Hello Again

Well Hello!!!  Haven't talked to you guys in a while.  It seems as though time was a luxury that I haven't had in the last month and half or so.  Every day I meant to write, and then I would remember the garden.  That was a hard choice, BUT....judging by the amount of food I have on my kitchen counters, I think it was time well spent. 

I have been a dehydrating fool!  I think my dehydrator has been working at least 4 out of 7 days a week this summer.  If you have not purchased one yet, I would definitely look for one!

It seems when you have everything figured out, life throws you a curve ball.  Most of the time I am able to choke up on the bat and at least get a base hit.  But this one, man this one was a doozy!  Everything was going great and BLAMO!!!!  A curve ball right in the teeth!  So I spend a week or so picking my teeth up out of the dirt, and adjusted to life as we currently know it. 

Nothing too terribly bad, but my schedule changed.  ( yeah I told you not to bad, but tell that to Mrs. JellyMan...she has to cook now! ).  To better support customer needs, I was asked to change my schedule from 7-4, to 9-5:45.  While I am blessed, and I thank god every day I have a job, and am able to keep a roof over my midgets heads....not getting home until 6:15 or so is not conducive to cooking dinner!  This last weekend was pretty much spent in the kitchen. 

I wanted to come up with cook ahead food with the least amount of steps.  We started with 2 casseroles.  The first has a name...I was informed of the name this week, but the name escapes me now.  I call it Poor/Lazy Man's Lasagna. 

1 lb Ground Turkey
1 lb Ground Turkey Sausage

2 Cups Red Wine

1 Onion ( i went with white this time ) Chop it up
4 Cloves of Garlic ( Smash it up, chop it up, smash it up, then chop it up again )

1 1/2 Boxes of Elbow Macaroni

1 Jar of your fav Pasta sauce 32 oz( We are a fan of Clasico Tomato Basil because that is what Costco has )
1 Can Stewed Tomatoes ( We like the Italian ones from Costco...do you see a theme here )
1 Can Tomato Sauce
2 Medium cans of Sliced Olives ( Drained )
* Secret Weapon *
4 Cups Mixed Shredded cheese ( Again, we like the Costco brand...big bag of fancy shredded cheese, Cheddar and Monterrey jack )
4 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded ( Costco Brand, buy the big huge gigantor bags.  Freeze 2 cups in a sandwich bag and stash them in your freezer. )

In a stock pot, heat it up, throw in your ground meat.  In another pan add a smidgen of olive oil, and throw your onions in.  Keep an eye on your meat, keep breaking it up with a spoon or fork, we don't want huge chunks, just slightly bite sized.  When your onions become translucent, add your garlic.  Give it a couple of stirs, then add your red wine.  Reduce fluid by half.  Okay, your meat should be browned, and your onions should be purple.  Empty your onions mixture into your meat, and add pasta sauce, and tomato sauce.  Grab a handful of your stewed tomatoes, and squeeze!  Drop them in the pot, and repeat until completed.  Add the juice, and your drained olives.  Simmer on low for 1 hour.  While this is simmering, boil your pasta until done, drain it, and rinse it.  Now, an hour later, you should have some nice thick sauce....if you did it right.  I dint, so I had watery sauce.  *SECRET WEAPON TIME*  Add a handful of your garden dehydrated tomatoes.  =)  Okay, throw it all together.  Stir until you have all of the ingredients mixed in.  If you are making this as a freeze ahead meal, please use what ever size freezer safe pans work best in your freezer.

Ladle in the pasta and sauce until you have the bottom of the pan covered.  Add a layer of the mixed shredded cheese, and repeat.  You want this to come up to just under the lip of the pan, and be level across.  Then go ahead and add 2 cups of Mozzarella.  If you are cooking this now, drop it into a 350 degree oven covered with foil for 30 minutes, then un cover, and cook for another 10.  If you are freezing it, defrost it in your fridge the day before, and cook it the same way only longer.  45 minutes, then remove foil and cook for 10.

Well, that was one dish.  I cooked 2, and a desert.  I have 2 reasons for ending this now.  I need something to talk to you about in a couple of days, and........

I am a whizz with a cleaver.  I use a cleaver for everything.  Its a Chicago Cutlery...Its sharp....Well its such a good knife cutting up the first onion, I decided to cut the tip of my thumb off.  Right through the nail, and everything!  It doesn't feel so good now after a day of working with spreadsheets and Alt-Tabbing between reports.  So farewell, take care, and please don't cut your fingers off!!  I promise I will write again soon!