Blog the 15th......recipe the 12th

This post is dedicated to the home cookbook. We all have one...and it contains our own family favorites. The recipes range from meatballs, to fish and chips, to brisket, to sauerbraten, to breads to desserts, to, well you get the idea. These books are dogeared, and ring stained from many years of love and devotion for the history of the family foods, the family that the food is prepared for, and the food itself. I am fortunate enough to have a mom who is a great cook. I've learned many tricks and techniques from her, and she still is my go to person when I am stuck with an inane question. She learned her secrets from her mom, who in turn learned them from her mom and so on, and so on. A word or two is in order here about my grandmother, Rosie. She was an active 95 when she went on to making her sauce for the angels. To this day I'm sure none of the winged ones have her original recipe, as she was notorious for omitting bits and pieces from her note cards. Her meatballs were everyone favorites, (except mine as I always ranked my mom's as number one). Her sauce on the other hand was another story. It was dark, velvety, rich with bits of meat accenting the pastas. Her younger sister is still alive (the youngest of 18!) and has told me about her mother's sauce. I make it the same way, but alas it doesn't hold a candle to Rosie's. However, the family Easter Pie recipe is excellent every time. It is so easy to make, and quite yummy. I only make it around Easter, ( as does my great aunt....although after having a taste today I don't know why). It is not for the calorie conscious... and if you can't find leaf lard, a mixture of butter and Crisco is fine. Enjoy and Hoppy Easter.

Easter Pie
1 1/2 lbs. assorted pasta
leaf lard
salt and pepper
10 eggs
1 pound grated Romano or Locatelli

Boil pasta until cooked, drain and let cool enough to work in the following steps.

1. Coat your hands with lard and run them through the pasta.
2. Add eggs one at a time and mix into pasta.
3. Add cheese a little at a time.
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Add black pepper. (we like alot so adjust amount to please you)
6. Grease lasagna tin with leaf lard and fill with pasta mixture.
7. Bake at 350 degrees until baked through and slightly browned along edges.
8. Enjoy with your favorite red sauce or as is.

Feel free to add bits of cooked sausage or meatball to pasta mixture before baking.