Join Me For Tea?

As I sit here this evening sipping my tea my mind wanders over the last 24 hours, and I marvel at how much can be done is such a short-time frame. Yesterday morning after blogging I went out and did all of my laundry (dragging it out of the house to the laundromat or a friend's house is one of the prices you pay for living in an apartment). Once I got home I took care of some other things, and made what was touted to be the "World's Best Lasagna". Best? Probably not. Very good? DEFINITELY! I will definitely make that recipe again. (Keep tuned for more info about this later!) After that it was time for church, and then finally housecleaning. That put me in bed at about 1:30 a.m.

I got up this morning in time to start out on a monster shopping trip. I visited 5 stores, and purchased not only everything I needed for Thanksgiving, but also everything I needed for the rest of the month, as I finally finished my menu plans the other night. Now I FINALLY have some time to sit and relax, and sip a cup of tea while dinner is cooking (broiled salmon!).

Ok....now this blog is supposed to be related to food, taking care of the home, etc. I know that I ramble a lot, and all of this is still so new to me, but here is my tip for this week....

If you want a better lasagna, never (I repeat NEVER) use shredded mozzarella cheese! I have spent my whole life baking with shredded mozzarella, but recently read that using sliced mozzarella cheese in your lasagna was so much better. The lady who wrote it maintained that it tasted better, the texture was better, and the lasagna held together better. Sure. Uh-huh. Whatever. Right?

WRONG!

While at the store getting the ingredients for last nights lasagna I already had put shredded mozzarella in the cart. And then I remembered what I had read. I thought "The slices are more expensive and it doesn't really matter. She's crazy." But then I thought "They're not that much more expensive though. And you'll never know unless you try." SO...I decided to test her theory. And I will never make lasagna with shredded mozzarella again.

IT. WAS. SO. GREAT!

Think I'm crazy? Try it for yourself. How did I go my whole life without knowing this?

I think I'm all ready for my Thanksgiving cooking and baking. Do you have your menu planned? Mine is as follows:

*Turkey
*Dressing
*Mashed Potatoes
*Gravy
*Candied Sweet Potatoes
*Corn with Cream Cheese
*Green Bean Casserole
*Rolls
*Cranberry Sauce
*Broccoli Rice Casserole
*Tator Tot Casserole
*Pickle/Olive Tray
*Cracker/Cheese/Sausage Tray
*Pumpkin Pie
*Apple Pie
*Pecan Pie
*Chocolate Pie
*Pumpkin Roll
*Pumpkin Cheesecake
*Cranberry Tea

I pretty much make everything from scratch. That's the fun of loving to cook. If you would like any of the above recipes, please let me know, and I would be happy to send them to you!

And now...with Thanksgiving cooking comes lots of dishes, so here's my household tip for today: Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me for a long time, AND I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way! A good way to kill two birds with one stone (where did that saying come from anyway?!).

Well, dinner's pretty much done, so I have to go put the finishing touches on it and get it ready to serve. Have a great evening, and enjoy the rest of your tea!