Crock Pot Lasagna Casserole

      

I am not one for BAKING as my mom tells me.  It drives her mad, when she asks to help me with food prep and I don't have exact measurements. I am a dump and pour kind of girl. (Mom says that I cook not bake) I love to make things that I think will be easy and simple.  My kids love when they see meal on Tv and there I am trying to make my own home version.
 Alot of it is simple and not genius trust me!  I find when I cook at home my kids actually prefer it, sure fast food here and there happens but on a budget it doesn't happen alot.   So ANY WAY here is my way of making Lasagna, because I don't like the whole way it is normally made....it just takes to long in my world and the egg in the cheese mixture creeps me alot!

My ingredients are Lasagna noodles, Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, your choice of sauce, and cream cheese with garlic flavor (this is something new I just started adding).

First thing I do is mix the ricotta (only one container-sorry I pictured 2, cream cheese and mozzarella cheese (little more than half bag) and stir together.  

I like to use Italian sausage if you want to use ground beef that is totally cool. My trick that I do (and I think I saw Rachel Ray do this to, is to use a potato masher it makes the meat ground up a bit more,  do this after most of the meat is cooked)

Next I break up the noodles into bite pieces, makes it more casserole style.  I cook them till the are well done, I don't like a lasagna noodle that is still raw or uncooked (another reason I am not a fan of regular lasagna never seemed cooked)

Then let the layering begin.  I do sauce, noodles and then cheese mixture.  When I have reached my layers that I want I top with some of the left over mozzarella cheese.  I also add a bit of water around the edges, this also helps if the noodles didn't get cooked enough.  In a crock pot I try to let it go for at least 2 hours on high.  If you were wanting an all day approach cook on low for 4-5hours. You could also cook this in an oven if you wanted, 400 degrees till bubbly.  

There you have it Crock Pot Lasagna Casserole !  If you try this let me know how it worked for you and if you tweaked it let me know that too!

She DID IT!!!

May 26, 2011, Emalee Marie had her 8th grade promotion.  

Just a tiny back ground about my Emalee.  (I will probably tell this story again later in life like when it is high school graduation time for her) When Nathan started school Emalee was so upset that she couldn't go.  She didn't think it was fair.  So I remember telling her it was ok cause she could go to head-start the very next year.  Well come to find out they changed some law and we ended up making to much money.   (go figure)  After Nathan finished kindergarten, we decided to put him in a charter school that many of the other kids in our ward were attending.  When we got there a friend of mine asked how old was  Emalee I said she will be 5 in September.  She said you know our cut off is December 31 so she could start kindergarten this year instead of waiting another year.  THAT EVERYONE WAS MUSIC TO MY EARS!!!  Emalee has always been my into everything, find a way around things girl!  They told us that she may be a bit behind since she was at the younger end but she tested ok to start kindergarten and may be reading by christmas.  So there my little 5 year old was off to kindergarten.  It was nice cause her and Nathan are so close that being just behind him in school was good.  Then it happened I heard Emalee reading on her own and it was just before Thanksgiving!  It was like a whole new world opened up to her!  She never looked back.  Always getting A's in school and pushing herself to do better.  When we moved out to Queen Creek she was told that she would have homework every night.  She was so happy to hear this!  (I know, RIGHT) There are times I would even catch her doing her brothers homework not for him but along with him like it was her work too. Her 8th grade year she attended the high school so she even took a couple classes that were for 9th grade.  This year she has been amazing! All A's in all her classes, GPA of 4.0, was in an awesome Marching Band. She was told if she wanted she could possibly graduate a year early (which would actually be 2 years early) We joke about it cause that means technically she would graduate before her brother (E comes before N)  lol.

I love her so much!  I know this was a bit over board on the PROUD MOMMA post but hey I am allowed.

