dream. lasagna throw down.

I wasn't sure if I should have titled this post dream. or food. I had a dream about food, so...yeah.

One of Nate's questions first thing in the morning is "Did you have any crazy dreams?". He knows that I have very vivid and nutty dreams - I think the most famous, or at least the one comes out while telling everyone I have crazy dreams - involves LL Cool J. In short, Nate and I were fugitives running up a mountain, LL Cool J was the cop out to get us. WHO dreams this stuff. I hadn't heard a song of his, seen him on TV, NOTHING for years. YEARS. people.

Not sure if this is going to turn out to be a series on the blog. If I remember to grab my phone first thing in the morning and jot down some notes, I'm sure you'll read more about the nonsense I create while sleeping.

On to my last dream. My company was going to fire me unless I beat my friend's mom in a lasagna throw down. Literally, my job was on the line for lasagna. It's too bad I'm writing this so late in the day because there were some pretty good details I've already forgotten. I'm sure it was close ups of the lasagna...who doesn't love food porn at any time of the day? (If anyone from work is reading this. I make a mean lasagna, please keep me.)

If this makes you think of having some lasagna, here's a recipe you should try. It's become a favorite at our house. The red sauce is good to have on hand for any last minute carb cravings.

World's Best Lasagna from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2-6 ounce cans tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbl white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbl salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Jen's Notes:

• Nothing. Make it exactly the way the recipe lays out.
• For the original recipe, click here.

It should look something like this: (Thanks to my sister for being in the photos!)

 Don't forget your wine! Feel free to add a bit to the red sauce.