It was a good summer

We all had a great summer, including an awesome if short jaunt to Palo Duro Canyon, above. While I know I never write on our blog anymore, feel free to check out the family photo album, as that is updated more often than anything.

Dutch Oven Lasagna

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

oil for above

1 jar (+) spaghetti sauce (I sometimes add small jar of tomato paste)

1 lb ground beef

.5 lb ground italian sausage (or several links out of casing)

some sliced black olives

spices like oregano, basil

1 cup ricotta cheese

1.5 lbs shredded mozzarella

Parmesan cheese

1 box lasagna noodles

You basically make a sauce how you like. I start by sauteing onions and garlic, browning the beef and sausage, draining fat, then adding spices and such.

In a bowl, mix 1 lb mozarella with the ricotta and some Parmesan cheese.

I put a couple tablespoons of water in the bottom of a 10-in Dutch oven. (A note on lasagna noodles: I don't cook in advance. I just break the hard pieces and layer. I will buy oven ready if I see them, but I also do this with regular noodles. Always have. In home over or Dutch oven.) I break and layer lasagna noodles on the bottom, and then a small layer of sauce. If these burn, just don't pull this layer onto plates. Then layer noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, sauce, noodles, 1/2 cheese mix, sauce. Top with more Moz cheese and a thick layer of Parm cheese.

6 coals on the bottom, 12-14 on top. Cook for 45 mins or so.

New Year's Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Kitty Crider published this recipe from Dottie and Joe Wilkison in the Statesman one of those years ago when the Longhorns were in a New Year's Day bowl game. She said it was not only tasty, but kind of orange colored, so perfect. It's also very easy, with only six major ingredients. We save our spiral honey-baked ham bone from Christmas dinner for this.

It is a really, really tasty soup ... a stew, really. We've changed it up to work in a crock pot.

2 cups dried black-eyed peas
Ham bone with meat or ham hocks
2 cups minced celery
1 large onion, minced
2 cups minced carrots
1 lb. smoked sausage
2 Tsbp. chili powder

Wash the peas and put in crock pot with 1 1/2 quarts of water. (No need to soak peas.) Add the ham bone, the celery, onion and carrots. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. Cut up the smoked sausage and chili powder and cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, or whenever you can't stand it anymore and have to have a bowl. If needed, add more water, salt or black pepper. It's great with corn bread.