The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.



ThinKING OUT LOUD

Farm Family Insights: by Natalie Dowell Schmitt

January 31, 2016 column

How To Spell Love

Nothing says love like food and Italian food seems to have captured the market on Valentine’s Day.

Who cannot help but smile and blush as the Lady and the Tramp share the same spaghetti noodle till their noses touch in a sweet doggy kiss. Spaghetti and meatballs is fine, but it doesn’t stick to you ribs like lasagna. To me and my friend Rel, you spell love with Lasagna!

I asked Rel a while back if she had a favorite recipe and story she would share with me for this column. I’ve known Rel for almost 10 years now. We first met when she chaperoned Jonathon on his National 4-H Dairy Conference trip.

The next year we sent Michael three days after he had knee surgery. I knew Rel would take good care of him. She only left him with his crutches on the steps of the conference building once. Then of course she had Katie and Austin when it was their turns to go.

She claims every 4-H’er who has made the NDC trek as her favorite and they all believe they are her special one among the siblings.

Many of the NDC kids find their way to the U as students and become “adopted” by Rel and her husband, Tony Seykora. He is an animal science professor. They invite “their kids” over to their house for a family meal to reconnect, laugh and belong.

Here is her story how Lasagna spells love.

“Tony and I invite “our” adoptive kids over for meals and laughs. The main menu selection seems to be lasagna with very few leftovers. This recipe base started from my mom but has been tweaked a time or two. It should come with a warning label: “ This may attract hungry U of M college students and NDC 4-H favorite alumni!”

In high school, I waitressed at an amazing restaurant in Owatonna called “The Kitchen”. Mary Krippner, my boss and owner at the time, let me cook and fill in with baking items a few times throughout the years. We decided one day to make the lasagna recipe. (Remember the young and learning times back then?) We thought we would double the recipe.

Math was never a strong suit back then and we kind of doubled the double recipe and created a HUGE mess! I’m not sure why it never sank in that we had made too much, but a great friend, Dee Dee and I kept filling the pan. It took the two of us to place the pan in the oven. The racks seemed to bend under the weight of pan but it fit, so we set the timer. After the first ring, we checked the pan and decided it needed another hour and then another hour and finally it was done.

Mary came back to the restaurant during the dinner hour and I still remember her eyes being as wide as dinner plates and the colorful words coming from her mouth as Dee Dee and I brought our heavy monster up to the front of the restaurant to plate our masterpiece for the hungry customers. After cutting into this mammoth meal it finally start to sink in, our creation was HUGE and it was a lot of food! We told Mary not to worry, we would sell it all. We were so scared and nervous but we did it. It was kind of like the customers didn’t really have a choice. They said something and we told them the lasagna was a great selection..and they were going to get that placed in front of them with a big smile and a thank you. We still laugh about that and it brings back incredible memories, kind of like the memories with our adopted kids that come back every few Sundays for a meal, a hug and a smile.

The lasagna works well with a lettuce salad, garlic cheese bread, chocolate brownies and of course a big glass of milk!

Rel’s NDC Lasagna

3# hamburger
2# mild Italian sausage
2 boxes lasagna noodles
2 jars creamy vodka Prego sauce (rinse the jars with the pasta water and add this water back into the water when cooking the noodles)
2– 10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro
2– 29 oz Hunts tomato sauce
2– 4 oz mushrooms (more if you like them)
1 small diced red onion
2 minced garlic cloves
2 TBSP oregano (fresh or dried)

Lots of finely shredded Mexican blended cheese

Even more Mozzeralla or Mexican 3 shredded cheese blends

Brown hamburger with onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms, sauces and oregano seasoning. Boil water and cook noodles till only three quarters done. Cool and begin to assemble. Noodles, tons of cheese, sauce, hamburger. Repeat each layer until you reach the top of your pan. Top off with the remainder of cheese or get more as needed. Top the final cheese layer with a little more salt, pepper and oregano. Wrap with aluminum foil and place in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Take off the aluminum foil and cook for another half hour.

While the lasagna is baking, start a quick batch of easy Soft Breadsticks. I found this recipe years ago in a “Taste of Home” magazine. The kids love them so much that I usually make a double batch, just to have 1 or 2 sticks leftover! If you’re not comfortable using yeast, don’t worry. This is an easy recipe and hard to mess up!

Soft Breadsticks

1 pkg dry yeast
1 c. warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
3 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
¼ c vegetable oil
3 c. flour, divided
Cornmeal
1 egg white
1 TBSP water
Coarse salt, optional

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt and oil; stir until dissolved. Add 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form soft dough. Turn onto a floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 – 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into 12 portions. Using your hands, roll each portion into a 10 inch x ½ inch strip. Place 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise, uncovered, until doubled, about 45 – 60 minutes. Beat egg white and water; brush over breadsticks. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.

Place baking sheet on middle rack of oven; place a large shallow pan filled with boiling water on lowest rack. (this is what makes them soft) Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush again with egg white. Bake 5 minutes more or until golden brown.oweH

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As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.

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