Welcome/Let's make lasagna!

Hello everyone! So this past year of college I started learning how to cook. I realized it was about time, seeing as I must have inherited some sort of cooking ability (my mom is from of a long line of fantastic cooks from Indiana, plus my dad is amazing at cooking Lebanese and Arabic food. Heck my dad's mother even started the first Arabic bakery in San Diego!) So I decided to trust my DNA and dive into the world of cooking. Much to the pleasure of my four roommates, I turned out to be pretty good at it! Here I'll share some of my favorite recipes and culinary adventures with you. Like our favorite rodent Ratatouille's mentor Chef Gusteau said, "anyone can cook!"


Lasagna















Ingredients
-1 package of lasagna noodles (at least one dozen noodles)-
-1/2 cup parmesan
-1 lb. grated mozzarella

(for meat sauce)
-2 lbs. ground sirloin
-1/4 (3 slices) finely chopped onion
-1 tsp. olive oil
-large can tomatoes (petite diced)
-15 oz. can tomato sauce
-2 tbsp. parsley
-3 tbsp. sugar
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. basil

(for cheese mixture)
-large carton (~32 oz.) cottage cheese
-1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan
-1 tbsp. parsley
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. oregano

Directions
1. In a large pot, brown the sirloin then add the olive oil and chopped onion. When both onions and meat are lightly browned, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, sugar, salt, and basil. Cook on stove over medium heat (stirring occasionally) for at least an hour (until water disappears).

2. For the cheese mixture, combine cottage cheese, parmesan, oregano, and salt in a bowl.

3. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package.

4. Alternate noodles, meat sauce, cheese mixture, and mozzarella in an 11"X14" glass baking dish like this: noodles, meat sauce, cheese mixture, mozzarella, noodles, meat sauce, cheese mixture, mozzarella, noodles, meat sauce, and finally 1/2 c. grated parmesan on top.

5. Bake for 45 min. (until bubbling) at 350 ° F.


You can always add a little garlic in the meat sauce if you like, but I never put it in because my mom is allergic to it. This lasagna is seriously the best I've ever had and is a favorite with the roomies. It's also equally (or maybe even more) awesome the next day. You can also cut it into individual squares and freeze them for busy times like finals. Enjoy!