About a month ago, I got an intense craving for lasagna. I spent way too much time searching for the perfect recipe and I finally settled on Aida Mollenkamp's Italian sausage and three cheese variation.
While this lasagna was delicious, I found myself, a week later, reading the new Gourmet magazine devoted to Italian-American cooking. I turned the page and was shocked to see the most delicious looking lasagna! I felt embarrassed to have served my friends such a mediocre lasagna when a masterpiece of a lasagna like the one in Gourmet existed. I knew I had to make Gourmet's version immediately.
The recipe did not disappoint. This lasagna is complex, hearty, and comforting. The chunky beef sauce is rich, classic, and fragrant. Although the final result is a drier lasagna, its thick layers meld perfectly. The creamy, flecked-with-spinach ricotta mixture puffs up like a souffle. I highly recommend this dish. To check it out: read more
I'm normally a huge fan of alternative napkin rings. However, I don't know how I feel about these napkin rings that have a bud vase attached. I'm sure they look lovely resting on a plate and would be wonderfully pretty at a wedding, but once you remove the napkin and start to eat, what are you supposed to do with the napkin ring and flower? Place it on the table? How stable are they? I can see a dinner table dirtied with water stains and crushed flowers. What do you think? Are they fabulous or not functional?
