Weekend

We had a busy weekend here filled with friends and food and activities and rain. It looks like fall is here to stay now, but I'm actually happy to stay inside and nest.

Last year we were a little flaky with the ice skating, but on Saturday Porter started some more serious lessons. He had a blast! I think maybe he was just a little too young before (for him anyway), as there was a lot of laying on the ice and snacking and not a lot of skating. But this time he lasted for an hour, and was sad when they made him quit. Maybe I'll be a hockey mom after all. Or maybe not.

We also got the chance to ride the tram, which is a normally expensive tourist attraction. But at the end of the season they let locals ride for a much better price. We were treated with a halfway decent morning, and lovely views of downtown and the channel. Molly was actually a little bit scared, but Porter had a blast.

Included in the weekend's festivities was a small dinner party at our house, now that Bryce's work is finally slowing down, we are getting social again. There was the usual chaos of small children, but it was fun, and nice to see friends. I made a smoked salmon lasagna, and it was a hit. I've been making it for years, and it really is a crowd pleaser (and super easy).

Smoked Salmon Lasagna

adapted from the Best of the Best from Alaska Cookbook

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

4 cups milk

4 cups smoked salmon (or more!)

freshly ground pepper to taste

one big container cottage cheese

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

one box no boil lasagna noodles

3-4 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Blend in the flour, and gradually add milk to make the sauce. Bring it to a boil for a minute until it has thickened. Off heat, add smoked salmon and pepper to taste. In a bowl, stir together cottage cheese, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and Parmesan cheese.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and put a very thin coating of sauce on the bottom. Then layer (uncooked) noodles, cottage cheese mixture, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat twice, so you'll have three identical layers, having used up all the cottage cheese mixture. Then lay the last layer of noodles down, spoon the rest of the sauce over, and top with mozzarella.

Cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more or until lightly browned.

**Note: This makes a really big, saucy lasagna. You can totally scale back the sauce and cheese, and use one layer less noodles, and it will still be a lot. This is helpful, especially if you don't have a lot of salmon.