Emalee

This will be one of two posts that I will share about Emalee this week.  This first one is about her last concert.  She has just amazed me.  See she is in the 8th grade yet made it in the symphonic band, and stayed there all year.  She is hoping for wind ensemble next year.  She has been playing the clarinet since 5th grade and has gotten better and better every year.  I love hearing her play.  She was also in the marching band and wowed me there too.  There is also some kudos to Mr. Werner who is just amazing himself.  All the time and hard work he puts into the band program it shows! band has grown by leaps and bounds.  I can't wait to see what all is in store for next year

Chickens

So last October we decided WOULDN'T IT BE FUN TO HAVE SOME CHICKENS!  We went and got 6 of them, they were so small and cute.  We held them all the time and thought how cute and sweet they were.  Falling asleep right in the food or on each other.  Then December came and it got cold and they got bigger and we wondered where are we going to put them.  My Dad came to the rescue and got me a coup for my birthday.  We knew it was small for 6 but we thought oh they will get along and love each other and it will be ok.  Which brings me to February.  They turned on each other!  The pecking order was hard to watch see and hear!  It got to a point that we had to completely remove one from the coup.  We named her momma.  She had her own pen and loved it.  Then it happened another fell victim to the pecking order.  We learned that our lovely cute sweet chickens were VAMPIRES!  They smelled blood and would just not stop pecking!  So we took that one out and named her HI (hurt one, the I in her name is for roman number for 1) momma became like a puppy she just roamed the yard.  She would come to the door when you came outside it was cute.  So in our coup we have the triplets and meanie who loved to peck all the others.  They started laying eggs and it was wonderful.  Nothing like fresh eggs.  We love to share them to when we have way to many in our fridge. The beginning of May we knew we needed to make more room for them. We built a whole fenced in area and now HI and meanie and the triplets are in the fenced area, Momma however still just roams the yard and loves to be held.  We get at least 4 eggs a day sometimes 6 which is nice.  If you ever want to come and see them come on over.  (course let me clean the house first lol)

Mother's Day

As you all know this Sunday is Mother's Day.  I know you all think or know that your mom is the best.  Well I have to add my Mom to the list of the Best Moms ever.  Here are a few pictures of me and my mom together.  In looking for these I realize I need to go and steal more from her.  So here is my TRIBUTE to my MOM.  ELAINE S STEWART!!!  The first photo is of my mom and my dad, I chose this one cause with out my dad too I would not be here.  Did you ever wondered if your parents love each other well I never did.  My parents through thick and thin never once let me think that they didn't love each other.  Their mass amounts of PDA at all occassions was a continual reminder of that love. This next photo is of me and mom at a halloween party in Korea.  I love this one for many reasons, once again the love my mom has for my dad cause she dressed in his clothes!  (lol) and the courage she had to move to another country with my dad when she had never really traveled till she met my dad and married him.  Picture 3 is me and mom and my brother Alan, (funny story he always thought we were twins growing up and that my parents kept us apart for a few years but this proves that wrong another lol) I love this cause at the time my dad was gone alot and my mom had to do everything, yet she still smiles.  Alright photo 4 is of me and mom during a summer trip here to Az notice the TAN! Ok if any of you know me from back in the day I had huge hair, I mean back east bigger than big can of hairspray a week hair!  And what I want you to notice in this photo is hhmmmmm doesn't my mom's look like it is big 80's hair???  I think this was the start of my big hair trust me it got a whole lot bigger (maybe one day I will show you)  Number 5 is of me and mom at my Seminary Graduation.  Yes I went to seminary all 4 years at 6 am (that is a nudge at my kids) and I walked both ways in the snow and at times up hill too!!  My mom never really pushed me to go but she helped me to go.  Ok last photo is me and mom on my wedding day.  The only thing that is not in this photo is my flowers cause she did them too (maybe another photo i will post one day) My mom made my dress.  I know how many moms do that?  (ok some of you are saying mine did mine did) She did the most amazing job it was all I wanted big bow on the back, poofy sleeves , the one thing I didn't like was the lace arms but she said I needed them ( I am sure some of you may know what I mean for, come to find out you don't they have things there for you). I also love this picture cause we are standing in front of the staute of Jesus Christ, my mom has been the greatest example of Christlike attributes and that I was being married in the same Temple as she was.  I love you MOM.  HAPPY MOTHERS DAY