Classic Lasagna: A McElroy Christmas Eve Tradition

In my family, we often have pasta on Christmas Eve.  I'm not sure when we started this tradition--maybe sometime in my early teen years? Or a bit earlier, when we moved to North Carolina?--but it was quite sometime ago.  My parents usually make lasagna, though when Christmas Eve has been at my house, I have made other pasta bakes.  One year it was a fancy macaroni and cheese.  Another year it was a tomato-sauce, penne-type thing with veggies.  Pasta is very practical meal for around the holidays: hearty, serves a crowd, it can be customized to be meat-free, and it goes well with salad, etc.  It is also really nice to have leftovers that aren't traditional Christmas-meal food.  I like ham and scalloped potatoes as much as the next girl, but not for every meal. 

This year, I was in southern Missouri for the holidays and we renewed the lasagna tradition at my Grandma's house.  The one we made was based on the "Best Lasagna Recipe" from Taste of Home magazine online.  A few changes made for an easier one (no mincing of garlic, no need to chop fresh parsley, no adding fennel).  It was quite yummy, and possibly even better the second day when we warmed it up in the oven.  This'll definitely be my go-to classic lasagna recipe!   

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles 
• 1 1/4 pounds Italian sausage (or enough for a total of 2 pounds, when added to beef)
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (I used pre-minced, jarred garlic, so 3 to 4 1/2 tsp.)
• 43 oz. canned crushed tomatoes (1 28-ounce can and 1 15-ounce can)
• 12 ounces tomato paste (2 6-ounce cans)
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. sugar 
• 2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 3/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 15-ounce ricotta cheese
• 4 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to directions on package
2. Cook sausage, beef, and onion in a pot over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes (or until no longer pink), breaking up meat into crumbles
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  
4. Drain
5. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, basil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. In a bowl, mix ricotta, egg, parsley, and remaining salt
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
9. Spray a 9x13 deep dish with nonstick spray (even with a deep lasagna dish, this will be quite full)
10. Spread 2 cups of sauce mixture on the bottom, layer 3 noodles on top and then spread 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture. 
11. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and 2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese
12. Repeat layers twice
13. Top with remaining sauce and cheeses.
14. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes
15. Uncover and bake 25 minutes, or until bubbly
16. Let stand 15 minutes before serving

Serve with bread and salad, and enjoy!

Reading Challenge 2017

This year I started the PopSugar Reading Challenge right in January and worked pretty well on it for a while.  I didn't finish, but I did get 25 categories of the 50 covered.  I only allowed myself to count a book in one category, even if it would fit in more than one.  I also didn't count anything that I didn't finish...ooops!  And things like articles didn't count.  

Total for the year: I finished 43 books (low for me) with over 16500 pages read (low for me), but I feel pretty good about it.  The oldest book I read was published in 1939 (And Then There Were None) and the newest were published this year. The longest book was 662 pages (The Name of the Wind).  

REGULAR (24 of 40 finished!)

1. A book recommended by a Librarian
2. A book that's been on your To Be Read list for way to long
   City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (452 pages, read in hard copy in April 2017, published in 2014, fiction--fantasy) How it fits the category? Three years isn't ALL that long, but I got this book for free when it was featured by its publisher at the ALA conference in 2014.  There was actually a really cool display/advertisement on a staircase...*so* clever!  It is a pretty neat book, with a setting that is kind of an alternate, fantastical future in India, Russia, and Asia.  
3. A book of letters
4. An audiobook
   Born a Crime:Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (304 pages--8 hours and 50 minutes, published in 2016, narrated by the author, non-fiction--memoir) How it fits the category?  It is an audio book and I would recommend listening to this one instead of reading it.  It is like the author really is telling you stories.  Plus, the language, voices, and accents make it worth it.  
5. A book by a person of color
6. A book with one of the four seasons in the title
   Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman (444 pages, read in hard copy, published in 1984, fiction--fantasy)  How it fits the category?  "Well," says Captain Obvious, "It has the word 'autumn' in the title, there."
7. A book that is a story within a story
   The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (662 pages, read in hard copy, published in 2007, in April 2017, fiction--fantasy) How it fits the category? The whole book is a story being told over two days/nights in the main character's pub in an out-of-the-way town.  Sometimes it is actually a story within a story within a story! 
8. A book with multiple authors
   Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (260 pages, read on kindle and phone, published in 2007, read in December 2017, fiction--urban fantasy) How it fits the category? Written by a husband-wife team Ilona and Andrew Gordon.  
9. An espionage thriller
10. A book with a cat on the cover
    In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce (264 pages, read in hardcopy, published in 1984, read in August 2017, fiction--fantasy, YA/middle grade) How it fits the category?  It has Faithful, Alana's magical cat on the cover, complete with violet eyes.  This is a re-read and an old favorite, but I had a hard time finding books featuring illustrations of cats...
    
