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I’m not sure when this recipe has last appeared, but it is an all-time favorite.
Deacon El
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I'd like to share an old family recipe with you I cook up and serve quite often. It's easy, fun, and as you'll see, fairly well-balanced. It's called "4 Layers to the Sun" and it's a lasagna dish.

4 Layers to the Sun

Step 1: First, you want to begin with the base of the dish -- the sauce. In my travels, I've come to find that if you prepare a good sauce, everything else will usually fall in line. For "4 Layers" you want to mix two 4 cans of tomato paste with a one pound of ground beef, one pound of smoked ham, 1/2 pound of sausage, 1/2 pound of turkey breast, 1/3 pound of pork, 1/3 pound of venison, and 12 strips of boiled bacon.

Step 2: In a separate bowl melt 2 sticks of salted butter and mix in chopped onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, red peppers, green peppers, eggplant, mangos and garlic. Combine the meat sauce with the butter and veggies and let simmer on low heat for one hour.

Step 3: Carefully add your lasagna noodles into 4 cups of boiling water. For an extra punch I like to splash in a couple tablespoons of Mountain Dew to the boiling water.

Step 4: Lay your bottom noodle into a well greased (I use ranch dressing) 8x12 pan.

Step 5: Ok, it's time for layer one! I like to think of my lasagna as structurally sound -- which is why my base layer is filled with 3 Texas T-bone steaks. When laying the steaks in, you may have to put on your best "jig-saw puzzle hat" for rearranging. When the T-bones are in there nice and snug, cover them with a generous stack of fried onion rings and a half bottle of A-1 steak sauce. Finally, pour on a nice coating of your simmering meat sauce.

Step 6: The next section is what I like to call the "rise and shine layer." Why? It's primarily breakfast foods. Start with 6 pieces of french toast arranged on top of a fresh noodle. Then set down a thin blanket of Canadian bacon followed by 8 over-easy eggs. Top with 2 cups of Trix cereal and a helping of fresh maple syrup. Cover with meat sauce and lie down next noodle.

Step 7: For the third layer you'll want to prepare your taste buds for a 'journey under the sea.' Begin by spooning and spreading out 2 cans of dolphin unsafe tuna. Place 2-3 (depending on their size) soft-shell blue crabs atop the tuna and cover with 8oz of tartar sauce. Lastly, top with 1/2 pound of minced Humpback whale blubber (which you should be able to find on the Internet). Cover with meat sauce and lie down next noodle.

Step 8: The final layer in "4 Layers to the Sun" is aimed to satisfy your sweet tooth. Begin by lining the naked noodle with 14 Swiss Cake Rolls. Next you will need the bottoms of 20-30 Snickers bars (use a cheese cutter to slice off the underbelly, just before the peanuts) and stack the nougat slivers in neat rows. Follow that with a thick layer of New York cheesecake filling followed with a coating of jet-puffed marshmallows. Drizzle with Hersey's chocolate syrup, secure top noodle, and empty your remaining meat sauce onto the lasagna.

Step 9: Sprinkle dish with handfuls of mozzarella, pepperjack, Colby, Swiss, muenster, cheddar, provolone, brie, feta, parmigiana, and nacho cheese.

Step 10: Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 3 hours.

Step 11: Grab a spork and enjoy! "4 Layers to the Sun" feeds 1 to 1 1/2 people and is best served with a tall glass of Diet Pepsi.

Here's a very fast and easy combo that comes out creamy and with just the right amount of spice to not be bland. Perfect for feeding the kids--either because they're little and picky, or big and hungry. The rice has chemicals and excess ingredients that can be avoided by making it from scratch, but this can't be beat for convenience.

One package of Tasty Bite's Lentil Magic [shop.tastybite.com]

One package of Mahatma Saffron Yellow Rice [mahatmarice.com].

Add the lentils to the rice in the last couple minutes of cooking, stir, and serve.

Thanks for the quick idea.

Thanks! This sounds great to feed the family on one of those super busy nights when I'd rather just go out.

Elizabeth

Deacon El:

RE: Four layers to the Sun

Are you kidding? I heard my arteries start to grow shut just reading this one.

Bob

Did you see the sodium count!!!!
440 mgrams
That is sodium city for some of us!

Kolya

I know it! It's crazy how much sodium they put in prepared foods! Vegan foods seem to be among the worst offenders. I try to make my own whenever possible.

This is the salt-free bouillon [rapunzel.com] I use in making my own saffron rice.

Ingredients:
1 Can of Shredded Beets
1 Can of Sliced Carrots
1 Small Can of V8 (or similar) Vegetable Juice
1 Packet of Onion Soup Mix
1 Tbspn of Dill
1 tspn of Black Pepper
1 Tbspn of Garlic Powder

Directions:
1. In a small to medium sized pot, take onion soup mix and add necessary water and bring to a boil.
2. Add Shredded Beets and bring to a boil.
3. Add Sliced Carrots and bring to a boil.
4. Add V8 juice, garlic and black pepper and bring to a boil.
5. Turn off heat and stir in dill.
6. Place in bowl and serve.

Simple. Delicious. Hearty. Lenten. Affordable.

Sounds good...any recommendations on how to adapt this for a slow cooker/crock pot?

Use real beets and carrots overnight with all ingredients added as a start. Cylindrical beets are best. Save the greens and chop them up and put in mix when the slow cooking is half way done or the time you plan to cook it (You can tell by beet tenderness). At least some greens. Carrot greens, a little, add good flavor and vitamins too.

Glad the recipes are back. Lent is definitely more bearable with them.

Please do not forget the essential good dark Chocolate.

That requires no preparation - just the opening of the packet and removal of a few squares of this .

Oh, of course! Dark chocolate is the greatest!

Alice
Try the Ras al hanout! Veggie tagine from Morrocco.
You can make it like the original dish only without the meat,
also you can not stick to the recipe strictly and be a little creative.
Stephanos I
PS although I am not so strict I just cannot do without some little olive oil.

We had this for dinner last night, served over cous-cous. It was a hit with everyone. Even the very picky 7 year old liked it when she finally tried it, under threat of hunger. She didn't admit to liking it, of course, but she at it all without complaining.

Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, chipped,
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, or 1 can, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
1/4 cup green olives, drained, halved and pitted
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

1. In a large skilled, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to bring out the flavors.

2. Transfer the mixture to a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add the green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, stock, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

3. About 20 minutes before serving, add the peas and dried fruit.

4. When ready to serve, stir in the olives and sprinkle with the parsley. Taste to adjust the seasonings and serve hot

I just tried this. It's good!