5 A Bad Egg

by Jessica Beck

  My family truly enjoys this lasagna recipe. I’d love to be able to tell you that it’s been handed down from generation to generation, but in fact, I saw this made on television one day and then started tinkering with the recipe until I was happy with it myself. I make a separate batch excluding all meat for the vegetarian in my family, and it’s equally good.

  Ingredients

  Olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan

  1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

  Meat Options

  Ground sausage, sweet or spicy

  Ground beef

  Or both

  Or neither

  Tomato sauce, 15 oz.

  Salt, pepper to taste

  Lasagna noodles, 8 oz.

  Ricotta cheese, 15 oz.

  Parmesan cheese, 1 cup

  Mozzarella cheese, 16 oz.

  1 egg, lightly beaten

  Directions

  Cover the bottom of a medium skillet with olive oil, then heat to medium and add the chopped onion. After five minutes, add the meat or meats of your choice and cook thoroughly. After that is cooked, drain the meat/onion mixture, and then add tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer for twenty minutes.

  While this is simmering, cook the lasagna noodles, drain and cool.

  Next, mix the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses together, along with the beaten egg.

  Now it’s time to combine the ingredients. In a large rectangular pan (9 × 12 or 12 × 12), spoon out one third of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, then layer half the pasta, mozzarella, and ricotta mix. Add another third of the sauce, and then add more pasta, the cheeses, and then the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.

  Bake this at 400° F for thirty to forty minutes.

  Feeds 4 to 6.

  MOM’S PANCAKES

  We’ve been making this recipe for years, and it’s a longtime family favorite. Weekends and pancakes seem to go together beautifully when we’ve all got a little more time to enjoy each other’s company. We always heat our syrup on the stovetop, and we also add cooked spiced apples to the mix as well. Use real butter on these pancakes. It’s worth the indulgence.

  Ingredients

  All-purpose flour, ¾ cup

  Sugar, 1 tablespoon

  Baking powder, 1 teaspoon

  Salt, a dash

  Whole or 2% milk, ½ cup

  Egg, 1 whole, lightly beaten

  Butter, 2 tablespoons, melted

  Directions

  Preheat the griddle or pan, greasing the bottom lightly with butter or cooking spray. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, add the milk, beaten egg, and melted butter and stir well.

  Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. Caution: stir the mixture only long enough until the dry ingredients are moist. Overstirring can ruin your pancakes.

  Pour the batter onto the grill or into the frying pan, using about one quarter cup of batter. Cook until bubbles form on the top surface and the edges firm up, then turn the pancakes once.

  Makes 4 to 5 large pancakes.

  Table of Contents

  Other Books by Jessica BeckThe Donut Shop MysteriesGlazed MurderFatally FrostedSinister Sprinkles

  Jessica Beck is the New York Times

  To my mother, Ruby;

  A Bad Egg by Jessica Beck; Copyright © 2013

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3“What?

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  GREG’S LASAGNA

  MOM’S PANCAKES