Making Life (Or At Least Mealtime) Easier, Volume Thirty - Four

I'm up to 94 items on the 100 Things About Me button on the right side there.  I NEVER thought it'd take so long to fill out a form about me - I'm my most favorite topic of conversation!  If you know of anything I should add to the list, let me know.

We had our last three soccer games this weekend!  I don't know if my kids will play in the fall. I can't believe I'm saying that after more that 12 years, but reason number one - I don't think I can afford it.  One of my girls plays for ACN, and that is $400 a season alone.  She did the tryouts, but missed the second day because she was puking her guts out.  I don't think they will pick her back up - and I'm ok with it.  Another one of my girls plays for Rush at $200 a pop, and she is starting public high school in the fall. I think it'd be better for her to have a season off to get herself situated at a new school.  Public schools don't have a fall season, so if she wanted to play fall, I'd have to put her back in a private league. Regardless of what comes out in the wash, I'm having the girls take part in the select and advanced tryouts this week anyway.  I can't see into the future, and have no idea what September will bring - but I'm trying to cover all bases. It's a strange position to be in - not having the money to sign them up and not knowing, for the first time ever, if we will be a soccer family. Weird.

It's also my kids last week of school - except for Allegra, who graduated last week.  Riley graduates preschool Tuesday, Emma graduates Kindergarten Wednesday, and everyone is out for good on Friday. So, no school coupled with no soccer should leave me with a bunch of free time.  Start laughing now - I know you want to.

One of the best things I ever did was buy a crockpot.  I use it all the time, especially on days that we have practices/classes/games.  I resisted making this dish for a long time - no matter how many times I read that it was good, it just didn't sound right to me.  But when I finally made it, I was stunned to see how good it was. I've put the recipe that I use most often under the fold, and a link to an amazing version on Stephanie's site as well.

CROCKPOT LASAGNA

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 48-ounce jar chunky pasta sauce
• 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 ounce package lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with chopped onions and garlic. Season with season salt and pepper to taste. Drain thoroughly. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parsley, egg, and beat well. Add half of the mozzarella cheese. In 5-6 quart crockpot, pour 1 cup of the beef sauce. Then top with a layer of uncooked noodles. Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese, more ground beef sauce, then a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers to fill crockpot 3/4 full. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours - DO NOT STIR. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve. Serves 8-10

Or, try Stephanie's recipe here!

Comments

[amy]

Where we live, winter is soccer season for the high schools. I think it is fine for her to not play in the club league this fall. Hopefully the high school soccer team has practices that will begin in the fall and then she should be able to either make JV or Varsity. Then she is set and you won't have to pay for the private club again. I know some of us have kids playing on both tournament teams and high school teams, but it is not necessary unless your daughter is serious about playing in college. Otherwise unless you live in an area that is uber competitive, and she might not actually make her high school team (either JV or Varsity), then you honestly should not have to pay for extra soccer time.

[beebalm]

Thanks so much for the recipe! I tried Stephanie's recipe (one of my favorite sites!), but it needed tweaking to turn it into a family favorite. Also, I definitely overcooked it. I'm going to try your version and see what happens!

[Debby]

Receipe sounds good. I just need a crockpot and the desire to cook!

Have a fun summer with the kids.

[Anna]

I need a good lasanga right now. Thanks!

[kyoot]

I might try to give that a go some week

[Paige]

I have never done lasagna in the crockpot, but I'm willing to try. Thanks

[Lorraine]

The recipe is great, wonderful and amazing! I thought I had the perfect recipe before (in a conventional oven), but this one is just sooooo delicious that I'll never make it any other way again! Thanks!!!