This recipe has just become one of my favorite Taste Of Home recipes! It really was so simple and delicious and best of all the same great taste of lasagna is one skillet. I did change the recipe just ever so slightly by using spicy sausage instead of ground beef and ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese. As you can see the recipe is extremely versatile. Use what your family likes. I cooked this is my dutch oven so the cooking time for the pasta was about 17 minutes. Some of the reviews have stated the cooking time is longer so you may have to adjust just a bit.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 pound ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic. Undrained
2 jars (14 ounces each) spaghetti sauce
2/3 cup condensed cream of onion soup, undiluted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
9 no-cook lasagna noodles
1/2 cup shredded Colby Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet cook beef and garlic over medium heat u til meat is no longer pink, drain. Stir in tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Heat through and transfer to a large bowl. In a small bowl combine the soup, eggs, cottage cheese and Italian seasoning. Return one cup of the meat sauce to the skillet spreading evenly. Layer with one cup of cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups meat sauce and half of the noodles breaking to fit. Repeat layers of cheese mixture, meat sauce, and noodles. Top with remaining meat sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 – 17 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat, sprinkle with shredded cheese, cover and let stand for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
A couple of weeks ago Jim and I were invited to a wedding vow renewal with some longtime friends and their family. It was a beautiful and very hot day. The vows were done on a small island on Squam Lake in NH. We were shuttled back and forth by boat and after the very beautiful ceremony, we were dropped off at Walter’s Basin Restaurant for a celebration dinner. You can get to Walter’s Basin by car or boat as it’s directly on the shores 0f Squam lake at 859 US Route 3 in Holderness NH. Walter’s Basin is open daily for lunch and dinner at 11:30 am.
When we arrived for the day of festivities, I had no intention of writing a review but the more time we spent at the restaurant, I knew I had to. Not only was the location beautiful but the staff is friendly and helpful with anything you might like. There was about forty of us all together with a handful of children. The kids had their own table and the rest of us were seated at a couple of long tables over looking the lake.
To start the dinner, Jim had the New England clam chowder and it did not disappoint! Jim cleaned that cup pretty quickly. Smooth, creamy broth filled with lots of clams. I stole a few spoonfuls and I know why that disappeared so fast!
I had the Caesar salad and it was just as you would expect. Perfectly crisp lettuce, plenty of parmesan cheese and dressed perfectly with a creamy Caesar dressing. Excellent start to the evening.
Next up were the entrees. Lots to choose from and this is where the dinner became very impressive! I mentioned there was about 40 of us, right? They had all of us served at relatively the same time and still filling our glasses with whatever all of our drink choices were. Some ordered drinks from the bar, others soda or water and no matter what you ordered, our glasses all stayed full.
Jim ordered something neither one of us had ever had but was told by the waiter it was excellent, so Jim ordered the elk meatloaf. Yes, elk! The meatloaf is topped with a caramelized onion demi-glacé, mashed potatoes, and sautéed green beans. That meatloaf was so moist and tender, and lots of added flavor with the sauce. The mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious along with the crisp green beans that made for a very tasty dinner. Not a spoonful was left on Jim’s plate!
I opted for the lobster mac and cheese. A moment of silence might be in order for this dish. The large chunks of lobster were tender and juicy, the pasta was perfectly cooked to al Dante but the sauce, oh that rich creamy jack cheese cream sauce is incredible. I was told by our waiter they make the sauce to order! All of this, combined with the toasted panko crumbs on top make this an over the top dish! One worth driving for!
I have one more dish to share with you. It was not mine or Jim’s, but a family member of the beautiful couple we were celebrating! I don’t usually take pictures of other people’s food but when this dish was served, it stopped our end of the table. This fried clam plate was incredible, not because it was a large plate of food but it was the size of the fried whole belly clams! These things were HUGE, not the clam strips you usually see on menus! The picture does not do this plate justice!
No matter if you stop here by car or boat, I highly recommend pulling up a seat by the window in the lounge area or dining area. You will not be disappointed with the service or the food. If you happen to be in the lounge on Thursday evenings, you can enjoy some live music!
Check them out on Facebook or online for more information and menu choices.
Enjoy!
This is one of the simplest cookie recipes I have seen or made. With Robby being gluten-free and can only have small amounts of dairy this quick easy recipe was perfect for me to make for him. But even though I made these with Robby in mind, both Jim and I enjoyed them as well. With just three ingredients it’s easy to make any time!
INGREDIENTS
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients until well combined. Roll into balls, about 1 Tablespoon each.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten with a fork.
Bake for 18 minutes, remove to a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!
Living in New Hampshire, one of the things we all look forward to is when all of the waterfront seafood restaurants open for the summer season. BG’s Boathouse is one of our favorite places and this year they are opening for their 41st. season! You know you are going to a great place when it’s family run and owned, and into their 41st season!
BG’s Boathouse is located at 191 Wentworth Road in Portsmouth, NH. BG’s is open 7 day’s a week for lunch and dinner. They have a parking lot in front of the restaurant as well as a parking lot directly across the street. If you don’t want to get there by land, you can get there by water! They have a dock where you can pull right up or a sandy area for kayaks or paddle boats. That’s the way to go for lunch!
