Yummy Lasagna

1 lb Italian sausage
1 16oz container of ricotta cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
9 ready-to-bake lasagna noodles
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 can (26 oz) Spaghetti sauce

• Cook Italian sausage of medium heat until no longer pink, drain.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
• After sausage is drained, add Spaghetti sauce.
• In a greased 13x9 baking dish, pour 1/4 cup of Spaghetti sauce/sausage. Layer with 3-4 lasagna noodles. Spread ricotta cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle until all are covered.
• Add another layer of Spaghetti mixture, cover with mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.
• Continue layering as listed above until you exhaust your ingredients. Final layer will be Spaghetti sauce mixture topped with mozzarella.

Cover and bake @ 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, bake 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Sounds complicated, but it's really simple! Oh so tasty too. If you want to kick it up a bit, substitute the parsley for cilantro and use a spicy Spaghetti sauce. That's our favorite way to make it.
Happy Cooking!

Pumpkin Heads

Both kids were taking a bath last night and I made Addie's hair stand straight up. Mason took one look at her and said, "Addie, you a pumpkin head." It's funny to hear what your kids are picturing in their own little minds. Since Addie had a pumpkin head, Mase wanted one too. Geez, I love these kids!

Fall Has Arrived!

We had a huge storm yesterday for the last day of summer. BUT, that huge storm brought in our first day of Fall. The temperatures were just perfect. Days like this make me so glad I get to spend time at home with these little cherubs (I say that now because they're all sleeping soundly). So in celebration, we had waffles for breakfast. For the babies, this is their first first day of Fall. Both Linc and Addie were still bakin' in the oven this time last year.

Addie, Mase, and Linc eating breakfast.

Mason Update

Mason's little personality is really developing, and is very true to form for an almost 3 year old. His emotions run wild throughout the day, but here's a little glimpse of his funny side. He was practicing making faces. The first one is his 'funny guy' face. The second is his 'tough guy' face.

Addison Update

Now for my Little Addie. She has never been a big eater until the day she started feeding herself. She is something else. Addie's absolute favorite would have to be pancakes/waffles and bananas. She would probably eat that everyday if we let her. She even makes little "mmmm" noises when she eats. Pretty cute!

It's still so funny to me that she is almost a year old. Time has gone by so fast. She is still so tiny, but continues to do big things. Anytime there is music on, she dances. She loves to dance! I absolutely cannot wait to take her to her very first dance class. Oh wait, yes I can! That would require her to grow up. So I can wait...

Roast Beef Dipper Sandwiches

1 lb deli roast beef
1 can of beef broth
1/4 cup steak sauce
Kaiser rolls

• Combine first three ingredients in a large pot and warm over medium heat. Serve on Kaiser rolls.

Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup steak sauce
2 Tbsp dijon mustard

• Heat in a small sauce pan. Serve with sandwiches for dipping.

Seriously, it's that easy! Not only that, but they were tasty.

Happy Cooking!

Sausage Manicotti

1 lb Italian sausage
16 oz small curd cottage cheese
1 pkg (8 oz) uncooked manicotti shells
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. In a large bowl, combine sausage and cottage cheese. Stuff manicotti shells. Place in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Top with pasta sauce. Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.


Now, I like this recipe, but didn't LOVE it. Next time I make it, I plan on using only 8 oz cottage cheese and then adding 8 oz of ricotta cheese. I'll probably add some fresh parsley into the mix too. However, Steven loved it. To each his own. Let me know what you think if you try this one. If you have a yummy manicotti recipe, please share!

TIP: Have trouble stuffing the shells? Try putting your mix into a ziploc bag then cutting the corner off. Presto! Easy filling for you!

Gone Fishin'

For the first part of Labor Day Weekend we went to my dad's house at the lake. We always have a relaxing time there and enjoy the outdoors. We got to eat some yummy food, and Mase went on his first fishing trip. He was so excited.

My Sweet Little Miss

She has on no clothes because we gave her a sippy cup to keep her occupied for the hour and a half trip. Good news, she had a blast with it. Bad news, she was SOAKED when we got there. Sippy cup for her equates to party time.

Mase Fishing...

Mase Sleeping...

Mason has never been one to sleep in the car like most kids, but put him on a boat and that's a totally different story. Knocks him out everytime.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
3 cups chopped tomatoes, seeded
1 large onion chopped
3/4 cups cilantro
1/4 of a diced tomatillo
1/2 of a jalapeno diced
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp cumin
dash of salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! This is more of a pico style salsa. If you enjoy a liquidy salsa, I suggest taking 2 cups tomatoes and running it through your food processor. Then dicing 1 cup tomato so it's not so runny.