Message in a Bottle

Life is a question of nerves, and fibres, and slowly built up cells in which thoughts hide themself and passion has its dreams. A morning sky, a particular perfume that you had once loved and that brings subtle memories with it. A line from a forgotten poem, that you had come across again, a cadence from a piece of music that you ceased to play.............I tell you, that it is on things like these that our lives depend.

Oscar Wilde

Recipe below courtesy of chin Deep

best slow cooker lasagna {crock pot recipe}

I’ve been making lots of Crock Pot dinners this summer. I love how slow cookers allow me to create hearty meals without heating up the kitchen. This slow cooker lasagna is so unbelievably good. It calls for minimal ingredients, it’s easy to prepare, and your family will love it. I think it just might be my best lasagna yet!

serves 6 to 8 people

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

36 oz. spaghetti sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 and 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1 to 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

7 to 8 oz. oven-ready lasagna noodles (uncooked)

fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Brown beef and onion in a big skillet. Drain any excess grease. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of the Mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, all of the cottage cheese, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well.

Rub inside of a 6 to 7 quart Crock Pot with the vegetable oil. Don’t use butter or olive oil for this or it will burn.

Place 1/4 of the meat mixture in the bottom of the prepared Crock Pot. Place 1/3 of the noodles over the sauce, breaking to make them fit as needed. Spoon 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times. Spread remaining meat sauce over the top. Sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan over the meat sauce.

Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 4 hours, or until you can see that the lasagna is bubbling around the edges and feel that the noodles are tender when you poke them with a fork.

Turn off slow cooker. Uncover lasagna and allow it to sit for 15 minutes prior to cutting and serving. Plate and garnish with fresh basil springs.

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Chin Deep on Facebook

and also a link on my side bar

A message in a bottle was found after 41 years at sea and traveling 3,300 miles!
Back in 1973, Scottish fisherman John Souter was sailing with his father when he decided to tear out a page from a fishing almanac and inscribe it with his name, address, and the date. He put it in a bottle and tossed it into the North Sea. Then he forgot about it.
Well, just recently a German tourist named Michael Scholz was vacationing in New York and found the bottle washed ashore on Jones Beach. Michael took the bottle home with him to Germany before mailing it back to John in Scotland.
Michael says John and his wife wrote him a Christmas card to thank him for the surprise. He says, "It's amazing to think how far the bottle traveled!"
* That's John Souter from Scotland in the picture