State Fair and Recipes!

Since my mom and my relationship isn't exactly a good one, I really try to cherish the moments that she is in a good mood. The state fair is a huge event in Reno. Kids show all their 4-H projects and in general people show of their animals and home-crafts. There were 4 black bears that did a show (don't agree with that, so I didn't watch it, those bears should be in the wild.) and TONS of chickens, roosters, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs, donkeys, curly-haired horses, bulls, everything!! There was some AWESOME food, I had an Indian taco (fried bread, beans, lettuce, etc) and a funnel cake of course. My mom loves the corn dogs there. Well my mom, step-dad, roommate and I went to the fair on Saturday night, something that NEVER happens. We never do anything together, and the last time I went to the fair with my mom was probably 6-7 years ago. I paid for her and my step-dad to get in because they are going through some financial difficulties. I played 2 carnival games and won a couple stuffed animals. I can't go on rides because I get too motion sick, and my mom can't either. My step-dad, mom, and roommate had a beer, but I don't drink anymore (unless it's one glass of wine, and very rarely). We walked around, saw a demolition derby (old cars crashing and ruining their cars) it was amazing! We mostly just looked around and walked a ton. My beauty school was their doing advertising, that was a little awkward since I haven't seen them in so long, oh well. I don't know if I really intend to go back. We saw a ton of quilts that people were showing, and lots of crochet work. That made my night! I decided that I want a tiny farm (1-2 cows, a few chickens, etc) and to really get into quilting/sewing/crocheting. I LOVE it.


My dear friend sent me the Duggar's book 20 and counting and I thought I would share some recipes from their book that I thought were interesting and useful to bigger families. I've also been doing research on how to make more homemade stuff. So here it goes.


(meat dishe, I don't eat meat, but most do)

Slow Cooker Lasagna (makes 16 servings, so might wanna make it smaller)

4 lbs ground chuck
4 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
4 28-ounce jars spaghetti sauce
4 4-ounce cans mushrooms
1 1/3 cups water
32 lasagna noodles
3 15-ounce containers cottage cheese
6 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook the beef and Italian seasoning in a large skillet over medium-heat, stirring until the beef crumbles; drain. Combine the spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, seasoned meat, and water in a bowl. In the bottom of a lightly freasted 5-quart electric slow cooker, layer thinly the following: 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, sauce mixture, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat 8 layers. Cover and cook on high setting for 1 hour; reduce heat and cook on low setting for 5 hours. This dish can be assembled ahead of time and stored in fridge until ready to cook.


Homemade Rolls

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages yeast
5 cups flour, plus flour for kneading
2 eggs
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Combine shortening, sugar, salt, yeast, and 2 cups of flour in a large bowl and cut with pastry cutter. Beat 2 eggs in a 2-cup measuring cup, then fill cup to the 2 cup mark with how water; pour over the dry mixture. Slowly add the remaining 3 cups flour.

Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap let rise for 20 minutes in a warm over. Then pour the dough onto a floured surface. Knead. Flatten with hands into a large pizza shape. Cut with pizza cutter into 16 triangle-shaped slices. Roll up from the wide end to the point. Place rolls in two greased 9x13-inch pans, bending into crescent shapes and leaving space for the rolls to double in size. Let rise in a warm (but not hot) over at least 20 minutes. Remove from over.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes, depending on how brown you prefer. When done, immediately brush with melted butter. Makes 16 rolls.