11. A book by an author that uses a pseudonym
    Melusine by Sarah Monette (477 pages, read in hard copy in June 2017, published in 2006, fiction--high fantasy) How it fits the category? So....this book was written under the author's real name, but she also has written under the pseudonym Katherine Addison.  
12. A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read
13. A book by or about someone with a disability
14. A book involving travel
    The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (273 pages, read in hard copy, published in 1955, read in June/July 2017, fiction-mystery/literature)  How it fits the category? The titular Tom Ripley travels to Italy on Mr. Greenleaf's dime, to get Greenleaf's wayward son Dickie to come home.  Tom travels to the small village in Italy, then around Italy with Dickie, then kills Dickie, then travels around pretending to BE Dickie, and finally leaves Italy for Greece under his own identity.  
15. A book with a subtitle
16. A book published in 2017
    Etched in Bone (#5 in The Others series) by Anne Bishop (397 pages, read in hard copy, published in 2017, read in March 2017, fiction-urban fantasy) How it fits the category? Erm...it was published in 2017.
17. A book involving a mythical creature
    Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (314 pages, read in hard copy in February 2017, published in 2016, fiction-fantasy) How it fits the category? This is a fantasy novel--that has guns in it--set in a a desert.  There are mythical beasts roaming around, including djinn (genies!).
18. A book that you've read before that never fails to make you smile
    One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (320 pages, read in hard copy, published in 1994, read in July 2017, fiction--mystery) How it fits the category?  I first read this book the first time I worked at the bookstore--between 2003 and 2005.  The series was quite popular and I wondered what all the fuss was about.  I think these are pretty funny books, though this one had more violence than I remember from before.  I sort of love that cars keep blowing up, that she has a pet hamster, and that the hot private security guy keeps saving her.    
19. A book about food
20. A book with career advice
21. A book from a nonhuman perspective
    Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs (371 pages, read in hard copy and read in April 2017, published in 2017, fiction--urban fantasy) How it fits the category? The main character is a non-human, a coyote shapeshifter.   
22. A steampunk novel
    Mission Impossible (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #1) by Bec McMaster (380 pages, read on phone in November 2017, published 2016, fiction--steampunk urban fantasy?)How it fits the category? This is a bit of a silly book that is very cross-genre.  Sort of a procedural, steampunk, werewolf/vampire, romance book. 
23. A book with a red spine
    A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (416 pages, read in hard copy, published in 2015, read in February 2017, fiction--YA, fantasy)  How it fits the category?  Well, the spine of the book is red, like the cover :)
    
