Melissa

My Beef and Zucchini Lasagne

So everyone has their fail-safe lasagne recipe and mine will be no better than yours, just saying I made my personal best tonight! Yes, this is the quick-ish working Mum version in which my sauce is made from cans, not fresh. So shoot me.

You will need;

1 onion

500 grams minced beef

1 diced zucchini

garlic

1 small can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can Watties Pasta sauce

Italian seasonings, or fresh basil, parsley and oregano

Cracked black pepper

salt

1 pack of fresh lasagna sheets or the crispy kind

2 tubs of Ricotta or one if your stingy or dieting I guess

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Parmesan

Grated cheese

Brown mince in pan with diced onion, garlic and zucchini + black pepper, drain excess oil from pan
In a large pot combine all tomatoey ingredients, pepper, salt, fresh herbs or Italian seasoning, add browned meat etc, simmer with lid on for 30min at least.
Dump ricotta into mixing bowl add egg and nutmeg and some grated cheese if you want. Mix well.
Using some kind of ladle apparatus, scoop sauce so it covers the bottom of your lasagne dish.
Add first layer of pasta
Spread 1/2ish of your ricotta mixture over the top
sprinkle parmesan, then add a layer of grated cheese, sauce, pasta etc
Go as high as your pan can take until you run out of mix, finish with a healthy layer of grated cheese with parmesan over the top.
Bake covered with tinfoil for 25-30, remove tinfoil and bake for another 25-30 until crispy and bubbly and a bit crunchy on top.

What I had suspected was a particularly nasty case of Man-Flu has turned out to be a bit more serious as Dave is now into his 24th hour in residence at North Shore hospital. Maybe it’s his appendix maybe it’s giardia WE JUST DON’T KNOW. I wish someone would figure it out. We are visiting him at the moment and Ethan is alternating between being fine and getting really upset about his daddy having to stay here .
Dave’s amazing optimistic attitude keeps shining through – he can’t believe that this is the reality of free health care. It really makes you wonder what all of those rednecks are fussing about.

Daddy and Ethan geeking in hospital

This is an awesome example of a major corporation putting things right;

Cadbury you have redeemed yourself in 5 ways I never thought possible. You listened to me when I told you I wasn’t down with you killing Orangutans (OK indirectly…) to make me fat happy and high on choccy. I couldn’t believe it when you commented on my blog last week and said you wanted to make ammends, set things right and send me a present! and then you found me on twitter and whispered the same sweet nothings.

And then today, you (OK Courier Post) came through with the goods.

Yeah – Cadbury loves me AND DAMN-IT I LOVE YOU TOO CADS!

All is forgiven, I’m pretty sure that I can forget about that whole Palm Oil fiasco, just don’t be putting any more nasty shit in our chocolate again and things will be just fine.

Your letter was sweet though, don’t be mad that I am sharing it, but I think everyone needs to know that you are truly sorry and are working to make it up to the chocoholics of New Zealand.

It’s nice to have you back Cads

Love Melissa, your BFF xxxx

You're back in my goodbooks Cadbury

I was on my way home from a fab Cocktails & Canapes Baby Shower last night when Dave called from work and said he had finished early and why didn’t I join him for a going away party for one of the staff at the bar.

Twist my rubber arm.

Some observations from the evening;

Jason Mraz impersonators may strike at any time, complete with full gesticulating dance moves and a flawless performance fully focused on the mini-skirted, pool-playing hottie he is trying to bed. Mraz impersonators are oblivious to the stares and admiration of others, when I’m Yours plays, they are in the zone.
Random chick I may or may not know “That girl is way too tall for that dress, someone should tell her” Me “You’re way too tall for your skirt and you’re a midget. Bad outfits are contagious around this place”
A covers band that plays Toto, Kenny Loggins, Dire Straights, Oasis and many other pearls may sound like a good idea at the time, but calls many strange creatures out into the night. Some who answered the call of 80′s synth-pop have never been seen before on the North Shore. Awe-inspiring people watching.
Smokers are incredibly rude and loser-y. Major social fail.
18 is way too young to be out in a bar with Mraz impersonators and shock-and-awe creatures of the night
Supre has a lot to answer for, dressing girls like K Road hookers lost in time IS NOT FASHIONABLE people

Fact: I have been in bed since 8.30pm

Fact: I am eating hummus, with nothing, just my finger ::::::GASP::::::

Fact: I have just finished reading the New Zealand Healthy Food Guide November Edition

Fact: I purchased The Jack Family’s First Freezer today

Cumulative total of facts = I have definately hit the ground running into my thirties and it appears there is no return.

This is the guy that’s got my heart all a flutter. I knew I had to do something when I came home from grocery shopping and realised there was no way on gods green earth that I was getting 2 loaves of bread, english muffins, pita bread, pastry, 2 packs of chicken and a size 16 chicken into my shoe-box sized freezer which was already bursting at the gills. Enter Trade Me. I found my freezer, it appears to be an incredible bargain, is less than a year old and lives in Remuera. Hell, if you are going to buy second hand whiteware you might as well buy from the best right? My parents freezer was purchased before I was born. That’s right people, if you follow along and can do The Math, that means the freezer is at least THIRTY YEARS OLD. And still freezing shit. So, I look forward to sharing many fond family memories with my new freezer, fingers crossed he will be around to dish out Flavr Ice to my grandkids.

Another useful and boring thing I have bought lately is;

My Zyliss Can Opener. After the third crapola can opener in a year refused to open my refried beans last month, I finally did it. I spent $30+ on a can opener. This guy was worth every penny, 5 stars.

So, the moral of the story is; avoid whiteware for as long as you can, but if the day comes when you need that bit of extra space to store your reduced meat bargains and your butter stockpile, embrace it, run with it and relish the fact that next time you see two size 24 chickens on sale for $12 YOU ARE FREE TO BUY THEM, no longer constrained by the small freezer, YOU CAN BUY IN BULK. Finally.