Recipe: Mama Alana's Easy Lasagna

Red Sauce Ingredients:

2 - 15 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)

2 - 15 oz. cans tomato sauce

6 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 T. dried minced onion

1 t. minced garlic

1/2 T. oregano

1/4 t. fennel seed

1/4 t. marjoram

1/8 t. thyme

1/8 t. rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

 

Final Filling Sauce:

1 batch Red Sauce (above)

6 oz. dr. wt. can olives, sliced

16 oz. regular ground sausage, browned

16 oz. large curd cottage cheese

 

1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles (Great Value is good)

2 lbs. shredded cheese

 
Directions:

1. In a pan or crockpot, mix Red Sauce ingredients and simmer 30 minutes - 2 hours on low, stirring occasionally.
2. Brown sausage and drain.
3. Add olives, browned sausage, and cottage cheese to Red Sauce and stir until just mixed.
4. Spoon a thin layer of Final Filling Sauce in bottom of 4 qt (9" x 13" or 10.5” x 14.75”) casserole dish so noodles don’t stick and burn to the bottom. Layer dry lasagna noodles on top of filling, breaking noodles to fit in dish with 1/4” - 1/2” gaps between noodles. Add filling layer 1/2” - 1” thick. Repeat layering noodles and filling until filling is gone. Do not put dry noodles on top of final layer of filling.
5. Cover with shredded cheese. (To prevent cheese from burning, cover casserole dish with foil for the first 30 minutes of baking time.)
6. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until fork easily pierces lasagna to the bottom of the casserole dish. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Note: Top layer should not come higher than 1/2” from the top of the casserole dish. Do not overfill casserole dish because lasagna will bubble and overflow. For extra flavor, double the amounts of fennel, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary; if herbs are not simmered for at least 30 minutes, filling will have patches of bitter flavors.

Recipe: French Baguettes

French Baguettes by Alana Lee

4 t. yeast
2 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
4 T. olive oil
1 T. salt
6 - 6-1/4 c. all-purpose flour (or mixture of whole wheat and white)
1 T. cornmeal (to dust the baguette baking sheet)

Egg wash:
1 egg white
1 t. cold water
 
Directions:

1. In a stand mixer, add yeast and water. If using active dry yeast, proof for 5-10 minutes or until foamy. If using instant yeast, skip proofing step and move to step 2.
2. Add sugar, olive oil, salt, and 4 cups of flour. (If using any whole wheat flour, add it in this step.) Mix well using dough hook attachment.
3. Once wet dough is formed, mix in flour 1 cup at a time until all flour is incorporated. Knead dough for several minutes.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let rise until doubled.
5. If desired, line baguette sheet with parchment paper; otherwise, lightly grease bottom of baguette pan with cooking spray. Dust baguette sheet with corn meal.
6. Punch down dough, knead slightly, and divide into 3-4 equal portions. Flatten each piece into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough surface with water and roll up tightly from the long side; pinch to seal edges and ends. Make sure all your loaves are formed from rectangles that are about the same size. Cut 1/4-inch diagonal slashes across tops of loaves every 2 inches.
7. Place loaves in baguette pan or other baking sheet. For egg wash, beat egg white with a fork; add 1 t. cold water. Brush tops and sides of loaves with egg wash. Cover with greased plastic wrap; let rise until doubled.
8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (400 convection). Place flat pan of boiling water on lowest rack of oven. Bake baguettes for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown and crispy on top.
9. Makes 3-4 baguettes. Recipe is easy to double or half.