Atonement of the Lazy

For three nights in a row I have had spectacular dinners, and yet the last two I was just too tired, too beat, too worn out to bother posting them. Tonight I will make up for that. Now, I don't really have any recipes for night before last or tonight, as one was prepared by a friend, and the other (tonight) was actually a frozen meal from a bag. It was, however, extremely noteworthy!

Okay, so Monday was Memorial Day. Our friend Jeff and his son, Ben, came over to grill and relax for a bit. Jeff was in charge of dinner, and he brought all the fixings for his Santa Fe Chicken Sandwiches. They were delicious - teriyaki marinated chicken grilled, then topped with fresh pineapple and swiss cheese on King's Hawaiian buns with some sort of mustardy sauce that was just lovely! Oh, and we topped them with avacodo, too, for a little something extra that we all loved!







It was a pretty awesome dinner, and we are very thankful to Jeff for sharing it with us!

Last night was lasagna that Hans' mom made for us and froze so it would make the trip from South Florida to Central Florida. It was delicious! So good, in fact, that I didn't even think to take pictures! We just ate! Hans also sautéed zucchini to go with it, and it was wonderful, as always. The recipe for the lasagna is one that has been in Hans' family since he was a kid. It was given to his family by their neighbor and friend, Vicki Fales. I think I have the recipe around here somewhere. Aha, yes, it's right here in the family cookbook! The recipe is really for the meat sauce because, as Hans has said about six times in the last four minutes, the meat sauce is what makes the lasagna - otherwise it's just noodles and cheese!

Meat Sauce for Lasagna

Vicki Fales

1lb ground chuck

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 large onion, chopped

Brown above and drain off the grease.

Add:

2 16oz cans tomato sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 Tbs. oregano

1/2 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, pressed

Cook until messy and thick (several hours). Stir frequently, as it tends to stick. Be sure burner is kept on low.

To assemble lasagna:

Small package lasagna noodles

15oz. part skim ricotta cheese

16oz (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese

Layer meat sauce, then noodles, then cheese, as many layers as fit into pan (9x13). Finish with cheese. Bake in preheated 350° until hot through and bubbly, about an hour.

Tonight was a quickie dinner night - kids had leftover chicken, and we had some of the PF Chang's General Chang's Chicken that has cropped up in grocery store freezers recently with some frozen egg rolls. I have to admit, while I think that PF Chang's took a risk going into the frozen food arena with as awesome as their restaurant is, I think they have succeeded! We were really impressed! The sauce was very tasty, with a nice bite to it. The chicken didn't have any weird bits in it like some frozen meals do - it was all true white meat, and very tender and tasty. The broccoli was crisp and tasty, too. All in all, a great meal!