Hungry Anyone?: Homemade Lasagna and Salad with Garlic Bread

My homemade lasagna and salad with garlic bread, October 23, 2022

I love to cook and bake, and today, I decided to make some lasagna! I also need just a little bit more to do to keep my mind occupied. Lasagna is definitely a rich-tasting comfort food for me, and with the temperatures getting cooler while going into Fall, it is one of those dishes that tastes delish when it gets a bit chilly outside. Plus, my son likes it too, so that is another good benefit. The thing is, I generally make so much that there is enough left over to freeze and get out at a later date to enjoy – yum!

So, I thought I would do a photo documentary of making my lasagna today, as well as throwing together a cucumber and tomato salad, along with some Texas Toast. Of course, the meal would have been “perfect” if I had made my own garlic bread, sauce, and cheese, but I don’t go quite that far. I could always buy some Italian or French bread, slather it with butter, and shake on some garlic salt, but the Texas Toast is just as good. I could also make my own sauce, but that is an involved process, as well as cheese-making. At any rate, I hope you enjoy my time invested into making some great food this morning. Are you hungry yet? Let’s eat!

First, purchase and gather all of your ingredients and cooking materials. Next, be sure to wash your hands and prepare your cooking area. Following are the next steps I followed in making my dinner:

Ingredients I use for making lasagna

I like to use about two pounds of ground beef, one pound of Barilla lasagna noodles, two jars of Prego Mushroom spaghetti sauce, and two pounds of mozzarella cheese. I don’t use Ricotta cheese because I don’t like it – neither the taste, nor the texture.

Roasting pan coated with some spaghetti sauce

Be sure to coat the bottom of your roasting pan with some spaghetti sauce so the lasagna doesn’t burn it.

Pot and pan on stove

Now, it’s time to fire up the stove to cook your ingredients.

Lasagna noodles and ground beef cooking

You can cook your lasagna noodles and ground beef at the same time. Of course, first, bring your water to a boil before placing the noodles in your pot. Brown your ground beef and drain out the grease before pouring in your spaghetti sauce to cook.

Lasagna noodles and meat sauce cooking

Next, pour in your spaghetti sauce, stir it in, and let it cook.

Sliced mozzarella

While your noodles and sauce are cooking, you have time to slice your mozzarella slabs. Never use grated mozzarella in your lasagna as it will dissolve into one soupy mess. Also, be sure your mozzarella is not cut too thick or it will not melt well. Then, you will have to turn up your oven temperature, and risk burning the bottom of your pan. It’s not worth it.

Layer of noodles placed in roasting pan

When your noodles and meat sauce are ready, you can start layering your lasagna to prepare for baking.

Layer of meat sauce

Next, spoon in a layer of meat sauce over the noodles.

Mozzarella on top of the meat sauce

Next, place a few slices of mozzarella on top of the meat sauce. Then, repeat each step until you have nothing left to layer.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour

I like to start warming my oven as soon as my noodles are finished cooking and while I am layering my lasagna so it provides enough time to come up to temperature by the time I’m ready to bake.

Layered lasagna, ready for baking

My roasting pan of lasagna is now ready for baking. I also like to just rinse out the spaghetti jars with a tiny bit of water and dump the rest of the sauce into the pan so there is no waste. Then, I put the top on the pan and place it in the oven, baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour.

Jars, lids, and box for recycling

I always recycle as much as possible. So, I rinse the jars to take to the Recycling Center sometime, and I toss the cardboard noodle box and metal jar lids into my recycle dumpster. While I also recycle plastic bags, the cheese plastic was too messy to clean, so that became trash.

Texas Toast ready for baking

Next, I get out my Texas Toast on a metal platter, having it ready for baking once the lasagna is done. You can also bake it at the same time as your lasagna if you have a convection oven option on your microwave and you need to have it ready at the same time as the lasagna. However, if you have the time and prefer to save some electricity, just wait until the lasagna is done and use your oven. Your lasagna will need some time to cool before you can eat it anyway.

