Easy Recipes

I'm not professing to be a great cook or anything, but I have three recipes that I have collected in the last couple of years that I really love to make.  I thought I'd share with anyone who wants to try them.  They are pretty easy!

Lasagna
8 oz uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 (26 oz) jars of favorite pasta sauce
1 lb bulk Italian sausage, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350'. In medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and eggs; mix well. In 9x13 in baking dish, spread 1 cup pasta sauce. Layer with half each of the uncooked lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, sausage, remaining pasta sauce and mozzarella. Repeat layering. Top with parsely.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil; bake covered 1 hour. Remove foil, bake 10 minutes longer.

Farmhouse Ham Chowder
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
4-1/4 cups milk
2 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes - thawed
2 cups frozen corn - thawed
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
shredded cheese for topping

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery and red pepper in butter until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Stir in flour and dressing mix until smooth; gradually stir in milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Add the potatoes, corn, ham and thyme.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated through.  Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Banana Pudding
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 large bananas
1 box vanilla wafers

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in large, non-stick sauce pan. In seperate bowl, mix together milk and egg yolks until frothy; add to sugar mixture in sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to boil; continue to cool 1 minute at boil.  Remove from heat.  Add butter and vanilla.  Peel and slice bananas. In 11x7 dish, layer wafers first, then bananas, then half the pudding.  Continue layering until pudding is the top layer. Cover with cling wrap and chill.

I hope you enjoy these like I do.  If you make them, leave me a comment and let me know how they were!