Recipes by ELISA MAYO
Sometimes, when the weather is frigid and you want to warm up, there’s nothing like going back to the basics. We asked our friend Elisa Mayo (who wrote this month’s Modern Motherhood column on page 10) to share some of her favorites with us. Any of these would be perfect to enjoy in front of a roaring fire!
BEST-EVER LASAGNA
MEAT SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds hamburger meat
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
WHITE CHEESE SAUCE
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 3½ cup milk
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- No-boil lasagna noodles
Brown hamburger meat and drain. Place olive oil and onion in saucepan. Cook until onion is tender. Add hamburger meat and all other ingredients for meat sauce. Cook together 10 to 15 minutes.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Sauce will thicken after a few minutes. Add parmesan. Stir until fully incorporated.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon a layer of meat sauce into bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Cover with single layer of lasagna noodles. Layer with meat sauce, then white cheese sauce, then more lasagna noodles. Continue layering until you end with meat sauce, then cheese sauce. Bake 25 minutes.
CORNBREAD
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ¾ cup self-rising flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1½ cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place greased cast iron skillet in oven. Mix all ingredients together until incorporated. Do not over-stir. Pour mixture into heated skillet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and turn cornbread out onto a plate.
CAKE-MIX COOKIES
- 1 box cake mix (any flavor)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup oil
Mix all ingredients together. Stir in chocolate chips or nuts if desired. Drop by teaspoon-full onto cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes at 350 degrees until set.
