The Farming Families of Iowa—April 2023

Ellen and Vern Van Beek. Story on page 6.

ROCK RIVER BREWERY 24

LISA GROENEWEG 18

The family of Roger and Karen Jauer. Story on page 6.

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DEPENDABLE IS THEIR MIDDLE NAME

By Bob Fitch

According to Doug Jauer, “My dad and grandpa raised crossbred cattle back then. Dad wanted to modernize and move into something that had a little more value-added ability. He got into Angus cattle and met some people who were likeminded and bred the same kind of cattle that he liked.”

Roger Jauer was committed to the production of efficient beef cows that can function in “real world” grass environments. His sons, Doug and Kurt, are just as committed to continuing

There’s a reason the middle name of the company is “dependable.” Jauer Dependable Genetics prides itself on more than 40 years of consistency.

The Jauer family. Front row: Buzz, Roger, Karen holding Zoe, Deanna holding Adeline, Tony. Back row: Paxton, Doug, Chase, Sarah, Brent, Riannon, Kurt and Cadence.

the tradition. Rather than an emphasis on extreme E.P.D. numbers, Jauer Dependable Genetics has always focused on traits which affect the total value, longevity and dependability of the cow herd, such as udder quality, sound feet, good disposition and fleshing ability.

“We strive to raise an efficient herd to utilize the limited pasture available in our area and don’t need a lot of extra feed. We’ve just stuck with the concept ever since,” he said. They employ rotational grazing on multi-grass blends, spring grazing on winter rye, fall grazing on forage sorghum and winter grazing on corn stalks. An efficient cow herd allows them to utilize the alternative grazing techniques which, in turn, helps lower expenses and increases the bottom line.

“We kind of have a niche where our animals are very moderate frame and are easy fleshing, which means they get fat easily on grass and forage. There’s not a big supply of that kind of cattle right now. With today’s high cost of feed and gas and everything else, people are really looking for those traits and there aren’t many people flooding the market in our business of grass-type cattle.”

While pastures were in rough shape last summer with the drought conditions, the Jauer cows came through it in great shape. “We’re fortunate that we’ve maintained an efficient, moderate frame cow herd. That allows them to maintain their flesh when conditions get tough like that,” Doug said. “We weaned calves a little early and got the cows on stalks where they could continue to graze and take some pressure off the

Cousins Chase and Zoe lead the cow and Paxton and Buzz lead the calf … not sure which cousins are in charge here.

Pasture conditions were rough last summer, but Jauer Dependable Cattle came through the battle looking good.

pastures. Through it all, our cows were fat, happy and content.”

The farm’s annual production sale on January 28th was hit with a snowstorm, which hurt the on-site attendance. Fortunately, with livestreaming and phone-in bids, it was still a success. In the early days of the genetics business, the family held its production sales at the old Moville sale barn, but later moved to Stockmen’s Livestock in Yankton. “That worked out well for us because we got a few Western customers that would never have come to Moville. It helped get our name out there a little bit,” he said.

Eventually tiring of transporting all the cattle and feed to Yankton, they moved the sale home to their calving facility. They upgraded the facility little by little. “The first year was a lot of cattle panels and everything kind of held together with baling wire and duct tape, but we are set up for it really well now.”

They’ve developed a customer base covering much of the United States – from Minnesota west to Montana and Utah, south into Oklahoma and Tennessee, east to Ohio and North Carolina, and most points in between.

On top of the genetics business and the traditional crop farming mix, the Jauers started advertising and selling local, farm-raised beef a few years ago. “We all grew up eating home-raised beef. Seeing the recent demand, we decided to offer it to the public as well. We castrate a few bulls and then feed out the steers and a few heifers with more of a traditional feedlot ration,” Doug said.

Jauers typically sell three to four animals a month, processed primarily by Tiefenthaler Quality Meats in Holstein, Iowa. “Those animals we normally would sort off and sell at the sale barn now bring a good premium as sides of beef. The beef is restaurant quality which is a higher quality than you can buy at the grocery store as many of our customers will attest.”

Sarah and Doug Jauer, with their children, Zoe and Buzz.

Candace and Kurt Jauer with sons, Chase and Paxton.

