Lasagna

So, um...I can' t take credit for this recipe. I stole it from The Pioneer Woman (same place as I got the pie--which, by the way, is still SO GOOD). It's billed as "The Best Lasagna Ever," and I gotta say, I'm surprised Tim managed to get any in his mouth. He wouldn't shut up about how amazingly delicious it was. Here's what you're gonna need:

Two 6oz. cans of tomato paste, a pound of sliced mozzarella or 4 cups of shredded, salt, basil, parsley, garlic, two eggs, cottage cheese, lasagna noodles, one pound of ground beef, one pound of Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Sausage, and two 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes. Tim doesn't like tomatoes, so I used two 8oz. cans of tomato sauce, and it worked out just fine.

Put the beef, sausage, and two cloves of minced garlic in a skillet.

Brown the beef. It'll take 20 minutes or so, depending on the heat. Then, drain most of the fat. I think the easiest way to do this is to put a lid on the skillet, crack it open slightly, and pour into an empty can. You don't want to pour this down the sink (it can easily clog the pipes) or into the garbage (it'll melt the bag and possibly your plastic garbage pail).

Add the tomatoes/sauce and paste.
Add two tablespoons each of basil and parsley, and one teaspoon of salt.

Mix together thoroughly, and let simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, boil some water and cook your noodles for no more than ten minutes. Drain them in a colander, thoroughly rinse with cold water, and lay your noodles flat on some foil or a cookie sheet. They'll be easier to work with later. If you're using a standard 9x13 pan, you'll need about 8 noodles. If you want an extra layer (bottom, middle, and right on top), cook 12.

While that's going, beat your two eggs in a bowl. To it, add three cups of cottage cheese (about two pounds). If you're one of those people who just can't stand cottage cheese (I don't understand you people. Cottage cheese is delicious), don't worry. You cannot even taste it. I promise. I swear on my mother's grave, you won't even know it's there.

To that, add two tablespoons of parsley, half a cup of parmesan, and one teaspoon of salt. Mix well. Now's a good time to preheat your oven to 350F.
Then, create your assembly line. I cannot emphasize this enough: GREASE YOUR PAN. With that much cheese, it's going to want to stick.
Start with one layer of noodles. Put half of the cottage cheese mixture on top. On top of that, spread half of your mozzarella.
On top of THAT, put half of the meat. be sure to spread everything evenly. Repeat.

On the very top, put a generous helping of parmesan cheese. I don't believe in Kraft products, so I used fresh grated cheeses and it was delish. Once it's all put together, put it in the oven for 25 minutes, and enjoy. I promise, this is so easy. Anyone can do it; even my brother. All you need to do is commit yourself to watching everything for awhile.

The boring stuff:
Difficulty: 2.
This will take almost an hour and half to prepare.
Serves lots. It's a lasagna. You can get 12 servings out of this, easy.

Postscript 04/06/08: The original author of this recipe noted that her now-husband proposed to her about a month after she made this recipe for him. And I'd just like to say that I made this for Tim on March 3rd and he proposed to me on April 5th. So if you're looking to get hitched, maybe give this lasagna a try. It worked for me!