We arrived shortly after they opened and the outside deck areas were already filling up. You have the choice to eat inside or on two decks with one of them being covered from the sun. We were seated outside in the covered area right next to the water, that was a great start! Our waiter Jimmy came over, dropped off the menus, and took our drink order of a coke and water for us. They do have a full bar service with many specials. Both Jim and I knew pretty quickly what we wanted and I’m sure you can guess. Seafood of course! Jim started with the seafood chowder with oyster crackers. This was an excellent seafood chowder with a thick creamy broth and seafood in every bite. I swiped a few bites and let me say that rich creamy base was delicious, without even mentioning the abundance of seafood!
For the main course, Jim had the fish and chips, a lightly battered dipped haddock that is goldenly fried served with homemade coleslaw and French fries. The fish was cooked beautifully with a light crisp coating from the batter with the fish being cooked through but still flaky and light. The homemade coleslaw adds a fresh crisp bite with the dressing being just right and not too heavy. The fries are just what you would expect, crispy crunchy outside and soft tender inside. Needless to say, this was an excellent dish and Jim cleaned his plate!
I ordered the baby fried shrimp basket. Boring I know, but this has been one of my favorite dishes since I was a child growing up. I remember my parents dragging us to seafood restaurants, as a young child and even a teenager. I did not have the appreciation for seafood the way I do now. A few times each summer a friend of my parents would drop off some lobsters and steamer clams direct from the water that my mom would cook at home. Although I have never gotten behind the steamer clams, I always appreciated the lobster and the drawn butter, but when it came to going out it was always about the baby fried shrimp basket!
Let me tell you, I have had many, many baby fried shrimp baskets. I really have eaten much more than my fair share and this basket was, the best I have had…it’s one of the very tops! The shrimp were properly cleaned before being battered (that does not always happen as I have had some gritty or not cleaned shrimp and it’s just not good!) The batter is light and super crisp, it’s fried just right and the shrimp holds it’s flavor in the light batter. I had a tarter sauce with mine but they also make their own cocktail sauce that you can have. No matter the sauce, you will enjoy this dish! Oh! It comes with fries too, those are also good but the star is most definitely the sweet tender shrimp!
BG’s Boathouse has a fairly large menu with many items you would expect at a waterfront restaurant. They also have some nice surprises…French fried green beans with ranch dipping sauce, peel and eat shrimp with their house-made cocktail sauce on the appetizer menu. For the main course you again have all the usual suspects but they have the menu broken down in a creative easy way to choose what you like. You can order from the salad section or the light fare too. If you have kids with you they have a menu for the little ones. If you know you want lobster, that too has its own section. I was very pleased to see they also have a great gluten-free menu that includes more than just salads. You can also have many seafood choices, hamburger, and hotdog with gluten-free buns. BG’s boathouse also has a number of house specials so be sure to look for those. They have a website that includes their full menu, as well as a Facebook page they update with their specials. https://bgsboathouse.com/
Although we did not have dessert at BG’s, I have to tell you about one of our favorite ice cream places just down the road from the boathouse. The Ice House is located at 112 Wentworth Road, really just down the street! Although the ice house is not on the water and does not have the views, it does have some terrific ice creams!
The Ice House is open for lunch and dinner and is also a family owned and run business. You can eat inside but if you’re like us grabbing an ice cream from the window and going to the picnic seating area is perfect on a summer night. The Ice House has a large menu not only for lunch and dinner but also for ice creams, sundae’s and shakes to name a few of those cold summer delights!
Jim had a cherry ice cream with real cherries in the ice cream and of course, chocolate jimmies, or chocolate sprinkles for those of you reading from outside the New England area.
I had the black raspberry ice cream with cookie crunch swirl, this was delicious. I would order this anytime! Cool, refreshing black raspberry flavor with a cookie crunch in every bite!
The Ice House is closed on Mondays and only accept cash or Traveler’s checks but they do have an ATM onsite.
I highly recommend checking them out online or on facebook for more information, specials and featured Ice cream creations!
https://www.theicehouserestaurant.com/
Enjoy!
This is hands down my favorite hot dog recipe! Although I am giving you the air fryer directions, these can easily be put on the grill and cooked as well! The slaw can be made in advance and this can easily be made for a crowd. We shared these and EVERYONE that tried them absolutely loved them saying they were the best hot dogs they have ever had. I know that says a lot. Maybe you have read recipes claiming it’s the best this or that, but I don’t eat hotdogs and don’t like them but I love this recipe. I will be making it many times through the summer!
8 servings
INGREDIENTS
8 hot dogs
8 slices of bacon
8 hot dog buns
1 package coleslaw mix
1 container of Marie’s coleslaw dressing
1 Granny Smith Apple, diced
1 cup Craisins
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
Fresh cracked pepper
Pickled jalapeño peppers-optional
DIRECTIONS
Wrap each slice of bacon around each hot dog. Place 4 of the wrapped hotdogs in the air fryer. Fry at 400 degrees for 9 minutes turn the hotdogs over and fry again for another 9 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your desired crispness. If you want the buns toasted take the hot dogs out a couple minutes early, place the hotdogs in the buns, place them back in the fryer and continue to cook for two more minutes or until desired toast is achieved.
Meanwhile make the slaw by putting the slaw mix in a large bowl, adding the slaw dressing, Craisins, diced apple, maple syrup and cracked pepper. Mix well coating all of the slaw with the dressing.
Top the hot dogs with the slaw and add pickled jalapeños. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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