The Jauer farm is a three-generation affair. In addition to brothers Doug and Kurt, their father, Roger, is still hands-on. “He and mom spend about six weeks of the winter in Corpus Christi where my sister lives. I think Mom would live down there, but Dad gets a few weeks into it and he's ready to come home. He’s 78 and he still comes to the farm every

Roger’s grandfather founded the farm and now his grandchildren represent the fifth generation. Kurt’s sons know how to put in a hard day’s work. Chase is 14 and in eighth grade and Paxton is 11 and in fourth grade. When the farm lost an employee last summer, Doug said his nephews picked up the slack. “We relied on those two kids a lot. We worked Chase and Paxton pretty hard last summer. They did great. They didn't seem to mind the hard work a bit. They’re good workers, too. You don’t have to tell them everything. They grew up here so they kind of know the operation.” Some might even call the boys dependable. Runs in the family. The boys are active in 4-H, showing cow-calf pairs, breeding heifers and bucket calves.

In the sometimes-uncertain world of farming and cattle production,

being. Karen used to sell saunas and massage chairs at home shows and events such as the Clay County Fair. Kurt’s wife, Candace, is a quality assurance professional at Wells in Le Mars. Doug's wife, Sarah, is a nurse practitioner at Limitless Male in Dakota Dunes.

Doug and Sarah have two children. Buzz is almost 7 and in first grade. Zoe just turned 5 and is in pre-school.

Karen and Roger’s daughter, Deanna, is an online customer service agent in Corpus Christi, Texas. She and her husband had their first daughter (Adalyn) last May. Karen and Roger’s son, Brant, is a veterinarian. He and his wife live in Saukville, Wisconsin. They love to fly their plane in to visit, especially during the Plymouth County Fair each year.

To learn more about Jauer

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Roger and Karen Jauer at the family’s production sale.

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A SELF-ASSURED SLINGER FROM THE STATE WHERE THE TALL CORN GROWS

Name a baseball player from Plymouth County who won 19 games for the Cincinnati Reds in his rookie year. He was described as the “biggest pitching find of the season.” In 44 games, the rookie pitched 260 innings and his ERA was a remarkable 2.01.

Stumped for an answer? That’s because it was 114 years ago.

Strangely enough, this local star was born in a town which no longer exists. Harry Gaspar was born in Quorn, Iowa, in 1883. Not long after, when the railroad missed Quorn, the town of about 300 people picked up and moved to the new town of Kingsley.

Harry’s parents, John and Mary Gaspar, were grocers who had moved to Quorn from Dubuque County, Iowa. John’s parents, Nicholas and Catherine Gaspar, were farmers who left Luxembourg in 1846 and settled in eastern Iowa.

According to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), “Pitching for Kingsley, the tall right-hander first gained the notice of the pros when he won an exhibition game against Sioux City of the Western League sometime in 1905. With baseball already entrenched in Iowa culture, local fans recognized and valued budding talent.”

From 1906-1908, Harry played for several minor league teams, including Dubuque, Wausau and Freeport in Wisconsin, and, finally, for Waterloo.

A four-line blurb in the Cincinnati Enquirer on January 17, 1909, noted Harry’s signing under the headline of Baseball Gossip: “Harry Gaspar, the big Red recruit from Waterloo, Iowa, has sent in his signed contract, with the strange news that he is in fine shape and expects to make good.”

Harry told the Waterloo Courier in January he was keeping in shape in Kingsley “by hard work, such as painting barns, pailing the cows, etc.” In spring training, he convinced Reds manager Clark Griffith to put him on the big league roster when he quickly developed

Harry Gaspar’s rookie baseball card printed in 1909 and distributed in a package of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The card is for sale on ebay.

a good curveball which had been missing from his repertoire.

SABR said his true introduction to fans came on April 17, 1909: “Early in 1909 Reds fans saw real promise in the 6-foot, self-assured slinger from the state where the tall corn grows. In the second inning of an April 17 home game with Pittsburgh, he came in to relieve veteran lefty Ed Karger, who had allowed five runs. Shutting down the opposition, Gaspar worked through the ninth while his teammates helped him register his first big-league win, an 8-5 victory. Sportswriters still regarded him as unpolished, but remarked on his strength and natural ability. By early August, when The Sporting News decried the Cincinnati club’s lack of pitching, it named Gaspar as one of only three in fine form.”

