Lasagna

Lasagna is one of those elusive meals that for some reason I had been avoiding for years. I'm not really entirely sure why, other than it just seemed so complicated. I'm definitely one for a challenge, but lasagna (like the Red Velvet Cake from the intense Chocolate Cake book) is one of those things that just always gave me a bit of a mental block. So I decided one day that I just had to try it.

I googled "Lasagna" and the first recipe to pop up was AllRecipes.com's "World's Best Lasagna". I read through the ingredients, decided that it sounded good and figured that if I was going to tackle it, I might as well do it right!

I started with a pound each of italian sausage and hamburger and browned them along with the garlic and some salt and pepper.

(Awww - this makes me a tad nostalgic seeing the Kelvinator!)

I cheated a bit and went with the no-cook noodles (which worked great!)

According to the recipe, the next thing to do is add all the tomatoes, but instead I went on to the fresh basil and chopped it right up and added it in. I don't do it often enough, but LOVE cooking with fresh chopped herbs. It just adds a little flair and a little flavor that you don't find with the dried stuff.

And it's SO pretty!

And, of course, what's a good pan of browned meat without the seasonings!

The next part is easy: Layering!
You start by pouring about 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of the pan (This makes 2 pans, so about 1/8 in each pan), then top with noodles.

Smother with the ricotta mixture (only 1/3 of it, since you'll repeat the layers twice more), and then smother with mozzarella cheese.

You then repeat the layers until you're out of ingredients.

Then you bake it for about an hour at 350 and take it out and it looks like this:

It is the best lasagna I've ever had! Delicious!