Ingredients for cucumber and tomato salad

While the lasagna is baking, I get out my veggies for my cucumber and tomato salad. I remove any stickers, rinse them with water, cut them up and place them in a container, and get the Kraft Sun Dried Tomato salad dressing ready to add. I typically add about 1/3 bottle to the mixture.

Sliced cucumber

One cucumber and one tomato are plenty to make salad for two people, but you can add more, as well.

Sliced tomato

Next, slice up your tomato.

Cucumber and tomato salad

Then, place both ingredients into a bowl or container and add the salad dressing, stirring it up. This tastes really good!

One hour has passed already

Now, it’s time to take the lasagna out of the oven – it’s done!

My homemade lasagna!

There is my homemade lasagna – as homemade as it’s going to get! Yum!

Change oven temperature to bake Texas Toast

Next, be sure to lower your oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to bake your Texas Toast. It takes a bit longer in the oven than in the convection microwave, but turns out better. In the oven, keep the Texas Toast in for eight minutes before taking it out to flip over. Then, return it to the oven for another five minutes. That should be just right.

Baked Texas Toast

There, the Texas Toast is perfect!

In all, this process took about 2.5 hours from start to finish, including eating and cleaning up everything afterwards.

My meal

And, there is my comfort food homemade lasagna and salad with Texas Toast! It was soooo good! That mozzarella is really delicious!

Of course, here is my “manly” meal on my Lady Carlisle fine china, but what are you gonna do? I have it and I’m going to use it.

I hope you enjoyed my virtual baking lesson for today – time for seconds! Gotta watch that cholesterol now, for sure.

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Alaska: Truly the Last Frontier

Aerial view outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

In late May and early June 2022, my son and I visited Alaska!

Tree Growing on Rock Archway, outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

It was the first time either of us had been there, and it was definitely a “bucket list” trip.

Aerial View of Icebergs near a Glacier outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

Alaska was really amazing to see and experience.

Aerial View of Harding Ice Field, outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

From what my son and I saw and enjoyed, I can say that it is truly the “Last Frontier.”

What’s left of Exit Glacier, outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

We did so much, and while I won’t go into a lot of detail, I will say that I hope Alaska remains as it is for as long into the future as possible.

Partial View of Boat Harbor, Seward, Alaska, June 2022

The nature and environment that we saw in Alaska were absolutely amazing and breath-taking.

Sunbathing Sea Lions outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

Everywhere we went, we were literally surrounded by snow-covered mountains.

Extended Family of 7 Killer Whales, outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

Pictures do not do Alaska justice; one must really go there to take in everything it has to offer.

Baby Humpback Whale Breaching the Water, outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

One thing that I saw that I will likely never see again was a mother Humpback whale breaching, followed by her baby also breaching. It was amazing. I think my jaw hit the deck of the boat when that happened! The crew of the tour boat let us know that we all viewed the first breach of the season.

Waterfall outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

We went on two boat tours, and on one, we went as far as the Gulf of Alaska.

Spouting Humpback Whale just inside the Bay of Alaska, June 2022

We had the privilege of seeing many Humpback Whales.

Us with our Group’s Catch of Salmon, Seward, Alaska, June 2022

We also did a half-day fishing trip, catching Sockeye Salmon. The fish in the picture are those caught by our group of six, including less than the maximum catch per person, per day. We had several of our salmon prepared, and took them home with us to dine on. They were the best salmon I have ever tasted!

Locomotive from the Alaska Railroad Corporation, Seward, Alaska, June 2022

I like trains, and while we didn’t go on a train ride because the routes and schedules did not work out for us, we did visit the train depot in Seward.

Huskies at Seavey’s Dogsledding Tourist Rides, Seward, Alaska, June 2022

I have included a few pictures, here, of our Alaska trip, mostly in Seward and the surrounding area.

Glacier outside of Seward, Alaska, June 2022

It is definitely a wilderness heaven!