As the summer went on, Harry was one of the league leaders in wins and his name showed up in news-

papers from New Jersey to Washington State. “Harry Gaspar” was being reported in the same breath as future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. Special attention was drawn to the fact the other league leaders were playing for postseason-caliber teams, while Harry was playing for a sub-.500 team. He finished the season with a win-loss record of 19-11 and he pitched 19 complete games.

Previewing the 1910 season, a sportswriter for the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote: “Who would have predicted last spring that Harry Gaspar, coming from a Class D league, would lead the Red pitchers in victories? He had a fine record in the minors, but no one thought that he would at once jump into prominence as one of the leading pitchers of the National League.” And he proved to be a workhorse again in 1910. He was injured by batted balls repeat-

The sports columnist from the Cincinnati Post featured Harry Gaspar on August 7, 1909.

edly from spring training to the end of the season, yet he continued to be durable, pitching in 275 innings in 48 games, with 16 complete games. His season record was 15-17 and his ERA was 2.59. Cincinnati as a team was again below .500.

In the offseason, Harry started Gaspar Studio, a photography business in Le Mars. His wife, Coyla, ran the shop when he reported to spring training in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in March 1911. The Reds were now paying him a salary of $4,500.

Statistics from BaseballAlmanac.com point to the fact that Harry still knew how to eat up the innings. He pitched in 253.2 innings over 44 games. His record dropped right along with the Reds who sank further in the standings in 1911. His record for the year was 11-17 with an ERA of 3.30.

Harry returned to the club in spring 1912. But the SABR story says, “By June … It was obvious that he just wasn’t up to his usual standards; in four decisions, he captured only one win.” It’s hard to pinpoint what was going wrong, although they had a new, untested manager on the field; and, at home, Harry and his wife had a new son, Leo. He only appeared in seven games for the Reds in 1912, with a record of 1-3. In June, he was released to Toronto of the International League, but he only played in 12 games for the Maple Leafs before returning to Le Mars.

In 1913, Harry stayed at home, playing

for the Le Mars semi-pro team and other small-town amateur clubs. He also managed the Le Mars team. “On one July day in 1913, he pitched two games in as many Iowa towns, shutting out Pisgah 5-0 at Morehead in the morning and then traveling a hundred miles to a carnival in Oto, where he won an afternoon game for Danbury against Hornick, 8-6.”

Harry joined the Sioux City Indians of the Western League in 1914, and the SABR article said, “His 25 wins and 7 losses pointed to a strong comeback.” He also played and managed during parts of the seasons from 1915-1917. In his final professional game in June 2018, he shut out Joplin 1-0 on just 74 pitches with no walks.

He continued to play and manage for local semi-pro and amateur teams. He ended his playing days in 1922 with the Alton team. The next year, Harry, Coyla, Leo and daughter Jean moved to southern California, where he co-owned and managed a bowling alley in Santa Ana. He died at his home on May 14, 1940, and was buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange, Calif.

SOURCES

• Society for American Baseball Research. sabr.org/bioproj/person/harry-gaspar/

• www.baseballalmanac.com

• Wikipedia.com

• Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Post, Waterloo Courier and Sioux City Journal via Newspapers.com

A “domino disc” of Harry Gaspar from Sweet Caporal Cigarettes for sale on ebay.

Another of Harry Gaspar’s rookie cards. This one was sold with Piedmont cigarettes and is also available to purchase on ebay.

COMING SOON TO A PASTURE NEAR YOU!

PHOTO BY NICOLE HEITZMAN.

ROCK VALLEY’S RENAISSANCE WOMAN

By Bob Fitch

Lisa Groeneweg is the owner of Creamery Creek Consign & Design. Three years ago, she bought the shop and continued the existing business of selling furniture and some home décor items on consignment. She’s phased out of selling small home décor items because keeping track of the items in her books cost more than she was earning in commission. What’s stunning are the talents she’s cultivated in herself and put to work at her home and business. Lisa was born and bred in Rock

Valley as one of eight Van Otterloo children. She married a farmer and when they started a trucking company, she stayed home with their sons, Luke and Levi, and tended to their 400 cattle. She drove the tractor and even a semi when she needed to. Over the years, she developed a variety of skills. “When I was first married, we didn’t have money. If I wanted neat things, I had to learn how to make them myself.”

