Hey, everybody! Reader here.

I was doing a little bit of meal prep yesterday, as it’s a short week, before I go on vacation for a couple of weeks, and I don’t feel like thinking too much on what to eat for the next few days.

But, what to make? Then, it dawned on me that I had most of what I needed, to whip up a tasty homemade lasagna.

I had to pick up a few things, including a pack of oven-ready noodles and some parmesan cheese and cottage cheese, otherwise, I was good to go!

And with the temperatures finally dipping a little bit, so it didn’t feel like a sauna in my third floor apartment, I had no qualms about firing up the oven.

I use a fairly simple recipe that I found online, and over time, I’ve tweaked it to suit my tastes.

The biggest thing is that my lasagnas are a little bit meatier, using both a pound of ground beef and a pound of Italian sausage meat, to give it a little extra pizazz. Also, depending on what I’m feeling, for the cheese mix that gets layered in, sometime I’ll use ricotta cheese, and sometime I’ll use cottage cheese instead. I’m a grown man, and I’ll do what I want!

So, I got everything assembled, made my meat sauce and cheese mix, and layered it in the pan. The only trouble is, I think I need a bigger pan. Specifically, I need a deeper pan…

I heated up the oven, topped the pan with a little foil (“Puttin’ on the foil!” That’s for you “Slap Shot” fans!), and popped it in to bake. About an hour and 20 minutes later, voila! Lasagna!

I had to let it sit and cool off a bit, but before long, I had to cut into it and start crushing lasagna like Garfield!

So good! What is it about lasagna that makes it one of the best things ever?

It’s layer upon layer of pure deliciousness! Lasagna is that ultimate go-to comfort food that just makes everything feel right. It’s a nice, warm blanket for your insides! The rich, savory meat sauce cozies up perfectly with the gooey, melted cheese, all hugged snugly by perfectly cooked pasta. Each mouthful is a little moment of bliss, whether you’re sharing it with family or treating yourself to some me-time. (And I’ve got this whole pan of lasagna all to myself! And if I don’t eat it all before heading off on vacay, I can freeze some of it to enjoy later!)

And let’s be honest, there’s something incredibly soothing about the whole process—from that first mouth-watering whiff coming out of the oven to that satisfying first bite. It’s comfort, relaxation, and pure, satisfying goodness all rolled into one.  Even if there’s all the dishes to do after you make it! But my stomach always thanks me afterward, for a job well done!