Lasagna

Marinara sauce (see my ground beef marinara sauce recipe)
1 box lasagna pasta
Bechamel sauce (see my bechamel sauce recipe)
4 cups mozzarella cheese grated

Set oven at 375. Cook lasagna; drain and rinse so that it cools and you can handle it. Take your lasagna pan and coat the bottom with marinara sauce, layer with the pasta. Start with a horizontal layer. Coat the layer of pasta with bechamel sauce, layer with pasta vertically, coat the pasta with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. (alternating the pasta horizontally and vertically helps it stay together)
Add a layer of pasta and coat with bechamel sauce; keep repeating until you fill the pan. Add a final layer of mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes.
Serve with garlic bread and Enjoy!

Bechamel Sauce

This is a great sauce and can be used on anything like pasta and as a start to the Mac 'n cheese recipe.

4 cups milk
2 cup mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 handful chopped spinach (optional - you can use fresh; rinsed or frozen)
dried parsley, salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large saucepan to medium heat, add the butter and as soon as it starts melting add the flour.  With a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan mixing the flour and butter together, add the nutmeg and parsley. Start adding the milk half a cup at a time, mixing and scraping the bottom of the pan - you don't want any lumps. You can also use a whisk. As soon as it starts to thicken add more milk until all of the milk has been added. Let simmer until it thickens, you will know that it's ready when the milk stays on the back of the spoon. Add the cheeses, spinach and stir. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Add this to your favorite cooked pasta, but I'm going to use it in the lasagna. Enjoy!

How do I chop onions?

I love chopping onions and unlike almost everyone I know onions don't make me cry. There are a lot of myths and wives tales on why onions make you cry, but I don't believe them. I think that it's in how you chop the onion and determines whether the onion "juices" get in the air and in your eyes.

Take 1 large onion, a good sharp knife and a cutting board.
Peel the onion, cut the ends and make 1 light cut down the side of the onion to remove the skin. Cut the onion in half and place with the cut side down. This keeps the onion "juices" down on the cutting board.

Cut the onion across.

Turn the onion and start chopping it across the cuts you've already made.

This cuts the onion evenly so you can impress your friends. Make salsa or add to all your favorite dishes.

Ground beef marinara sauce

1 large onion chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
2-3 bay leaves (remove once the sauce is done)
2 tablespoons oregano
3 lbs ground beef (pick the one lowest in fat)
3 - 28oz canned diced tomatoes
2 cans tomatoe sauce
olive oil
salt, parsley and pepper to taste

If you are a vegetarian don't add the beef.

Take a medium size pot, coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and add the onion; let it cook thoroughly. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and oregano; cook for about a minute. Add the ground beef and salt, parsley and pepper. (don't add too much now, once all the flavors mesh together you can taste it and add more if needed)
Break up the ground beef either with a spoon or with the potatoe masher. Allow the ground beef to brown.
Add the tomatoes and tomatoe sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 3 hours. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed and remove the bay leaves.
Serve with your favorite pasta.

If this is too much sauce for you; you can make half the sauce.
1 -2 lbs ground beef
2 - 28oz canned diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoe sauce

Or you can freeze it. Let the sauce cool and divide into freezer proof container and store in the freezer. You can then enjoy the sauce whenever you have a craving for a quick pasta dish.
You can also share this with your friends, I'm sure they would love that!  Enjoy!

Lemon Tilapia fish with asparagus and brown rice

4-6 Tilapia fish fillets
2 bunches of asparagus
1 lemon
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
salt & pepper to taste

Wash and trim the asparagus. How do you know how much to cut off the end? Bend towards the end and the part that you should cut off will snap. Do this with one and line up the rest of the asparagus using the first one as a guide and cut with a sharp knife all at once.
Place skillet on the stove over medium heat, once heated thoroughly add olive oil to coat the bottom. Toss in the asparagus, chop the garlic and add to the skillet. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Cut the lemon into slices, set aside. Place the tilapia fish over the asparagus, add salt & pepper to taste. Place the lemon slices over the fish and cover for 7-10 minutes.

Make brown rice (see my brown rice recipe). I added some roasted chiles stuffed with Jack cheese. Enjoy!

Mac n cheese

So my sister just sent me a facebook message, she wants to make Mac n cheese, but doesn't know how. Here's my recipe, sorry no picture.

1 16oz package elbow macaroni
4 cups milk
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
2 cup cheddar cheese, grated (sharp or mild, I prefer sharp)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
nonstick cooking spray

Cook macaroni as you would normally cook pasta. Heat a large saucepan to medium heat, add the butter and as soon as it starts melting add the flour.  With a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan mixing the flour and butter together, add the nutmeg. Start adding the milk half a cup at a time, mixing and scraping the bottom of the pan - you don't want any lumps. As soon as it starts to thicken add more milk until all of the milk has been added. Let simmer until it thickens, you will know that it's ready when the milk stays on the back of the spoon. Add the cheeses and stir. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. (the cheeses are a bit salty) Add the macaroni and stir.

Take a baking dish and spray with the nonstick cooking spray. Pour the macaroni in the baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until it browns on top. Enjoy!