The Brain!

I carved this spooky watermellon "brain" for our Halloween party. It was a little time- consuming (about an hour's work), but it was lots of fun. Just peel the rind off a watermellon (I used a vegetable peeler), and then cut off a slice from the bottom so that it won't roll around. Using a sharp knife to cut narrow channels, expose the pink mellon to resemble a brain.

Man Catcher Lasagna

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

1 small can tomato sauce

1 small tomato sauce can of water

½-1lb. ground beef, browned with 1 sm. onion, and drained

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 16 oz. container cottage cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Combine spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, water, and ground beef in mixing bowl. Spread ¼- ½ cup of sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan. Place 3 ½ lasagna noodles in pan on top of sauce. Spread 1/3 of cottage cheese on top of noodles. Sprinkle 2-3 large handfuls of cheese on top of cottage cheese. Spoon 1/3 of sauce on top of cheese. Repeat layers two more times, ending with sauce. Sprinkle one more handful of cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil; bake at 350° for 1 hour. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Super Smoothie (from Mom VDG)

Jamba Juice has met its (healthier and more cost effective) match!



1 sm. carton yogurt (I use strawberry or peach)
3 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
Juice from 1 can of pineapple
1/2 c. apple juice
Enough frozen fruit to fill the blender (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple are what I use)

Combine ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to one hour.

Taco Soup

1 qt. tomato juice
1 can corn, drained
1 sm. can tomato sauce
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 cans kidney beans and juice (I like to use 1 can kidney beans and 1 can chili beans with sauce)
1 lb. hamburger
1 sm. onion

Brown hamburger in large pot with onion; drain fat. Add all ingredients to hamburger, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, etc.
Sometimes I double the recipe and freeze the leftovers. (I don't double the meat though).

The Goodness of Granola

This recipe comes from my sister's husband, Ben, and it's a winner! Good for breakfast, a snack, or as a topping on yogurt.

Ingredients:

2 lg. boxes old-fashioned oatmeal

2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

2 c. coconut

1 ¼ c. canola oil

2 c. honey

2 c. chopped dates, set aside

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except dates. Place in two to three 9x13 pans. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 ½ hours, stirring half way through baking time. Cool, stirring once when half cooled.

Note:

This makes A LOT of granola! I usually halve it. Also, I usually need to bake mine a little longer than the recipe directs.