Mom's Lasagna
Every mom--or at least most moms--have certain dishes they cook that everybody in the family likes. One of our family favorites is lasagna. It's not that the lasagna is that good. Well, actually, it would be if we waited for the layers to settle after taking it out of the oven. You see, it's supposed to sit for ten minutes. Supposed to, that is. The recipe says,"Bake for thirty minutes. Then allow the layers to set up for five to ten minutes."
Whoever made up this recipe must have been a sadist. It's hard enough to wait the thirty minutes to let it bake sufficiently. By then the fabulous odor of blended tomato, ground beef, garlic, onion, basil and cheese has your mouth watering greedily. So you take it out of the oven and wait for five minutes.
"It's time to check it out, Mom," my daughter says.
"I don't think it will set up well in this short a time," I answer.
"Well, let's check it anyway."
"It's gonna slide together into mush."
"Well, we don't know that for sure." (Oh, really? Hasn't it always?)
"We don't know for sure unless we try."
Excuses over. We broke down again, sat down to eat, and cut a couple of mushy squares of lasagna to put on our plates. Of course, once you've cut into the dish you can't push it neatly back together again. It's a waste of time to try. So we had several squares of mushy lasagna for supper.
Actually, we did get yummy, hot, neatly cut three-inch squares--a day later, when we re-heated the leftovers. Lasagna is one of the few dishes that is even better the next day, at least at our house.
"Next time we ought to wait ten minutes," I said to my daughter then.
"We'll never make it, Mom," she replied.
"We ought to... "
"Mo-o-m!"
She's right. I give in. Probably not. Not the way this family loves lasagna.
Loving my family and family favorites, especially... (well, you know!)
Margaret
Whoever made up this recipe must have been a sadist. It's hard enough to wait the thirty minutes to let it bake sufficiently. By then the fabulous odor of blended tomato, ground beef, garlic, onion, basil and cheese has your mouth watering greedily. So you take it out of the oven and wait for five minutes.
"It's time to check it out, Mom," my daughter says.
"I don't think it will set up well in this short a time," I answer.
"Well, let's check it anyway."
"It's gonna slide together into mush."
"Well, we don't know that for sure." (Oh, really? Hasn't it always?)
"We don't know for sure unless we try."
Excuses over. We broke down again, sat down to eat, and cut a couple of mushy squares of lasagna to put on our plates. Of course, once you've cut into the dish you can't push it neatly back together again. It's a waste of time to try. So we had several squares of mushy lasagna for supper.
Actually, we did get yummy, hot, neatly cut three-inch squares--a day later, when we re-heated the leftovers. Lasagna is one of the few dishes that is even better the next day, at least at our house.
"Next time we ought to wait ten minutes," I said to my daughter then.
"We'll never make it, Mom," she replied.
"We ought to... "
"Mo-o-m!"
She's right. I give in. Probably not. Not the way this family loves lasagna.
Loving my family and family favorites, especially... (well, you know!)
Margaret