On a single day three years ago in January, Lisa got divorced, sold

Lisa Groeneweg and her boyfriend, Terry Woodky, at Creamery Creek Design and Consign in Rock Valley.

Almost hidden on the east side of Rock Valley is a Renaissance woman with an ever-growing list of talents … entrepreneur, designer, stone mason, leatherworker, carpenter, woodworker and wild animal advocate.

Lisa did some of the home construction work herself, including building a stone fireplace. She learned stone masonry by watching YouTube videos and from her brother who works in construction. “He says I have a better eye than him, so now he has me do the stonework for most of his fireplaces.” Many of the materials used in her home have been purchased in out-of-the-ordinary places and online. The firebox is about a $5,000 unit purchased for $300 in Michigan. She’s working on her window trim now, much of which was purchased at the Habitat for Humanity outlet in Sioux Falls with online purchases filling in the gaps.

“I just like to find things really cheap and then make them into something cool.” She said her interest in building things

goes back a long way. “When I was in kindergarten my favorite thing to do was go pound nails into wood. I was with all the boys instead of playing with the dolls.”

Lisa learned leatherwork to create incentive gifts for her nonprofit donors. She learned that through YouTube videos, too.

Besides her fireplace, another masterpiece is an amazing, one-of-kind TV/stereo home entertainment unit with a bar –all housed in an antique church pump organ. Lisa and her boyfriend, Terry Woodky, were inspired by similar pieces they’d seen people make with pianos. But old organs weigh a whole lot less than old pianos.

“The organ itself is a beautiful piece, a work of art. There’s so much craftsmanship in it. It’s all quarter sawn oak with intricate hand carving,” she said. It came out

Lisa Groeneweg in her home with her stone fireplace, most of which she made herself.

of an old settler’s cabin in the Riverfront area of Sioux City. It was a mess – with evidence that it was a home for mice (and it even had a complete rat skeleton in it).

This showpiece is on display in the store, but belongs to Terry. She does have three other old organs available for a customer who might want their own custom-made unit by Lisa and Terry; or an organ can be purchased for someone who wants to refurbish one on their own.

In addition her hands-on skills, Lisa also co-founded an international nonprofit organization called Chengeta Wildlife. In late 2013 while browsing a social media platform, she came across the story of Rory Young, a Zambian-born Irish wildlife conservationist and anti-poaching strategist. He was working to protect elephants in the Sahara Desert from being poached for their ivory tusks. The poachers sell the ivory to fund terrorism. The organization’s efforts focus on protecting wildlife through locally-led and lasting anti-poaching solutions.

Lisa was moved by Young’s story of how human greed was decimating the wildlife in his homeland. During her time on the board, Lisa helped raise about a half million dollars for Chengeta Wildlife. Her efforts were featured in a front page story in the Sunday Des Moines Register in 2017. The organization’s work continues even though Rory Young was killed by jihadists in Burkina Faso, West Africa, in 2021. (To learn about the organization, see www.chengetawildlife.org ).

Her hands-on creations, her business, her house and her wildlife conservation efforts have all been tackled while living with leukemia for the past 17 years. “I take daily chemo meds to keep it in check. In the last month, actually, it came back a little bit for the first time ever. So we'll be doing more testing next month again,” she said. “I actually have a couple of blood disorders. The Leukemia makes me pump out too many white blood cells. Then I also have essential thrombocythemia

This organ was purchased from an old settler’s cabin in Sioux City. It was in rough shape, but Lisa and Terry completely re-finished it, preserving all the detail in the quarter sawn oak. Then they got creative. Inside the organ shell is a spectacular TV/stereo home entertainment unit with a bar.

Lisa made this innovative tic-tac-toe board which doubles as home décor. There’s a checkerboard on the flip side.

which makes me pump out too many platelets, so I have a danger of blood clots as well.”

“For years, I was sleeping about 20 hours a day. I had so much fatigue I could barely function. It would take me a day to recover after going to the grocery store. Then I met a doctor from Sioux Falls and she helped me start a ketogenic

diet that got me back on a path to good health. I could function again.”

