My first lunch for Metro Division....

I have delivered dinner twice to the officers in the Metro Division (3rd shift), but this was my first lunch for 1st/2nd shift -- February 5, 2021. 

Was I nervous? YES! After all, I was making lunch for officers I had never met before, not to mention delivering lunch on a weekday presents a nice possibility that the Captain, Lieutenant, and Sergeants might fix a plate (and they did), so I wanted to get it right. 

Ever since the Covid outbreak, the officers in my own division haven't been able to gather at my table, so I have been delivering meals and have extended my cooking and deliveries to divisions outside my own. 

Delivering lunch and a promise to be there by a certain time doesn't leave much room for kitchen snafus and setbacks. I'm not a professional caterer and don't know all the tricks of the catering trade, but one thing I have learned in the past 11 years is, the more you can do the day before, the better. 

I decided to make the lasagna the night before so all I would have to do is pop it in the oven the morning of the lunch. Seems simple, right? WRONG!! Bringing cold lasagna to room temperature before baking takes way longer than you would think. I even put it in a warm oven 200-250 degrees for 20 minutes before cooking for another hour or so at 350, and it still took forever. I even scoured the internet for helpful tips on making lasagna the night before and the only thing I could find was that you cook it longer and, in my opinion, cooking longer can make it dry. It was a dilemma, for sure.  

I was a nervous wreck. 

They say 'a watched pot never boils'....well, watched lasagna is slow to cook. But planning to be there 30 minutes before the start to set-up helped make up a little time -- I just didn't have the time to make the layout all pretty once I got there. 

I love all the helping hands I had when I arrived. Once I notify someone that I'm there, officers pile out the back door for the 'unloading of the car'. And they're so strong, they can carry a lot at one time. 

Everyone at Metro was so welcoming and appreciative. In my brief 2-hour visit, they made me feel like part of the family. About halfway through lunch, the words 'our house, is your house' came across loud and clear. My appreciation for them was so quickly reciprocated.

At exactly 2:00 pm, my car (and the old girl in it) was heading home with all of my nice thoughts of the afternoon. 

Stay safe my new friends.  💙

Nothing says 'dig in, boys' like four pans of Lasagna.

One big salad.

My banana pudding that everyone seems to like so much.

Two boxes of cream puffs.

 

Lasagna...tested and approved by the cops I cook for

I received a text message from an officer Sunday night asking for my lasagna recipe. The officer's birthday was the following day and her husband was making her birthday dinner. Asking for a recipe is the ultimate compliment for any cook, and an extra special compliment that my lasagna was birthday dinner-worthy.   

It took a little doing to pull the entire recipe together because the sauce recipe is in one place and the filling is in another. Not to mention explaining the 'building' of lasagna...that, in itself, is a big production. 

I don't have good picture of the lasagna on a plate, but I will next month and I will update this post.  

The sauce recipe is the Pioneer Woman's recipe (from the Food Network) and it makes a bunch! As written, it will make (3) 13x9" pans of  lasagna, or one large chafing tin (pictured below), but since it is somewhat time-consuming to make, I go ahead and make it as written, and then I can enjoy it during the week with spaghetti or freeze it.

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Click here for the original Pioneer Woman's recipe 

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Ground Beef or Ground Round (I Used Ground Round)
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole large Yellow Onion, Diced 
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced  
• 6 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 cup White Wine OR Low Sodium Beef Broth if you prefer (I used the beef broth since I'm cooking for the Po-Po)
• 2 cans 28 Ounce Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 can (14 Oz. Size) Crushed Tomatoes  (14 oz cans are sometimes hard to find so you might have to buy 3 28 oz cans (instead of 2) and only use half of the 3rd can
• 1 can (small, 4-ounce) Tomato Paste
• 1 jar good store-bought Marinara Sauce (I used Ragu Traditional, but you use your favorite)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
• 2 tablespoons Sugar (I used a little more than 2 tablespoons - it's tart)
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

Instructions

Pioneer Woman's step-by-step photos and instructions, click here.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef until totally browned. Remove meat from pot with a slotted spoon and put into a bowl. Set aside.  

Discard any grease in pot, but do not clean the pot. Drizzle in olive oil. When it is heated, throw in the diced onion and diced bell pepper. Stir it around for 1-1/2 minutes, then add the garlic. Stir and cook for an additional minute. *Note: dicing the onion, green pepper, and garlic the night before is a huge time-saver.

Pour in the wine (or beef broth) and allow it to bubble up and reduce for about 1-1/2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and marinara sauce. Stir to combine, then add oregano, thyme, sugar, and salt. Stir, then add cooked ground beef and stir to combine. Place the lid on the pot and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

LASAGNA FILLING AND LAYERING

40 years ago, the Mueller's Lasagna Noodle box had a recipe on the box called 'Classic Lasagna' and it was made with Cottage Cheese (not Ricotta). Being newly married at the time and an inexperienced cook, I followed the recipe as written and have been making it with Cottage Cheese ever since. If your preference is Ricotta, use that instead and I'm sure it will be delicious! 

This filling is for one (1) 13x9" pan of lasagna:

1 16 oz  Breakstone's Small Curd 4% Milkfat Cottage Cheese (or Ricotta)

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese (be careful not to use low fat -- it won't melt right)

1/2 cup Parmesan

2 eggs, lightly beaten
* Buy 2 packages of Mozzarella so you have two full cups left over to sprinkle on top (see below).

In a large mixing bowl add 2 cups (16 oz) cottage cheese (or ricotta), 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Add lightly beaten eggs and mix well.  

After the sauce is ready, spray the bottom of the lasagna pan with spray PAM.

• Spread one cup of meat sauce to the bottom of the lasagna pan.
• Add three COOKED lasagna noodles lengthwise on top of sauce. Spread about 1/3 of cheese    mix on top of noodles. I do little even scoops, then try to spread it the best you can. Top with meat sauce (it's more than a cup - maybe 1-1/2 cups?) You want to make sure the noodles are covered well each time, but not so much you lose the filling.
• Repeat layers twice -- noodles - cheese mixture - sauce.
• After the last layer of cheese and sauce, add your last layer of noodles and top with meat sauce.  Make sure the ends are covered well with sauce so they don't burn.
• Cover lasagna with tin foil and bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees. Take a peek at 50 minutes and see how it looks. If it looks really hot, remove foil and spread 1-2 cups of mozzarella on top and return to oven until melted and golden.

PHOTOS FROM MY OCTOBER 27th DINNER FOR CMPD METRO DIVISION:

As you can see, I haven't mastered the 'panoramic' photo feature on my phone.

Every officer signed this card that night with their own little message. I didn't include all the special comments in this photo.