As cosmic timing worked out, my parents were on vacation the day my novel came out, so they only had a chance to buy it this weekend. My mom, always the faster reader, got back to me Sunday with rave reviews, commenting on parts of the story in a way that only a mother can. “Mozzarella and parmesan!” she said, “You put our family’s lasagna recipe in your novel.”
So I had. It isn’t exactly a pivotal part of the story, so you may only have noticed it if you are my mom, but I thought I would share with you my favorite lasagna recipe:
SAUCE:
1 lb. Ground chuck
1 lb. Pork sausage
1 med. Onion
1~2 cloves Garlic
Brown the above in olive oil… Add
1 can (14. 5 oz.) Whole tomatoes
1 can (16 oz.) Stewed tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) Tomato sauce special
1 can (6 oz.) Tomato paste
1 pkg. Spaghetti sauce mix
1 tsp. Basil
1/2 tsp. Oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Onion powder
Simmer above for 20 minutes.
1 lb. Lasagna noodles cooked
3 cups Mozzarella cheese
1&1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
In a large (10 x 15 inch) baking dish layer as follows…
1. Small amount of sauce (so noodles don’t stick)
2. Noodles
3. Sauce
4. Mozzarella cheese
5. Parmesan cheese
Repeat layers 2 thru 5 for a total of four layers. Bake covered at 350° for 45 minutes.
This recipe was given to my mom by my paternal grandmother (Sue Amsden) and she has made a few of her own adjustments over time. I make it just the way she did (unless I can’t find special tomato sauce, in which case I just use regular tomato sauce or Italian-style tomato sauce).