Lasagna For My Friend (Redux)
Personally, I think I make *THE* best homemade lasagna on the planet. I'm not making that statement lightly. It takes me an entire day to assemble this thing and every component is made from scratch. I don't lay the eggs of course, but you know what I mean. The sauce itself is to DIE for.
I think I love this dish SO much because my mother made it when I was a kid. She got the recipe from one of the relatives - my Grandmother? An Aunt? I can't remember, but *OH* do I remember Mom making it.
In my house as a kid, on the actual day of your Birthday, you got to choose the dinner menu - anything goes! I carry on this tradition today. It never ceases to be interesting. I remember #1’s choice one year when he was about 6. It was the ever popular "Stuffed Pepper Filling Without The Yucky Pepper Part." The Princess regularly chooses Pasghetti With Macaroni & Cheese.
When I was a kid though, the BIGGEST treat that I could imagine was when my Mom made lasagna. I chose it as my birthday dinner EVERY single year. Maybe it was so exciting because Mom had to make it the day before and it was a two day affair? Maybe it was because she only made it once a year? I'm not sure, but this lasagna became not just a meal for me, it became an "event!"
It's probably no surprise then, that if I really want to impress a dinner guest, if I really want to send the message that you're a part of our family (God help you), lasagna it is. It was the first "major meal" that I cooked for C. when we were dating, and to his credit he was smart enough to say it was better than his Mom's lasagna. #1 now requests it annually. Ah tradition.
Somewhere over the years Coach became a member of our family. So much so that without thought, I pulled out the old lasagna recipe for his last birthday, because hey - that's what he chose. Coach is like my little brother - you know the one, the "Dennis the Menace" that you have to keep out of trouble? Yup...that's him. He's beyond a role model to my children. He actually gets C.’s humor - which believe me, is a gift. Coach is my friend. He has become my sounding block. He's even my voice of reason sometimes (and if you know either of us at all, that should probably scare you).
Last night our family gathered around the old lasagna pan again…because it’s what we do. Because I suppose that in our family, lasagna means we love you.
Godspeed Coach.
I think I love this dish SO much because my mother made it when I was a kid. She got the recipe from one of the relatives - my Grandmother? An Aunt? I can't remember, but *OH* do I remember Mom making it.
In my house as a kid, on the actual day of your Birthday, you got to choose the dinner menu - anything goes! I carry on this tradition today. It never ceases to be interesting. I remember #1’s choice one year when he was about 6. It was the ever popular "Stuffed Pepper Filling Without The Yucky Pepper Part." The Princess regularly chooses Pasghetti With Macaroni & Cheese.
When I was a kid though, the BIGGEST treat that I could imagine was when my Mom made lasagna. I chose it as my birthday dinner EVERY single year. Maybe it was so exciting because Mom had to make it the day before and it was a two day affair? Maybe it was because she only made it once a year? I'm not sure, but this lasagna became not just a meal for me, it became an "event!"
It's probably no surprise then, that if I really want to impress a dinner guest, if I really want to send the message that you're a part of our family (God help you), lasagna it is. It was the first "major meal" that I cooked for C. when we were dating, and to his credit he was smart enough to say it was better than his Mom's lasagna. #1 now requests it annually. Ah tradition.
Somewhere over the years Coach became a member of our family. So much so that without thought, I pulled out the old lasagna recipe for his last birthday, because hey - that's what he chose. Coach is like my little brother - you know the one, the "Dennis the Menace" that you have to keep out of trouble? Yup...that's him. He's beyond a role model to my children. He actually gets C.’s humor - which believe me, is a gift. Coach is my friend. He has become my sounding block. He's even my voice of reason sometimes (and if you know either of us at all, that should probably scare you).
Last night our family gathered around the old lasagna pan again…because it’s what we do. Because I suppose that in our family, lasagna means we love you.
Godspeed Coach.
