Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy, as always. You're the best, ladies!
Readers and REAL McRollers - thank you for your continued support. It is always appreciated.
Hope you enjoy!
Best Helpers (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"Is that going to make it sweet?" DJ asked as Elizabeth added a tablespoon of brown sugar to the marinara sauce.
His grandmother smiled as she helped him stir the large bowl. "Sweet sauce for our sweet boy."
"Makes it taste like our favorite pizza sauce in Chicago," Ang added with a wink.
Angie frowned at her. "We' not making pizza, Grandma Ang. We' making lasagna."
Ang reached over to give her namesake a little tickle. "I know, but the sauces are similar."
"Okay, we're ready to start building the lasagna," Elizabeth said, moving a 9x13'' pan into the center of the kitchen table where the chefs had set up. She looked at her two eager grandchildren, their spoons ready. "First we put down some sauce on the bottom of the pan and spread it like this. DJ, why don't you help me do that while Angie gets a noodle ready?"
"Like this?" DJ asked, copying her motions with his own spoon.
"Perfect, honey."
"Now, Grandma?" Angie asked, bouncing eagerly on her knees in the chair as she held a lasagna noodle Ang had helped her pick up.
"Almost, angel." She and DJ finished spreading the sauce and she smiled at the almost four-year-old. "Okay, Angie. Lay it right here."
Angie leaned over and put the noodle in the pan where Elizabeth indicated.
"Now you do one, DJ!" she told her brother as Elizabeth shifted the noodle to the edge.
"Overlap just a little," Ang said, pointing. She smiled as he carefully placed it in the pan. "Good. You two are naturals."
Angie and DJ beamed, and followed Elizabeth and Ang's instructions to put the other two noodles down in the bottom layer.
"Now it's time for the cheese," Elizabeth said.
"That's your bowl, Angie!" DJ said.
Ang helped Angie plop a few spoonfuls of their ricotta cheese mixture on top of the noodles and proceeded to try and show her how to spread it around with the spoon. Angie struggled and soon grew frustrated. She flung her spoon back in the bowl and reached in with her fingers, smiling immediately as it became easier for her to spread the cheese around.
Ang laughed. "Well, that works too."
DJ grinned and looked up at Elizabeth. "At least we washed our hands first, right, Grandma?"
"Right," Elizabeth agreed, shaking her head fondly at Angie's technique. She reached out to stop her from sticking her cheese covered finger in her mouth. "Ah ah ah, not if you're gonna keep using your fingers to spread, little lady."
Angie grinned toothily.
"Sauce now, Grandma?" DJ asked.
"Yes, honey," Elizabeth said, still watching Angie out of the corner of her eye as she helped DJ add spoonfuls of sauce to their layer.
As they continued layering the noodles, cheese, and sauce, DJ said, "Can we send a picture of our lasagna to Nonna?"
Elizabeth winced a little. "As long as we don't mention our ingredients. Nonna's lasagna is much more authentic."
"What's 'authentic'?" DJ asked.
"It means the real deal," Ang said. "Nonna is Italian so her recipe is more authentic." She smiled. "But don't worry, Nonna and I have settled our lasagna differences and we've agreed to live and let live. Or in this case, live and let cook."
"Nonna says it doesn't matter what you make if you make it with love," DJ said.
Elizabeth smiled, leaning over to kiss his head. "As usual, Nonna is right." She looked at their pan. "We have room for one more layer. What's first, Angie?"
"Noodles!" Angie said, thrusting both arms in the air and flicking cheese from her fingers around the room.
"Looks like Smokey and Gizmo will be trying some, too," Ang observed, looking to where some of the bits had landed on the floor.
Elizabeth smothered a smile as Smokey did indeed investigate the taste. He alerted a moment later and left the kitchen for the foyer. They heard the door open and shortly after Steve and Catherine appeared.
"Mommy!" Angie exclaimed, raising both hands to wave. "We' making lasagna! Look, Daddy!"
Catherine laughed, spotting her cheese-covered fingers. "Is that what you're doing?"
"I spreadin' da cheese," Angie told her matter-of-factly.
