It's a cooking blog!

I invented a lasagna today, and thought I'd share a recipe in pictures.

Chop up half an onion and remove several sausages from their casing. I used mild Italian sausage, but you can use spicy, sweet, or plain ground meat. Whatever makes you happy. I only had 2 1/2 sausages, but could have used more. Maybe even double that. Or you could go meatless too. Just add more veggies.

Boil water in the biggest pot you have for your lasagna noodles. It will take a long time to boil, so go ahead and start it. Don't forget to put a handful of salt in the water. You'll want to boil the noodles for about 4-5 minutes (the box says 8-9), so they don't end up over-cooked when you bake it off later. Just cook them enough that they're nice and pliable.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet and brown the onions and sausage.

You want a nice high heat for this, so the meat gets nice and brown and flavorful. It should be golden brown, not grey, when you get through with it.

When it starts to get nice and brown, add a couple cups of diced butternut squash (and a little salt and pepper) to the skillet. You think it's a lot, but it cooks down and you're making a lot of lasagna, so you want at least 2 cups. Preferably more. Also add a few cloves of crushed garlic.

Cook and stir until the meat finishes browning and the squash starts to really soften and gets some of the nice brown flavor on it.

Decide not to use zucchini in this particular recipe. You'll be tempted, since you have a fridge full. But since you've worked it into every possible recipe lately and have plans for it again tomorrow....this zucchini will live to fight another day.

Do all of this awkwardly angled away from the stove to protect your sweet little passenger who won't stay down for a nap.

Get out a green bowl because it's the first one you grab and you are limited in your reaching abilities by the small person in your pooowwwch (see my last blog if this is confusing). Enjoy arranging a Ricotta cheese tower (1 15 oz. container), a pile of Parmesan, 1 egg, a couple big spoonfuls of pesto, and some salt and pepper. Feel compelled to share that the pesto is not old, even though it looks brownish. In fact, I used half regular green basil and half purple basil. It is fresh and delicious. Just not the bright green you expect.

Smash it all together with a fork.

Put your passenger in a swing for a nap. Quickly realize that she is determined to keep an eye on you until she falls asleep. If you even think about moving, she will cry. When she falls asleep, be careful. Even if you make no sound, she will wake up and cry if you move more than 4 feet away from her. Be patient and crochet a sock.

You know you could make your own marinara sauce, but since you have pre-prepared sauce on hand, decide to use the canned stuff. You'll need 2 cans.

Get 2 medium pans out. One for tonight and one oven-safe Pyrex one with a good lid to go in the freezer. Spray them with cooking spray and smear a little sauce in the bottom.

Lay a layer of noodles in the bottom. Burn your fingers a little and mangle a couple noodles as you try to cut/rip them to the right size.

Spoon on some squash and sausage. Squausage.

Spread some ricotta mixture over that, then some marinara.

Mozzerella.

Do all layers again, then another layer of noodles, then sauce, then a nice layer of mozerella on top. Realize in the second layer how much more cheese you use when nobody's looking.

Label the Pyrex one well and freeze.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 375, then take the foil off and finish uncovered for 15 minutes. The pan we had tonight was 9 generous pieces. We ate less than half and were all full and happy. So happy.