Linda, this is my favourite recipe for Moussaka. It originally called for ground lamb, but I almost always substitute beef and sometimes pork. As much as I love other cuts of lamb, I've never really cared for ground lamb. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Moussaka ======== Source unknown edited 2 eggplants cut into 1/4 inch round slices. 3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick long slices 1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. vegetable oil. (1 to 2 inches deep) For the beef tomato sauce: 2 pounds lean ground beef/veal/pork or lamb. 1 large onion, medium diced 2 tablespoons minced garlic Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 to 2 teaspoons ground allspice 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 large can tomatoes, chopped For the Bechamel: 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons flour 4 cups milk garlic clove cracked (not minced) 1/4teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese Salt Freshly ground black pepper To Finish: 3/4 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated . Slice eggplant and salt. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe dry. Season flour with salt and pepper. dip eggplant into flour and fry in hot oil turning when golden. Dry on paper towels. Fry potato slices until lightly golden. Remove the potatoes to a paper towel. For the ground beef Tomato Sauce mixture: Saute the ground beef for 2 minutes, until it begins to turn brown. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat from the pan. Season the mixture with allspice, oregano, and cinnamon and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture is a thick tomato sauce consistency, about 30 minutes. Check for seasoning. Remove from the heat and cool. For the Bechamel: In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, or until it becomes a very pale tan color. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the garlic clove, the nutmeg and the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat for 15 minutes. The mixture should be fairly thick. Remove the garlic clove. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk it into the beaten eggs. This will temper the eggs. Whisk the egg/milk mixture back into the milk mixture. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir. Over very low heat, cook this mixture for 3 more minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool. To finish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the bottom of a baking dish with 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the eggplant over the breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the potatoes over the eggplant. Place 1/2 of the beef tomato sauce mixture over the potatoes. Add another layer of eggplant and another layer of potatoes. Top with the remaining lamb mixture. Place one more layer of eggplant and potatoes over the beef mixture. Top with bechamel. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Margaret -and all - the EVO brand by Natura also has canned foods. A "gravy food" might be hard to find without gluten. I have one boy who goes on a rampage if he doesn't get his grilled fancy feast (a cuts 'n' gravy food). So far it has been safe, FF (Purina) maintains that their foods have not been contaminated (EXCEPT Mighty Dog 3.5 oz packaged dog food.) Regardless, we are not allowing it any more as of yesterday. We will mix a little water with the non-gluten-containing foods (tender beef feast, gourmet chicken feast, tender beef and liver feast, and tender beef and chicken feast varieties of Fancy Feast) to make it gravy-like. I do want to move to a raw-food diet with my fur-kids, but until then, and in the transition, FF non-gluten varieties will have to do. Good luck to all as we move through this.

I know I'm late to this discussion, but wanted to add that I also have a now 11 y/o diabetic cat who was dx 3 years ago. My vet of course prescribed Hills Prescription Diet for diabetic cats and this did nothing to help his BG as it is NOT a low carb food. I requested a prescription for Purina DM (another local vet carries Purina Rx foods but not mine), which was a bit better but more than I could afford long term. DM is actually a better prescription food than Hills' (which is HORRIBLE for feline diabetes) as it is lower carb but the vet nutritionist who helped formulate DM recommends Fancy Feast as an alternative. I also tried Wellness and some of the other grain free premium brands and even they still kept my cat's BG too high. My cat has been on Fancy Feast Classic varieties only since 2 months after dx and it didn't take long afterwards for me to regulate his BG. It rarely goes over 130. It is usually in the 75-125 range. He's on Lantus which is an expensive insulin but works well and if you keep it refrigerated and only draw with sterile syringes lasts a long time. ONLY USE STERILE SYRINGES. I use Walgreens brand 30 unit which are around $17 for a box of 100 and are also calibrated in .5 unit increments--helpful for small dosages as we give our cats (my cat is now on .75 unit 2x day which is down from what I was giving him at dx). Make sure to get Classic varieties only. No