24. A book set in the wilderness
25. A book you loved as a child 
    The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - Song of the Lionness Quartet #3 by Tamora Pierce (253 pages, read in hard copy, published in 1986, read in July 2017, fiction--young adult, fantasy) How it fits the category?  I read this series when I was a kid and loved the girl-disguises-herself-as-a-boy story.  This and the Robin McKinley books (Blue Sword and Hero & the Crown) were favorites in childhood. The women were women that embraced all aspects of themselves, their strength, smarts, abilities, and ultimately their femininity, as well.  
26. A book by an author from a country you've never visited 
    The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (308 pages , read on phone, published 2015, read January 2017, fiction--sci-fi, literature)  How it fits the category? Margaret Atwood is Canadian...and it sometimes shows through in this book.  Occasionally someone will say something that is much more Canadian than American, even though the book is set in the U.S.
27. A book with a title that's a character's name
    Alanna: The First Adventure - Song of the Lionness Quartet #1 by Tamora Pierce (274 pages, read in hard copy, published in 1983, read in July 2017, fiction--young adult, fantasy) How it fits the category?  Duh.
28. A novel set during wartime
29. A book with an unreliable narrator 
30. A book with pictures
     The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 by Alan Moore (192 pages, read in hard copy, published in 1999, read in July 2017, graphic novel)  How it fits the category?  It's a graphic novel.  I'm still not a graphic novel fan, but I keep trying to find one that I enjoy.  This, at least, only took an hour to read.  It was a Amazing Book Club of Doom selection for the movie/book meeting month (where we traditionally eat pie!).  
31. A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than youSmilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg (469 pages, read in hard copy, published in 1995, read in February 2017, fiction--mystery) How it fits the category? The main character, Smilla Jasperson, is half Danish and half indigenous-Greenlander.  Raised in Greenland by her mother--mostly in a traditional, in-nature sense--she is a unique character...torn between the two very different parts of her.  The mystery involves the death of her neighbor, a little boy who is also part-Greenlander.  
32. A book about an interesting woman
    Trick of the Light by Rob Thurman (339 pages, read in hard copy, published 2009, read September 2017, fiction--urban fantasy) How it fits the category?  The main character, Trixa, is interesting in a number of ways: she owns a dive bar that she lives above, has a pet crow, has a semi-reformed-from-really-bad best friend, took in two "stray" teens who have psychic abilities and are now in their 20s, has an ongoing battle-flirtation with a vampire, etc.  And then there's the ending, which I won't spoil here.  
33. A book set in two different time periods:
    Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs (272 pages, read in hard copy, published 2016, read January 2017, fiction--YA). How it fits the category? A group of teenagers are recruited to travel to the future in a type of corporate espionage.  They were supposed to be sent 10 years forward, but end up 30 years in the future and they discover that someone is going to kill them upon their return to the present. 
34. A book with a month or a day of the week in the title
35. A book set in a hotel
    And then there were None by Agatha Christie (264 pages, published in 1939, Read in December 2017 in hard copy, fiction--mystery)  How it fits the category?  I mean, technically the plot follows 10 guests at a private island house...but it is like a hotel, complete with staff. Read the book and saw the play for December bookclub and they varied quite a bit, including the ending.  
36. A book written by someone you admire
37. A book that's becoming a movie in 2017
    The Circle by Dave Eggers (493 pages, read on my phone, published 2013, Read in July 2017, fiction--maybe sci-fi?)  How it fits the category?  It was made into an Emma Watson/Tom Hanks movie this year.  Haven't watched it yet, but I will.  This story is pretty scary because it was written over 4 years ago and the way social media works has followed the path in this book.  :(
38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas
39. The first book in a series you haven't read before: 
    Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (465 pages, read in hard copy, published 2015, read January-February 2017, fiction--YA, fantasy) How it fits the category?  This is the first of a duology that is actually set in the same world as a previous trilogy.  (But this is a separate book that can be read individually.) I've been meaning to read it since it came out.  In fact, I got it the week it came out because I stumbled upon it on Amazon.com and thought, "Awesome!"  It is a combo of fantasy and a heist story.  And certainly more of a book for teens than for younger readers--all characters are flawed, there is a certain amount of violence, and adult themes like abuse and prostitution that are handled in not-graphic, but effective ways.  I was lucky to get the sequel from a vendor for only $5 at ALA Midwinter this year.  
40. A book you bought on a trip
    

ADVANCED (1 of 12 finished)

1. A book recommended by an author you love
2. A bestseller from 2016
3. A book with a family-member name in the title
4. A book that takes place over a character's life span
5. A book about an immigrant or a refugee
6. A book from a genre/subgenre that you've never heard of
7. A book with an eccentric character
8. A book that's more than 800 pages
9. A book you got from a used book sale
    Ghosts in the Snow by Tamara Siler Jones (488 pages, read in hard copy, published in 2004, read Feb. to March 2017, fiction--fantasy, mystery) How it fits the category? I purchased this from a used book sale in Chapel Hill back when I was in grad school.  Turns out it is a cool blend of mystery, fantasy, and historical novel.   
10. A book that's been mentioned in another book
11. A book about a difficult topic
12. A book based on mythology

Hungarian Mushroom Soup: First New Recipe of 2018

When I was in my sophomore year in college, a friend made the Hungarian Mushroom Soup recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook.  I remember it fondly and--with the new year here and the idea that I should cook more--I decided to give it a try. 

I'll be honest: I was too lazy to go find my copy of the book, so I found a version online that may or may not be just like the one in the book. And then I changed it just a bit.  It was a really good, hearty meal-soup, extra mushroom-y.  Also tasted good warmed up the next day.  Yay for a successful first new recipe of 2018!!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp margarine (or, I suppose, one could use butter)
• 2 small to medium onions, chopped (I used sweet yellow ones)
• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. mushrooms, sliced (I used one pound of baby 'bellas and half a pound of white button)
• 2 to 3 tsp. dried dill (I used 2 slightly heaping tsp, but I think that less would be better)
• 1 Tbsp mild paprika
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk (I used skim milk and it worked fine)
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (I used non-fat, plain, Fage-brand Greek yogurt)
• black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt margarine in a soup pot
2. Add onions and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes
3. Add mushrooms, salt, dill, and paprika
4. Stir well and cover, the let cook for about 15 more minutes
5. Stir in lemon juice
6. Gradually sprinkle in flour and stir in, one Tbsp at a time
7. Cook for 5 more minutes over medium-low heat, stirring regularly
8. Stir in water
9. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often
10. Stir in milk and black pepper to taste
11. Turn down heat, whisk in yogurt and heat gently (don't boil at/after this point)
12. Serve hot