With more energy in recent years, she has spent time on the road with Terry, who is retired. They met on Match.com almost two years ago. He’s a resident of Marinette, Wisconsin, but spends about a month-and-ahalf at a time in Rock Valley before returning to Marinette for a few weeks. Lisa said, “I had a little 6x10 trailer that I used to haul furniture around. This past summer, we re-did it into a little camper – we call it the ‘cramper.’ It’s got water and electricity. It’s got a little booth in there where you can sit or it folds down into a bed. So we spent part of our summer doing that last year.”

Obviously Lisa loves wildlife, so enjoys seeing the bears who wander into Terry’s backyard in

Marinette. But she’s not ready to give up on Rock Valley. She values time with her family, most of whom all live locally, including both sons. Luke, 26, lives on an acreage and works for C & J Construction. Levi, 20, works at Kooima Company and lives with his mom.

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We are aggressively looking for new wean to finish barns to fit into our operation. Give us a call about your new construction plans for 2023.

East Valley Farms is a family farm that has been raising swine in northwest Iowa for over 50 years.

IN ROCK RAPIDS, ‘712’ IS MORE THAN AN AREA CODE

By Bob Fitch

What goes around comes around. The story of 113 South Story Street in downtown Rock Rapids begins with a saloon, most likely connected with the Sioux Falls Brewing Company of old. In its 120-year history, the distinctive building – which was built with Sioux quartzite and brick – has also been a leather shop, a dry cleaner and, for about 50 years, a barber shop. It’s come full circle and is now home to ‘712’ beer, the favorite brew at Rock River Brewing Company.

Owner Dan Vander Zee is a Rock Rapids native and a graduate of Central Lyon High School. He attended Augustana University where, in one of his classes, they used the New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, as a case study. New Belgium developed Fat Tire and other noteworthy craft beers. The study sparked his interest in craft brewing. The Christmas after graduating from college, Dan received a home brewing kit as a gift. That was the start of a decade of experimentation, brewing different types and flavors of beer as a hobby.

During that decade-plus, he worked for Frontier Bank in Sioux Falls, primarily as a mortgage loan officer. In 2019, he decided he’d reached a turning point in his professional life and asked himself, “What’s next?” He and his wife, Jami, decided to return to live in Rock Rapids – and Dan decided to turn his hobby into a business.

“I always had it in the back of my

LYON COUNTY

Dan Vander Zee is the owner and brewer at Rock River Brewery in downtown Rock Rapids.

mind to start a brewery. We started actively looking for buildings and this location became available. Things started rolling from there,” he said.

He left Frontier Bank in June 2019 and began working on the building remodel the next month. They gutted the building, creating a century-old look and feel with the exposed brick and ceiling joists.

“I had a lot of help from friends and family. Countless family members helped me clean up – removing the plaster and lathe was labor intensive.” Friends took time off from work to help hang sheetrock. His brother-in-law, Eric, built the customer tables from an old bowling alley floor.

Dan does his best to satisfy just about everyone’s taste buds. At any given time, there are up to 10 beers on tap and many of them are also available in cans in limited quantities. “I brew just about everything. I've got some lagers and I’ve got some ales. I've brewed probably 50 different beers in our first three years. I try different styles and find what people like and what they don't like,” he said.

“I try to have really everything from the lightest in body and color to darkest and heaviest, and everything in between. We have fruit in some of the beers. Our best-selling beer since day one has been ‘712’ which is a citrus wheat. I put freshly zested lemons in that. The second favorite is Rocky Latte which is an American Pilsner. That's going to be my closest to a domestic beer. It's kind of a craft beer version of a domestic beer.”

He also been selling Amber Waves since day one. It’s an amber ale he compares to Alaskan Amber or Fat Tire. “It's more on the malty side, but you get a little bit of hop character. It's got that nice deep amber color, too. It's appealing.” Scout Island IPA was his first very light beer. “It's an IPA, but it's not too hoppy. It's very light. So it's not too far off from the domestic beer. I tend to stay around 4 to 4½

Some of the most popular brands of beer at Rock River. Production cans is growing slowly. Filling kegs with Rock River Brewery will be the next growth area.

“BrewChacho”

percent (alcohol content) on that one.”

There are several others that have become popular staples. “You try to shuffle beers in and out, bring on some new ones. It can be tough to juggle what you have on hand based on how many kegs you have ready to fill.” At St. Patrick’s Day, he brings out his spring beer called Red Beard’s Kilt, an Irish red ale.

