Lasagna Toss - Review

This recipe is a family favorite. It is SUPER easy, and very yummy. It is definitely much easier than real lasagna. It may actually be easier than real spaghetti too because you don't have to drain off boiling hot water. You literally just dump a bunch of stuff in, let it cook, and VOILA! - dinner. *That is, if you have your beef pre-cooked. If not, it takes a little more time.

from allrecipes.com

 The one thing I would have to say is that the picture from the website is deceptive. DO NOT use a pan that barely will have enough capacity to keep the lasagna juice inside. I made that mistake the first time I made it and it was a MESS. So, I use a bigger pot. It still works the same to cook everything, it just doesn't look as pretty when you take pictures of it.

See? This is after I'd started serving everyone up for dinner. Looks like lasagna!











Four of five happily devour it - good enough for me!

Family Rating: ****
My Rating: ****
Cost: $$ (again, depending on price of beef - should be near-ish to $5)
Difficulty: Easy. Hardest thing is cooking up the beef, which is pretty standard.

Easy Baked Manicotti - Review

This recipe from Kraft foods is so delicious. And easy. And delicious. And vegetarian too. :)

from kraftfoods.com

All of my kids will eat it (even the picky little one), and it's kind of fun to fill up the ziploc bag with the filling, snip the corner, and fill the cooked manicotti shells. I fill one side as far as I can, then flip it over and fill the rest of it in from the other side. This was my first exposure that I can remember to ricotta cheese, and I love it. It has such a good texture and gives it a good flavor without feeling too "dairy". I also will line the bottom of my baking dish with tin foil to make for easy cleanup afterward.

Family Rating: *****
My Rating: *****
Cost: $$ (due to the cheeses - probably around $7)
Difficulty: Easy. Multiple steps, but they are not time-sensitive, and there is no chopping involved.

Valentino's Pizza Crust - Review

On our search for the PERFECT pizza crust, I ran into this recipe. It is fantastic. It is super easy, calls for normal ingredients, and has a really silky easy-to-work-with texture after you mix it all together and leave it alone for a bit. We do family pizza night every friday night, and this is a no-brainer for a recipe.

One of our favorite attempts here: sausage and green pepper. That was amazing. The crust is perfect. Always. This was pre-baking.

Our only modification is that I add some italian seasoning when I'm putting the salt in, unless it is a flavor of pizza that wouldn't work well with italian seasoning. Just a few healthy shakes. Maybe around 2 tsp. worth. We also roll ours out and bake on a cookie sheet before topping and it is the perfect size. It is AWESOME! Be sure to knead it well, and it works better if you use some machine (hand mixer w/ kneading attachments; stand mixer).

Family Rating: ****1/2
My Rating: *****
Cost: $
Difficulty: Easy.