Snow Place Like Home

     What's better than scraping ice off your windshield?  Mopping it up from your floor I guess.  What's the buzz you ask? Well it started off this morning with hubby saying "We are only getting 9 inches", by the time I got to work it was 12 inches, and by this afternoon it traveled up to 16, back down to 12 and rested comfortable at "way too much snow".

     The above photo is the present state of affairs at Village Drive, that is our Christmas tree next to the car displayed proudly for the snow Gods. At least it made it to the end of our driveway. I think it is attracting a rodent. Both my husband and my oldest son saw what appeared to be a guinea pig. Bad idea telling me that, I am outside with a flash light trying to save the animal.  Here's a little nugget of valuable information, possums look like guinea pigs.

     Doesn't this scene, just make you want to crawl right back in bed and pull the covers over your head. It is a blessing that I, along with my kids have a snow day. I slept in like a twenty something recuperating from a bar crawl. But 2 hours later, I have used up all my fun. I am not used to having a day off.     

     This photo is the trail that my cat Giggle left in the snow as he attempted to get home. It broke my heart, he kept turning around and around to attempt to jump over the snow. So, I was going to rescue him, but he was on the porch before I could even find my socks. Such a good kitty.

     My youngest son is the snow baby. The rest of us just zone out until the first robin shows up. I mean look it out there. I don't like to wear hip waders to get to my car, do you?  You know all those silent requests for snow on Christmas?, they arrived on Mother Nature's desk a little late.





     Tonight I am going to make lasagna, because it was the first thing I could think of for dinner. Now that I have finally learned how to use my digital camera. I can take pictures of the things that I make at home and at work. It's a whole new world!!! God, I love technology.

The not so healthy Lasagna  I use canned spaghetti sauce because, unfortunately I am unable to stay home and cook all day~two jobs makes that nearly impossible, so I use a quality spaghetti sauce, I would use Full Red Marinara, but a 6 pound can is a bit much.

1 pound ground round

1 pound meatball & meatloaf mix

8oz sliced pepperoni

1 diced onion

5 cloves of garlic minced

1 tablespoon pizza patch blend

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 box lasagna noodles

2 cans of spaghetti sauce

1 15oz container of ricotta cheese

1 12oz package of mozzarella cheese

1 1/2oz butter

1 1/2oz flour

3 cups milk

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano

salt and pepper to taste

Dice onion and garlic and split in half. In a saute pan, add the olive oil and cook half of the onion and garlic until it is translucent and sweet smelling. Add ground beef and the meatball mix with 1 1/2 tsps pizza patch blend, cook until meat is done drain and set aside. In a saucepan saute the remaining onion and garlic in the butter, add the flour and turn heat down, just until the flour taste is cooked out of the roux, about 3 minutes, add the milk and simmer until the sauce is thickened. Melt the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses in the sauce, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Grease a deep 13x9 lasagna pan. Start with a layer of spaghetti sauce, layer with noodles, 1/2 of ricotta sauce, half of the pepperoni, half of beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese and more spaghetti sauce, layer with noodles,add remaining ricotta sauce and pepperoni, sprinkle with cheese and more spaghetti sauce, layer last of lasagna noodles, cover with sauce and remaining beef mixture, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Cover with plastic wrap(prevents cheese from sticking to aluminum foil) and foil. Bake in 350F oven until heated through, about 140 degrees internally. Uncover and cook just until cheese browns slightly. Remove and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then cut.

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.~Carl Reiner