Bowling, Bed Bugs,

Not much going on in my life at the moment. We went bowling as usual and in fact I didn't do too badly so I was happy about that. I was surprised the alley owners knew about my hospital episode and then realised a good friend had been bowling on Wednesday.

One thing I am worried about. It turns out that in Ontario there has been an outbreak of many total infestations of bed bugs. Funnily enough I had seen 3 insects in the bedroom which I didn't recognise. I checked on line and I think they might have been the bed bugs. Not 100% sure. However, I sprayed all round the bed and the rest of the room. The exterminators have been working in the building for most of the day apparently. I am also told we have had cockroaches in our building, in Canada? That does surprise me. Apparently the whole building needs spraying outside as they say the bugs are now in the brickwork. I think we tenants should get together to achieve this rather than just wait and see what is done. Bed Bugs seem to have become a problem in North America. I have heard lots of reports about infestations. In fact I read that they are a big problem in Canada these days and in our area too. There is a scam going around advertising an easy cure. I believed it when I first read it, but luckily continued reading.

Elizabeth Seckman who is an author and is also one of the housewives at The Really Real Housewives of America says she likes easy recipes and admits to being lazy in the kitchen. For you Liz here is an easy lasagna. I don't know what a doonk is, you will have to guess I'm afraid.

Lazy Lasagna

Pearl Barrett

I’ve made plenty of zucchini and eggplant lasagnas in the last few years that fit S mode* (see info below), but they call for cutting the veggies into thin layers as faux noodles, and sometimes also require pre-cooking the veggies. I’m so over that. These days my life is way too busy for those extra steps; I need ultra-easy meals, so I thought about spinach. It’s super cheap when you buy it in frozen bricks, it doesn’t require cutting— hmmm—couldn’t that work as a lasagna noodle layer? My children

are not the hugest spinach fans, but they scarf this down and tell me it is the best lasagna ever! This is my go-to lasagna now; I’ve ditched all the others.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 pounds ground meat (beef and venison work well)
2 (12-ounce) jars no-sugar-added pizza or spaghetti sauce (see Note)
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Mineral Salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¹/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 to 2 doonks Pure Stevia Extract (optional)
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (8-ounce) package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 (14-ounce) container 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) piece part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling over top; green can is fine)

Directions


Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brown the meat in a large skillet over high heat, then drain off any excess fat if necessary. Add the sauce and seasonings, and simmer over low heat for several minutes.

Put the spinach in a colander and squeeze and push to get all the liquid out.

Put the cream cheese, cottage cheese, and eggs in a food processor and process until smooth.

Layer half the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Top with half the cheese mixture, then layer on half the spinach. Follow with half the grated mozzarella. Repeat the layers, ending with the mozzarella. Top with a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly.
Have a great day