Gooey Vegetable Lasagna

Kelly Hughes

Food has always been a big part of our family life. Every holiday is like a major bake-a-thon. We are truly exhausted after it is all done, but in a good, thank-God-we-do-not-do-this-every-day kind of way. My Mother is an awesome cook. She used to make everything from "scratch." I thought it was a treat when we got to eat out or she made a cake out of a box. Every Saturday morning, my dad would make homemade pancakes, and every Sunday morning, my mom would make biscuits, gravy, and eggs. And to this day, if I go home, that is what they make.

My sisters and I have all taken the made-from-scratch theory and made it a treat for our kids. My daughter wants nothing to do with pre-made items. She has taken after her grandmother the most. When I wake up on the weekends, most of the time I am frightened of the mess I will find and what I might have to "love" that morning. She does make the best crepes. Add some fresh fruit and yogurt, or blackberry jam and powdered sugar, and that is a yummy breakfast.

One of my sisters owns a bed and breakfast in downtown Beaufort, NC. They have a Christmas walk every year. People from anywhere get to visit the old homes of Beaufort, and we get to make cookies and warm spiced tea. I would never tell my sister this, but that is the best part of Christmas for me. I am always stuck in the kitchen baking while my sisters, niece, and daughter are taking people through the house relaying its history, and that sometimes things go "bump in the night." It is a mad rush before the people get there to have enough cookies and tea made. Last year (2007), we made over 700 cookies. It was crazy and great all at the same time.

My mom did not always make the Gooey Vegetable Lasagna. My family is all meat-eaters. The traditional plate would be: a meat, a vegetable, and a starch. Then I came along and ruined everything. I have never liked the way that trio tastes. So after years of fighting with me, my parents finally conceded that maybe I was not going to change. So my mom found this recipe on the back of a cheese package. She adjusted to what vegetables I liked the most and went from there.

So, now when I go home, they make their lasagna and my mom makes a special one for me. Lately, more people are eating my lasagna, so I have less to take home. I might have to ask for a second. I can make the dish, but there is nothing better than a dish made by Mom.