august 10 1966 4:10 pm
Written by patty on August 11th, 2009The answer was almost always the same: lasagna. Angel food cake with fudge icing.
Except for those dark, early years when I seemed to favor layer cake with lemon (ewww!) filling and buttercream frosting.
She would always make me whatever I wanted on my birthday.
I’d been imagining yesterday off and on for months, never fully wanting to think it through.
And yesterday, it hit me. Hard. I would get through it by making her lasagna. By celebrating her life along with mine.
Armed with a partial recipe for her sauce (or, as my father called it as he tasted it, gravy) from my oldest sister, I riffed. The 411 on the marinara was nice, but what I really needed was the meat sauce. The ragu. The gravy. That’s what went into Mom’s lasagna. Every August 10, every December 25.
Looking for the ground pork at Stop & Shop, my youngest told me he knew where to find the meatballs that came in the package. Trust me, I told him. I know you’ve never had my meatballs. Heck, I’ve never had my meatballs. But I know what I’m doing. I think.
I browned the garlic with the sausage, tossing in a few meaty beef bones and a bit of pork tenderloin. I added the tomatoes and waited for the alchemy to begin. For the velvety transformation from ingredients into gravy.
I spread the gravy along the bottom of the pan and started the layers. Tomatoes, noodles, tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, noodles. Et cetera.
It was easier than I thought. And it was delicious.
When we were done, when our boys had oohed and ahhed over this meal, this beautiful memory, Paul and I sat on our front step and watched the longest lightning display we’ve seen all summer. It was quite a show.
It’s a year of many firsts for me, perhaps none as poignant as the anniversary of when she gave birth to me.
I love you. mom. And I miss you every day.
11
PM
You made a typo. Shouldn’t the title year be 1976?
Happy B-day, Patty. Can I have meatball?
always home and uncool´s last blog ..Weight For It
patty Reply:
August 11th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
And this… this is exactly why the uncool will always be cool with me. Bless you kind soul.
12
PM
Oh, my god, I did it again.
Considering appropriate penance.
I’ll report back.
12
PM
Wow. Best birthday gift you’ll ever receive.
Plus Kevin’s comment. That’s a nice gift with a bow, too
CT Mom´s last blog ..I’m honored!
13
PM
I think I’ve sub-consciously been avoiding your blog because I just knew. I sit with tears blocking my view of the screen as I type. I meant what I said when I told you that you are beautiful and STRONG. It’s funny, I think I actually like lemon filling now. How weird is that? Love you-Crystal
21
PM
I’m eleven days late! Very happy belated Bday! see what happens when you are in a funk? Life passes you by. I am glad you celebrated theway you did, it is a marvelous tribute.
whitemist´s last blog ..Difficult Stuggling Dreams
29
AM
We must be from the same family as we too had lasanga for EVERY christmas dinner for as long as I can remember! And my mom’s sause is gravy also….how funny.
though my mother never allows me to make sauce from a jar/can. It takes ALL DAY to make herr sauce, and my grandmother use to put snails and such in her sauce. UGH
Monica´s last blog ..Another Project Down & Done
16
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My husband has the same kind of tradition with his mom. I’ve always thought it would be cool and from your post I can see that it is something to cherish.
Tricia´s last blog ..Lost. . .