gravy, shreds, grilled, "florentine," cheese, etc. They all have wheat gluten and other carb sources and frankly are meant to be appealing to the humans who buy them and not the cats who eat them! But almost all the FF Classic varieties are grain and gluten free. In fact, I have to be careful with 1 of the flavors (Cod, Sole and Shrimp) because his BG tends to go too low if I feed it more than 1 or 2 feedings in a row. This is more dangerous short term BTW than high BG. But I can't remember the last time his BG was up over 200. Probably when he got into "contraband" (food for the other kitties). Prior to dx the cats were eating a mix of Wellness wet and CORE dry. As an added bonus, I changed his obese brother's diet at the same time to Fancy Feast and no dry, since they eat at the same time and routinely switch food dishes no matter what I do. At his heaviest he was almost 25 lbs, even when closely watching his calorie intake and feeding only 2x/day (no free feeding)! Prior to changing him to his brother's diabetic diet I was able to get him down to 21-22 lbs. but still far from a healthy weight. He was the one I was afraid would become diabetic, btw. The last time he visited the vet he came in at just under 14 lbs. and she said that he was now a healthy weight. Yes, he is a big cat but no longer obese. Non-fish flavors are the best overall (poultry and beef varieties especially). Unfortunately, my cats are somewhat addicted to the fish flavors plus the 36 can club pack at our local Sam's Club is by far the cheapest I can find them (Walmart 12 can packs next cheapest if I want to get poultry/beef varieties) so I'm aware I'm trading one risk of feeding a fish based diet to my cats for the very real one of losing my cats to either diabetes or other weight complications.

Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, Apr 8, 10 at 9:44 I'm confused? I thought the pasta cookalong was next week, as the pasta party. I didn't do it this past weekend because I thought that's what we were doing. Well, that, and I've been very busy and was gone last weekend. So, the pasta party and pasta cookalong are/were two different things? Thats okay, as I could eat pasta every day...well, I could if I wanted to gain 300 pounds, lol. Bring on the cream cheese, because I'll buy it thinking I'll use it, then it will sit in the fridge for months before I toss it because it's old. It'll be good to get some recipes. Sally o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, Apr 8, 10 at 11:40 That settles it Sally, you're just going to have to make a dish this weekend that uses pasta AND cream cheese. Might I suggest noodle pudding, known as "kugel" around my house. I may have a recipe if you would like. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 9:31 That sounds like a great idea. You want to post it on the pasta party or cream cheese thread? Actually, I'm going out of town again this weekend, but I plan to take whatever I need with me to do the pasta party - I just won't be able to post about it till Monday night or Tuesday. Sally o Pesto Trappanese clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by johnliu (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 11:02 Pesto Trappanese This is a dead-easy summer dish, as with many Italian recipes either find really good ingredients or don't make it. Ideal picnic food. Tomato â€" 2 cups, dice by hand, no need to peel or seed. Or, quarter a bunch of cherry tomatoes, which is labor-intensive but flavorful. Parmesan or Asagio or similar salty, hard cheese - 1/2 cup, grated. Chop coarsely by hand: Basil â€" 1-2 cup fresh leaves (or chiffonade which looks prettiest) Garlic â€" 2-3 cloves Almonds â€" ½ cup or more, toasted lightly Optional - a couple of shallots, a bit of fresh mint. Combine. Add to taste: Salt â€" Kosher ideally Pepper â€" fresh cracked Olive oil Lemon - squeeze juice Optional - a bit of red wine vinegar Serve on pasta, cooked in salted water, pasta should be cooled or chilled. I like spirals becuse they are cute and hold the pesto well. Do not use a food processor, the tomatoes tend to turn to juice, the rest becomes too fine, and when mixed up the whole thing looks disturbingly like stomach contents. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by paprikash (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 14:20 This is absolutely the best tuna noodle casserole I have ever tasted. My husband couldn't stop eating it (little did he know he was eating artichoke hearts....) * Exported from MasterCook * Mediterranean Tuna Casserole Recipe By : Cooking Enthusiast Catalog Serving Size : 4 Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 ounces egg noodles -- cooked al dente 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 red pepper -- diced 1 clove garlic -- peeled and minced 4 ounces baby portobella mushrooms -- sliced 1 7 oz can artichoke hearts -- drained and chopped 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream 2 4 oz cans bonito del norte tuna -- drained 3/4 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded 3 scallions -- thinly sliced 1/2 cup crispy onions 1/4 cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs Melt butter in large saucepot over medium heat. Add red peppers