Introducing....Michille!

Hey there! My name's Michille, I'm Elizabeth's daughter, and she's taken me on as a co-blogger. I'll  be sharing some of my thoughts (I apologize in advance), some recipes (because much like my mom, I love to cook), and even some tips for your household or your family I've picked up along the way. More than likely it'll be once a week, although who knows? Feel free to offer feedback and suggestions as it's always appreciated.

This is my first time doing this, so I'm kind of winging it. I guess I'll start this off by telling you about myself. Most of it, she's probably told you herself, so I'll keep it short. Well, I'll do my best. It's statistically proven that the thing people like to talk most about is themselves. Also, I often make up statistics to illustrate my points. I'll let you know when I do and don't, however. In this case? It's true!

I'm an Air Force wife to a wonderful man named Martin, who is currently in training to become a paralegal, and I'm so proud of him! We've been married for almost 3 years and we just had a beautiful little boy we named Stratton. Everyday he's developing and I'm so proud of him too! I grew up in Belgium and I spent most of my post-grad life on the east coast. Most, but not all. Before I met my husband, I was pretty much a wanderer. My favorite color is indigo (this week) and I have the weirdest, awesomest cat on the planet. He's a Maine Coon, and his name is Charlie. I'm sure you'll be hearing about him. My favorite pizza topping is sausage, and my favorite movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Big Tim Burton fan. That's enough for now, I guess. 

I'm going to leave you with a recipe for Spinach Lasagna. I love spinach, although I didn't know it until I was pregnant. I'll not eat lasagna any other way now. :)

Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 box lasagna noodles (There is NO need to precook any lasagna noodle. It's very silly and I don't know why people do it.)

1 bag of fresh spinach leaves

30 oz ricotta cheese (part skim or whole, it's your choice.)

8 oz bag of mozzarella cheese

1 egg

Parmesan cheese (grated or shredded, no matter)

1/2 lb ground beef

1 lb Italian sausage

Salt and Pepper

Basil and/or Oregano (fresh or dried, and enough to your taste)

1/2 medium onion

45 oz jar of pasta sauce (I make my own most of the time, but that's a whole other process for another entry!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

1. Dice up the onion and in a large skillet, brown the meat together, making sure to cut really small. Add in the onions and cook until they're translucent. Drain and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, put together the ricotta, the egg, a handful of mozzarella cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and sprinkle in some Parmesan. Mix until blended and set aside. 

3. Wash spinach and put into a bowl. Set aside.

4. In the 9x13 pan, start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. Sprinkle some of the meat mixture over, and then a layer of spinach leaves. Top the spinach leaves with a layer of lasagna noodles and then spread a layer of the ricotta mixture over that. Repeat the process until pan is full, then top with as much mozzarella as you'd like.

5. Cover with foil and place pan on a baking sheet to catch any sauce that bubbled over. Place into oven carefully and cook for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until a knife cuts into the lasagna easily. Remove foil and cook for a few more minutes until the cheese on top is browned.

6. Let set for 5 minutes. Use that time to make a quick salad or garlic bread to go along with it! Serve, then eat and I hope you enjoy it!

Nice to meet everyone, enjoy your week!