“I use all different types of ingredients. Barley is definitely my number one ingredient, but I'll use a little corn and a couple beers use a decent amount of wheat. I’ve always got a few wheat beers on hand,” Dan said.

“I do use some local honey in a couple of beers, my main one is The Bee's Knees. It's a honey wheat.” He gets the honey from local producer, Roach Family Farms. “We do a trade. I’ll give them some beer and they’ll give me some honey. I'm experimenting right now with a mead. I call it a barley mead because I put some barley in it, but it's mostly honey. So that'll be ready in the next couple of weeks. We’ll see if people like it. It’ll be pretty high alcohol. It's almost like a wine.”

He took advantage of a local distillery, Rock River Distillation, to age his Scotch ale in bourbon barrels.

Another local connection included brewing a beer with Haitian coffee purchased from Rosie’s Boutique. The coffee stout-type beer was used in a fundraiser for Touch of Hope Ministries, a Rock Rapids-based organization which sells products through Rosie’s to support education, entrepreneurship and Christian missions in Haiti.

For guests who are not beer drinkers, he stocks wine from Calico Skies, an Inwood-based vineyard and winery. He also keeps pop, water, coffee and non-alcoholic beer on hand. The brewery doesn’t serve food, but guests are welcome to bring in their own food or food from local restaurants. Rock River is open 4-10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. “That keeps

us busy enough, especially when I've got plenty to do brewing the beer.” He has a handful of part-time bartenders who help him out.

The brewery does host private parties on off nights. Typically there is no rental fee, just a minimum bar tab per hour for the group. Shari’s Kitchen & Catering has catered for a number of groups. It’s a popular spot for George-Little Rock and Central Lyon class reunions. Dan said, “We’ve hosted plenty of birthday parties, too. We’ve had decade parties for 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, and 90th birthdays. We haven’t hosted an 80th or 100th birthday party yet.”

Since Rock River Brewing Co. opened in July of 2020, business has exceeded his expectations. “You’re always looking to grow and there are more things to get into. I’ve sold some cans to the golf course in town, but otherwise haven’t been distributing yet. My license allows

me to self-distribute, so my next step will probably be selling some kegs to local bars.” Putting the beers in cans and labeling them is cumbersome without adding more brewing capacity and expensive canning machinery.

Dan is hoping for steady growth. “I'd like to grow naturally and not take on investors, because everyone's got their own vision of how it should be. Now the vision belongs to me and my wife.”

His wife, Jami, has worked at Citibank in Sioux Falls for 15 years. She is also native of Rock Rapids. In fact, Dan and Jami have known each other since pre-school. The couple has three children: Gwen, 7, is in second grade; Claire, 5, is in preschool; and Robert, 2, goes to daycare. Dan’s father, John, was dentist in Rock Rapids for 40 years and his mom, Chris, was a public health nurse. They’re both retired.

Dan and Jami Vander Zee and their children, Gwen, Claire and Robert.

Service is Our Business

SLOW-COOKER CHEESY WHITE LASAGNA

From tasteofhome.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground chicken or beef

• 2 teaspoons canola oil

• 1-3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 medium carrots, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth

• 1 cup half-and-half cream

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

• 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1-1/2 cups 2% cottage cheese

• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil or 4 teaspoons dried basil

• 9 no-cook lasagna noodles

• 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

• Additional minced fresh basil, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Fold two 18-in. square pieces of heavy-duty foil into thirds. Crisscross strips and place on bottom and up sides of a 6-qt. slow cooker. Coat strips with cooking spray.

2. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.

3. In same pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and carrots; cook and stir just until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, 4-5 minutes. Stir in cream, cream cheese, cheddar and Gouda cheeses. Return chicken to pot. In a large bowl, combine egg, cottage cheese and basil.

4. Spread 1 cup chicken mixture into slow cooker. Layer with 3 noodles (breaking noodles as necessary to fit), 1 cup chicken mixture, 1/2 cup cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining chicken mixture and mozzarella. Cook, covered, on low until noodles are tender, 3-4 hours. Remove slow cooker insert and let stand 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional basil. Using foil strips as handles, remove lasagna to a cutting board or

“Libby” Benson, Au.D., CCC-A, FAAA