and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts and flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and heavy cream and cook until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. In large bowl, combine the egg noodles, tuna, scallions, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and sauce mixture. Grease a 10" round casserole, add noodle mixture and top with crispy onions, remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. Bake in a 400* oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I probably used closer to 8 oz of baby portobellas and I used regular panko crumbs. I used the canned French's onion rings (Cooking Enthusiast sells their "crispy onions" but I've never bought them). The French's onion rings were starting to burn after 15 minutes so don't top with them until the last 8 to 10 minutes or leave them off. I do buy my tuna fish from Cooking Enthusiast -- it's packed in olive oil and wonderful but I am sure regular tuna fish packed in olive oil will work fine, too. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 18:18 I made Lpinkmountain's recipe (sorry, don't know your real name) for Spaghetti al Tonno / Pasta with Tuna Sauce. It was delicious and I used the anchovies, lemon zest, and olives. The instructions did not say when to add in the anchovies, so I added them in with the onion as I have seen done on the food network. My husband and I both went back for seconds. Thanks for sharing such a great, quick recipe! o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA Recipe!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 18:28 Here is a recipe my niece shared with me that is very delicious. Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Courtesy of Giada Delurentis. Ingredients: 3TBOlive Oil 1 pkg spicy sausage casings removed 2 bunches Broccoli Rabe (I use one) 3-5 cloves garlic minced pinch of dried red pepper flakes (or more if you can take it) 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated 1/2 tea fresh ground black pepper Directions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil Broccoli Rabe for one minute. Strain broccoli rabe reserving all cooking liquid. Cook orecchiette in the same water as the broccoli rabe until al dente. Drain reserving one cup of cooking liquid. Meanwhile cook sausage in large skillet with oil breaking into pieces. Cook until brown and juices form. Add garlic and red pepper, saute until fragrant. Add broccoli rabe toss to coat . Add pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid to keep moisten. Stir Parmesan salt to taste and fresh ground pepper to taste into mixture. Enjoy o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 22:37 That's right Mamalou, Joyce says to add the anchovies after sauteeing the onions until transluscent. Sorry I left them out! I tried to like anchovies but I just can't do it, lol! My name is Laurie but I like to go by my screen name or Lpink for short, just for privacy's sake. If it was just the regular members on here that knew my name I wouldn't mind, but with the Internet, anything can come up in a search anywhere. Glad you like the pasta. I've been wanting to make it for the longest time, but I also want to make Sharon's pasta with peas and bacon, and a recipe I have for spinach fettucinni. And I still have orzo minestrone to eat up, one week later. So much pasta, so little time . . . o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by cookingrvc (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 23:22 Ok, had forgotten about this but I turns out that I was planning to make pasta tomorrow so I guess I'm in! I have some fresh portobello agnolotti which I plan to serve with a white truffle cream sauce (got the truffle cream, just need to make a sauce base) as a first course. Small serving - just enough. Second course will be a grilled flank steak with some sides - I'll see what looks good in the market. I like the boiled, smashed, then roasted red potatoes (Pioneer Women) that someone posted and might add a bit of onion. Sue o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lorijean44 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 10, 10 at 10:41 Here's my contribution to the cookalong: Bowties with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup diced onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-ounce can Italian diced tomatoes 1-1/2 cups whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 pound bowtie pasta 3 tablespoons fresh minced basil Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage, crumble and cook in oil with crushed pepper until sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook another 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain tomatoes, chop coarsely and stir into sausage along with cream, salt and basil. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. In a separate pot of boiling water cook pasta al dente. Drain pasta and add to simmering sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley. Serves 4. Source: An Appetite for Art, copyright 2001 Lori o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Sun, Apr 11, 10 at 16:54 Thanks LPink! We enjoyed the leftovers today...they tasted even better than the first time!! Yum!