My first Lasagna

For the last few days, cooking has become important because the weather in North Texas has gotten colder and we all need food to keep warm. I have kept a regular bedtime and get up time in the last few days. When I am up early, I make dinner first, breakfast second because of two things: 1) I have a bad habit of staying on the internet until eight or nine at night, which makes cooking a full meal difficult and 2) Sometimes I forget to eat breakfast and grab a sandwich at two in the afternoon, throwing my schedule off.

During the summer, I made my meals early in the day because using my oven in the middle of the afternoon put a lot of stress on my air conditioner and the local power plant in the area. With little or no rain and excessive temperatures, the news told everyone not to waste energy by using electronics during high stress times. It was also recommended to stay indoors during the 100 plus temperatures and not go out unless necessary. If one had to go out wear loose fitted light clothing and drink lots of water, finding shade when necessary My meals were lighter because of the heat.

By early fall, my efforts of keeping a regular schedule slacked off. Eating non-healthy foods or lots of bread mess up my body rhythm. The last three weeks have been great though. My homemade lasagna came about because I wanted to try something new. I asked for lasagna noodles but never knew how to cook them, not having a tall pot, so I broke the pieces up. I used seasoned turkey meat, which negated the need to season the sauce. I had my mother's recipe, but I already knew how to layer lasagna and how long to cook it covered and uncovered. This kept the top from cooking too quickly and burning the cheese. I got excited when my kitchen smelled like my mother was making lasagna. Made by loaf pan, my lasagna serves three to six people.

1. Some lasagna noodles, enough to make at least three layers, cooked
2. One pound of ground meat, cooled and drained (OK to used seasoned meat)
3. One jar of pasta sauce
4. Shredded Mozzarella cheese, enough to cover at least three layers and the top
5. Grated Parmesan cheese, enough to sprinkle over the top

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Line the pan with one- fourth cup of pasta sauce before laying down noodles (both should cover the bottom of the pan.
• Layer the meat and the cheese, enough to cover noodles and meat
• *Place noodles on top, add sauce, meat, and cheese. Repeat step until no more meat remains.
• Drizzle pasta sauce over the op and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
• Cover and place in oven for 35 minutes. Then uncover and cook for 25 minutes.
• Allow to cool before cutting. Make your favorite side, salad and or bread and enjoy!