Jan. 28: Mushroom lasagna recipe

I’m sure I’ve shared the story of when my mother-in-law sabotaged Thanksgiving, haven’t I? I asked for her pumpkin pie recipe and she ACCIDENTALLY left an important ingredient out: sugar. SUGAR! As I was preparing the pie, I thought it was odd that there was no sugar in the actual pie mixture, but the shortbread crust is so rich and sweet that I assumed it all balanced out. I was wrong, but I didn’t find that out until everyone at our family gathering had been served their very bland slices of pumpkin pie.

Isn’t that evil of her? That’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this woman’s tricks, I assure you. Heh heh heh…

My mother-in-law has graciously shared her recipe for Mushroom Lasagna, courtesy of Grace Clark. She said she double-checked to make sure she didn’t leave sugar out of the recipe, but this one’s safe: no sugar.

She makes this lasagna with FriChik (Diced Chik, actually), which is a fake chicken soy mystery-meat product that I truly hate but somehow it’s absolutely delicious in this dish. I have friends who eat FriChik right out of the can, though, so apparently some people think it’s good no matter what. Freaks.

To me, this lasagna has kind of a stroganoff-y flavor and I think it’s terrific.

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Lasagna with FriChik & Mushrooms

• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Sauté together:

• 3 T. margarine
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
• ½ cup chopped onions

Set aside.

• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 can diced Worthington FriChik (or 1½ -2 cups cooked coarsely diced chicken breast)
• 2 cans Campbell’s mushroom soup
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 McKay’s chicken seasoning
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1½ cups small curd cottage cheese

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1. Mix all together except for noodles and cottage cheese. Save ½ cup mozzarella cheese for top.
2. Layer starting with small amount of sauce, noodles and cottage cheese in 13 x 9 pan.
3. Top with noodles and mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Remove foil the last 15 minutes or after it begins to bubble.