"You certainly are," Steve said, grinning. "I don't remember getting quite so messy when I made lasagna."
"You made lasagna, Daddy?" DJ asked excitedly.
"I have," Steve confirmed. He smiled at Catherine. "It was actually the first thing your mommy and I ever cooked together."
"Angie and I really like making lasagna," DJ said as his parents approached the table. "Don't we, Angie?"
She nodded emphatically. "I's so fun."
Catherine chuckled, brushing her daughter's hair back and kissing her head while avoiding getting any cheese on her own clothes. "Especially the way you do it, huh, baby girl?"
"We're just about done," Elizabeth said as Steve and Catherine made their way around the table to greet everyone. "We just need to add the top layer of noodles and a little more sauce."
"We picked the best noodles out for the top," DJ told them. "They're not broken or anything."
"Then that means we're in time for the best part," Steve said, remembering what Catherine had said when they made lasagna together for Colonel and Mrs. Mills years ago.
"The best part?" DJ asked curiously.
Ang's eyes twinkled. "You'll see."
Steve and Catherine washed their hands as the kids finished the last layer with Elizabeth and Ang.
"Grandma! There's noodles left!" DJ exclaimed.
Angie looked concerned. "We make it wrong?"
"Not at all, angel," Elizabeth said. "That is the best part. Getting to dip the leftover noodle pieces in the sauce bowl."
DJ and Angie's eyes widened.
"It looks like in Angie's case she'll be getting a little cheese along with sauce on her noodles," Joseph said as he entered the kitchen after dropping off a couple tools at a friend's house.
"Right on time," Elizabeth said, smiling at him. She looked at their grandchildren. "Grandpa always knows when the pan is ready to go in the oven and the leftover noodles are ready for dipping."
"It's a special skill only captains have," Joseph told them with a wink. He lifted the heavy pan and walked it over to the oven where Catherine opened the door so he could slide it in. She set the timer as he washed his hands and then they all gathered around the table.
"How do we do it?" DJ asked. "Do we just–" He stopped as Angie grabbed a piece of noodle and wiped it on the side of the bowl to capture some sauce.
Ang laughed. "Yep, you 'just' is right. Your sister has the idea."
Angie smiled around the noodle she'd shoved in her mouth, red sauce and cheese now on her face. "Mmm, dat's yummy!" she exclaimed. She motioned eagerly to her brother. "You have some, DJ!"
He looked up at Elizabeth who nodded for him to go next. He copied his sister's technique and ended up with only slightly less sauce on his face. "Yum!"
"You see why we call it the best part?" Catherine said, grinning.
The adults took their turn, with Joseph saying, "You know I almost got the no boil noodles at the store but I then I realized we wouldn't be able to dip those."
Ang grinned. "You would've been sent right back if you had."
"The bowl is almost clean!" DJ exclaimed as they finished.
Elizabeth laughed. "Almost, but we're still going to wash it."
"Let us do that," Catherine said, taking the bowl.
Steve nodded, picking up the other bowl that had held the cheese mixture. "You all cooked, we'll clean."
DJ and Angie looked at each other. "Ground rule!" they said in unison.
Steve and Catherine laughed as the others looked on in confusion.
"Long story," Catherine said, waving it off as she and Steve headed for the sink.
"Time to eat da lasagna now, Grandma?" Angie asked as Ang tried to wipe the sauce and cheese from her face and hands.
Elizabeth smiled. "Not yet, angel. It has to cook in the oven for almost an hour. But it will be the best lasagna we've ever made when it's done. Do you know how I know?"
"Because you know everything?" DJ answered seriously.
Joseph laughed, kissing his wife's cheek. "Pretty close."
"Not quite," Elizabeth said with a smile. She refocused on their grandchildren. "I know because we made it with the best helpers ever."
DJ and Angie smiled proudly as Steve and Catherine looked on fondly from the sink.
Ang nodded her agreement. "And authentic or not, like Nonna says, what matters is that it was made with love."
Hope you enjoyed!
Note: The Rollins' lasagna recipe first appeared in Cooking Up Memories when Steve and Catherine made it together.
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