National LASAGNA Day

By Chef Diane

Its days like today that make me feel like Garfield!  I love Lasagna! Even though I have only made it once; I eat it almost every week, thanks to Stoffers.   When I made it, I made the sauce from scratch.  Had to boil the noodles, cook the meat separately, and then layer everything together.  Maybe that's why I never attempted it again.  These days you can use already made spaghetti sauce, the noodles don't have to be boiled, and a lot of time is saved.

I love lasagna, in fact, during my first rehearsal dinner for my wedding, that is what was served.  My mother always fixes what the birthday person requests for their birthday dinner, and one year I asked for lasagna, it was the best I ever had.  Stoffers is good, but can't compare to homemade.  Below is a recipe I found for you on allrecipes.com and it has a 5 star rating.  If you have a better, or favorite recipe, please share it with us on the comment section below.

Original recipe makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1-pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch-baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

[Photos from Google]

Garfield the Cat

By Terry Orr

Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield (named after Davis's grandfather); his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Jon's dog, Odie.  As of 2013, it was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and journals, and held the Guinness World Record for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip. (Source: Wikipedia)

Our children, grandchildren, as was well as our cats enjoy watching Garfield.  Generally the first comic strip each day, cartoon programs watched often and a nice collection of movies all have been a big hit in our family.  Grandkids have collectables of this famous Cat.

 (Photos from Google) 

Garfield the Cat

(Google Image) 

By Terry Orr

Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield (named after Davis' grandfather); his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie.

(Google Image)

Common themes in the strip include Garfield's laziness, obsessive eating, and hatred of Mondays and diets. The strip's focus is mostly on the interactions among Garfield, Jon, and Odie; recurring minor characters appear as well.

(Google Image)

Garfield Quotes:

• Love me, feed me, never leave me.
• I'm not over-weight, I'm under-tall.
• Diet is "die" with a "t."
• Eat every meal as though it were your last.
• Some people have anxiety attacks, some people have gas attacks ...I have nap attacks.
• With due respect to Will Rogers, I never met a lasagna I didn't like.
• Have you used your brain today?
• His I.Q. is so low you can't test it. You have to dig for it
• Microwave lasagna. Possibly nature's most perfect food
• I love the smell of Cinnamon Apple in the morning. It smells like victory

(Google Image)