Lasagna

1 lb ground beef

1 clove garlic - minced

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tbsp chopped sweet basil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 lb can crushed tomatoes

2 cans 6 oz tomato paste

Lasagna noodles

2 cottage cheese small curd 12 oz

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 lb mozzarella cheese - shredded

In a fry pan slowly brown meat, drain. In a medium pot add next 6 ingredients. Add meat to mixture, simmer on covered till thick, about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In a large pot boil noodles to directions on package. Drain and rinse.

In a medium bowl, mix the cottage cheese with the next 5 ingredients.

In a 9 by 13 in pan ( I prefer glass) layer 4 of the noodles, half cottage mixture, half of the shredded mozzarella cheese the half of the meat mixture. Repeat another layer with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella cheese on top.

Cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Pull out and let stand for 15 minutes.

*If you do not have fresh parsley or basil you can use dried.

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

Mmm, Mmm, delicious!

Ingredients:

For the lemon oil

1/2 c. extra virgin oil

1 lemon, zested

For the pasta

1 lb linguine pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots diced

16 oz. frozen shrimp

1/4c. lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 lemon, zested

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 oz. arugula (about 3 packed cups)

1/4c. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:

For the lemon oil:

Combine the olive oil and lemon zest and reserve.

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 min. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for two minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 min. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes:

You can substitute chicken for the shrimp just pre-cook the chicken. Watch the garlic carefully when you cook it in the oil. It burns easily. I leave the zest from the reserved lemon oil to add extra lemon flavor. Trust me it's worth it. This recipe is wonderful cold as well.