directions and is golden brown on top.
Last thing is dish that bad boy out and enjoy with a nice salad and some bread and butter like my nanny use to eat. I do hope that everyone loves this recipe. Let me know what you think. And don’t forget food is always no matter what the thing that brings people together. And when we come together through the love of food, we can help to create change. Enjoy. 😊