One of the ways I deal with stress is through cooking.  Ever since I was a child, I have loved to cook.  My mom and dad always let me help them cook, and eventually I was cooking meals on my own.  It became a tradition that I would cook dinner for my family at least once a week.  This forced me to improve upon my skills.  Before I knew it, I would be cooking dinner almost every day of the week because I enjoyed the experimentation aspect of cooking.

Before coming to college, I was concerned I would be unable to continue this hobby.  Luckily, I was able to cook more than I thought I would.  Last weekend, I made lasagna, one of my favorite dishes to make.

Lasagna has always been one of my favorite dishes to cook because not only can you add your own spin, but the layering process is one that can be enjoyed with a group of people.  I had the pleasure of cooking with my friends, and that was exactly what I wanted.  Since some people don’t eat meat, this gave me a reason to make two lasagnas.

This made me think more about what was in the lasagna than the actual process.  Some people put a plethora of different vegetables either to be healthy or for the flavor in the lasagna.  Sometimes people put beef, sausage, pork, or any type of meat.  Furthermore, they can put a combination of whatever they want.  That is one of the amazing aspects to lasagna, you can truly customize it to fit you.

I personally like some beef with onions, garlic, and mushrooms in my lasagna.  It was different than what I usually make because none of my family eats meat.  So this was the first time I’ve ever cooked lasagna like this.  Apparently, my friends said it was delicious, so the mission was a success.  I am interested to know what your favorite type of lasagna is, or what your favorite items are to incorporate in it.

If you are really going to go all out with it, you can make your own sauce, and your own pasta.  This makes the dish completely yours, and quite special.  People often take pride in their sauce recipe because this is a slow cooked item that takes a while to perfect.  There are no actual measurements if it is your sauce, everything is just estimated.  Never be afraid to manipulate a recipe because you feel the need to follow it.  Recipes are meant to be look at as a guideline, and manipulated to make them your own.  Unless the recipe is for baking, you are probably safe changing whatever you wish.

The next time you make lasagna, make sure you layer it the way you want, and load it with vegetables and sauce; moreover, it is important to focus on the cheese mixture.  Some people incorporate egg or a variety of cheeses to make the flavor unique to them.  Make sure you make the lasagna yours and share it with family and friends.