Cooking with someone you love

Our son Mark and I like to cook for our newspaper team.
One of our team’s favorites is our lasagna.
It takes us a Saturday afternoon to make it.
We always make extra for Saturday night dinner.
This is a simple dish but takes time to prepare.

Lexington County Chronicle Lasagna
(to feed 16 people)
2 lbs sweet Italian sausage
4 lbs lean ground beef
2 large heads peeled, crushed garlic
2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 6-oz cans tomato paste
2 14-oz cans tomato sauce
4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried)
18 lasagna noodles
32 oz ricotta cheese
2 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
In a large pot, brown sausage and beef over medium heat.
Drain fat from pot.
Stir in garlic, tomatoes, seasonings and parsley.
Cover and simmer an hour.
Stir occasionally to keep bottom from scorching.
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
Spray cooking spray on bottoms of three 9x13 inch baking dishs.
This makes cleaning up easier.
Spread a layer of meat sauce on bottom of each baking dish.
Next a layer of uncooked noodles over sauce.
Add a layer of ricotta, layer of meat sauce and layer of mozzarella.
Sprinkle each dish with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
Spray 3 sheets of foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Cover and bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes.
Set aside for 5 minutes to cool before serving.
Open bottle of Chianti Classico Reserva. Celebrate.

Best advice: Cook with someone you love.
It’s a great bonding exercise.