see mj write: day 21 {a recipe}

i have a disease.

when i want something done, it's hard for me to trust another to get it done. i usually just do it myself. it's not because i don't think they can do a good job. usually, it's just because i know they'll do it differently than the way i imagined and that stresses me out.

enter church cookbooks.

when i was in college, my ward, or church group, wanted to put together a recipe book; one compilation of everyone's bests. a book that would become a go-to for easy, yummy, quick, hearty, wholesome meals.

so of course, i headed up the project. i didn't want some half-hearted effort. and i definitely didn't want it to be edited incorrectly. the book obviously needed a good font {and not too many} and it needed consistency with terms and layout and...you get the idea.

so, i nagged and nagged and nagged and eventually collected enough recipes to compile into a book. i spent countless hours arranging and rearranging the text so recipes fit on pages correctly {we don't want any widows, now do we?}, checking for spelling and grammatical errors and organizing the recipes, alphabetically, into like groups.

and then, because i worked at the on-campus copy center, i was in charge of the printing and collating and binding. and i hand-picked which of the employees would be allowed to help me.

when all was said and done, and the recipe book was in my hands, i was almost too tired to start cooking. but, it was pretty. oh, it was pretty. and i think i've only found one or two mistakes in the entire thing. not too shabby.

i swore i would never do anything like that ever again.

but, as with most student wards, the population quickly changed and we had a whole new group of girls interested in compiling a cookbook.

so i volunteered again.

see, i never learn my lessons.

same thing all over again. countless hours. tired eyes. extremely annoyed husband. but, a second cookbook in hand; and this one had a slow cooker section.

and then i moved to california. i got together weekly with a group of moms and, each week, whoever hosted provided lunch. and let me tell ya, these ladies are good cooks. so of course, i needed a cookbook. and of course, i volunteered my services to compile said cookbook.

i'm pleased to announce that these cookbooks have become my go-to for almost all of my daily cooking. the recipes are tried and true and downright delectable.

so, with no further adieu, my own most-requested submission. it was given to me by my mother in law and i've never turned back. i entered it into all three cookbooks because it's so easy and so yummy and so fool-proof.

crock pot lasagna:

6-9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned and seasoned with Italian seasoning
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce {any flavor}
16 oz. cottage cheese
4 0z. mozzarella cheese {give or take}, grated

1. spray crock pot with non-stick spray.
2. layer 2-3 uncooked noodles, 1/3 meat, 1/3 spaghetti sauce, 1/3 cottage cheese and 1/3 mozzarella cheese in crock pot.
3. repeat layers two more times.
4. cook on low heat for 3 1/2-4 1/2 hours.

*note: i have a round slow cooker, so i have to break the noodles and do three layers. if you have a large oval cooker, you could probably get away with two layers and might not have to break the noodles. also, try to not cook for longer than 4 1/2 hours.

really. it's that easy. we have it probably 2-3 times a month {we had it tonight!} and it is inhaled by all who are present. even the bean. she loves it.

it might not be as pretty as your traditional lasagna, but it is every bit as tasty.