Tag: #parties

Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna

On By Leslie Byars RegisterIn Buy the Book, mains, The Parties, The Recipes
Comfort food at its finest.

This is one of the few all-time-favorite recipes that I accidentally left out of Leslie’s Party Diaries. I’m not sure why.

Casseroles are not really glamorous, and usually are a photographic nightmare, but sometimes more than often, it’s the best option for a crowd—especially in a preparation time crunch.

“There’s a time and a place for everything.”

I remember having Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna growing up on a fall night, and we often had it on Thanksgiving Eve. My mom is a master at meal planning (and Judy Feagin, you are second) and always made sure our meals had such variety of flavors. Italian is the perfect choice before your Thanksgiving feast.

This casserole also freezes well, which comes in super handy during the holiday season. Go ahead and get this in your freezer for a spur-of-the-moment party emergency.

Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna

Serves 12

1 ½ pounds ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped onion

1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes, petite diced

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon oregano

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

12 ounces sliced or shredded mozzarella

1-pound carton cottage cheese, small curd

8-ounce package egg noodles, narrow or medium width

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat brown and crumble ground beef; drain, then return it to the skillet, and add next 7 ingredients. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

It takes only a few minutes to throw this sauce together.

In a 3-quart greased baking dish, alternate layers of noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce. Repeat layers ending with the meat sauce.

Here’s a quick assembly step-by-step. 

Step 1: Layer half of the cooked noodles into a greased baking dish.

“It’s a lot less hassle to assemble with old-fashioned egg noodles than the traditional lasagna noodles.”

Step 2: Dollop half of the cottage cheese evenly over the bed of noodles.

“I like the substitution of cottage cheese over the normal ricotta because it seems to melt better into the meat sauce.”

Step 3: Place half of the mozzerella slices evenly on top of the cottage cheese layer. I prefer sliced over shredded, so try to find it for this dish.
Step 4: Top with half of the meat sauce; then repeat steps 1 through 4, ending with the meat sauce. Cover tightly with foil.

Cover and bake 20 minutes; remove from oven and add Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake an additional 20 minutes or longer until hot and bubbly.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Yields 12 Servings

Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna
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Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes, petite diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 12 ounces sliced or shredded mozzarella
  • 1-pound carton cottage cheese, small curd
  • 8-ounce package egg noodles, narrow or medium width
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat brown and crumble ground beef; drain, then return it to the skillet
  3. Add next 7 ingredients. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. In a 3-quart greased baking dish, alternate layers of noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce. Repeat layers ending with the meat sauce.
  5. Cover and bake 20 minutes; remove from oven and add Parmesan cheese.
  6. Cover and bake an additional 20 minutes or longer until hot and bubbly.
  7. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
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https://dearpartydiary.com/mimis-old-faithful-lasagna/

If you need a dish to take a neighbor or friend, this is truly a crowd-pleaser. It makes a lot, so it can be divided into two smaller baking dishes instead of the one large.

Meet Mimi! A tried-and-true veteran of the kitchen. You’ve got to love anyone in an apron with pearls attached! Thanks, Mom, for all your endless hours in the kitchen making every meal better than the last.
Have this ready in your freezer or throw it together at the last minute. It’s a relaxing party waiting to happen.
Subscribe now so you won’t miss the next post. And don’t worry, you will not be bombarded with unwanted, extra daily emails…I’m a one woman show here! I value your time as much as mine. See you next week. Leslie

Lentils and Roses

On By Leslie Byars RegisterIn soups, The Parties, The Recipes

One bunch of grocery store roses and a couple bags of red lentils”

Sometimes when you are doing a floral arrangement, you have your heart set on a certain flower, and you go to the store and they don’t have anything even close to what you were imagining. That’s when the fun starts.

There are no boundaries when you are playing with flowers. The world is your oyster.

In my opinion, a mass of any color or flower is usually more effective than a mixture—although I like to change it up sometimes.

When I saw these coral sweetheart roses at the grocery store floral department, I instantly thought of red lentils. That’s how my mind works. Not only were the lentils a similar color, but also they would serve as an anchor for my vases in the container for easy, painless transportation.

Gathering your provisions is half the fun.
Lentils are found in the grocery store aisle with the other dried beans.
Look for containers with dual purposes like this basket-like shape.
Miniature old-fashioned milk bottles filled with water are the vases for the roses. They easily nestle into the bed of lentils for stability.

I took this arrangement to a birthday dinner last spring. It’s nice to take flowers to a restaurant for a special occasion if they are compact and don’t interfere with the service. It instantly creates a homey feel at the table. I usually try to drop them off late that afternoon, while the tables are being set, to avoid any confusion and simplify my arrival at dinnertime.

The galvanized container and bottles are from Oak Street Garden Shop, oakstreetgardenshop.com

Don’t be afraid to put any combination together. You are the floral designer.

Now what to do with the leftover lentils after the flowers are gone?

Lentils cook quickly and make a healthy, light lunch or simple supper in a stew.

Leslie’s Leftover Lentil Stew

Makes 2 1/2 quarts

2 cups lentils

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 celery ribs sliced diagonally

4 to 5 cloves garlic

2 (14.5-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Dash of hot sauce

Rinse lentils in a bowl until the water is no longer cloudy. It may take a few times. Place 2 cups of lentils in a medium saucepan; add 4 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 20 minutes until beans are tender. They will open up a little bit.

While they are cooking, sauté onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender and onions are translucent.

Drain the lentils; add them to the onions, celery, and garlic. Add the chicken broth, and remaining ingredients. Simmer for one hour. Serve with crackers or hot French bread.

A cold week is like a rainy day you desperately need to get your life back together. You will feel organized by Friday if you check these all off your list.

Arctic Blast Activities

  1. Write your holiday thank-you notes. Yes, that never goes out of style.
  2. Clean out the cluttered drawers around your house.
  3. Set up a card table for a puzzle or a craft project.
  4. Put away all the straggling Christmas gifts and decorations.
  5. Fill in all upcoming activities, trips, etc. on a 2018 calendar.
  6. Buy a new houseplant to perk up a corner or coffee table.
  7. Start a new exercise class; change it up.
  8. Plan a spring party.
  9. Try a new recipe.
  10. Make a batch of Freezer Pizza Crusts (page 180, see Leslie’s Party Diaries)
One batch makes 12 healthy, thin pizza crusts. They are a crowd-pleaser!

Happy New Year!

Coming up in the next few weeks, Favorite Weeknight Meals, Breakfast for Dinner, Super Bowl Supper ideas, Knife-and-Fork Sandwiches, and more! Be sure to subscribe to dearpartydiary.com. I may sneak a few posts in just for those special folks who do.

Also, be sure to subscribe or pick up a copy of Birmingham Home and Garden magazine, birminghamhomeandgarden.com. My first food column is out now in the January/February issue.

I would love to hear from you. Don’t be shy about making comments or asking questions. I love getting mail! Leslie