Mom's Lasagna

I am home today after feeling and being sick all week! At first I just thought I had a sinus infection, however, I decided that if I wasn't better by last night then I'd call in sick today and go to the doctor, which is exactly what I did. It turns out that NO we are not pregnant, NO I do not have strep and YES I have a GI (gastrointestinal infection), so yay, go me! My doctor was gracious enough to write a note for me today, and said if I needed to take tomorrow as well, then to do it. With SOLs right around the corner I need to be at school as much as possible, so I'm trying to make the most of my day at home, by propping my feet up and resting.

I am planning on taking a nap, but decided that before I do, I should update the blog. I am a much better blogger than I previously was, however, I still lack the dedication like some of the more avid bloggers I follow. I think that with summer fast approaching I'll do better! Anywho, one of my favorite recipes to fix for my  husband is my mom's lasagna--she received this recipe from a church cookbook when we lived in Broadway, VA and has altered it throughout the years, and believe me, it's the best around (even beats out some of those real Italian restaurants)!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2lb ground beef (Adam and I have switched to ground turkey -- you can use up to 1 lb. if you prefer more meat) 
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 can tomato sauce (12oz or 14oz if you prefer for sauce)
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 box lasagna noodles 
• 1 large container of cottage cheese (Adam and I actually add about 1 1/2 large containers -- we LOVE cheese!)
• 3 packs of mozzarella cheese slices
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions:

1. In a frying pan, brown ground beef/turkey and drain.
2. In saucepan, add brown ground beef/turkey, tomato soup, 1/2 can water, tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano--simmer on low heat for 30 minutes (be sure to stir every now and again) 
3. While your sauce is simmering, in a large pot, bring about 8-9 cups of water to a boil, add 9 lasagna strips (you can add more if you prefer) and sprinkle around about a teaspoon of salt. Be sure to pre-heat your oven during this time to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 
4. In a 13 x 9 pan, lightly grease bottom with oil or crisco to prevent sticking (I accidentally forgot to do this once and it turned out fine!) and add a layer of noodles (should be about 3), on top of that add a layer of cottage cheese, a layer of the meat sauce, and then mozzarella cheese slices--continue two more times!
5. Bake lasagna for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, when finished, let it stand and cool for at least 15-20 minutes. 
6. Enjoy with a salad and garlic bread!