Dinner party 911?

I got a call last Friday from a client asking if we could do a last minute dinner party for 25 people for Saturday night. The client had been asked to "help" give a surprise birthday party for her sister-in-law. After a few conversations with her brother, the client realized that her brother had dropped the ball on the entire party and really wanted his sister to just plan the entire surprise party herself - food, decorations, and all. Hence the last minute call for a catered dinner for the next night. They weren't looking for anything too fancy, just a lasagna dinner family style - so I was really happy to oblige. The funny part of the story is that while the client was talking to me, her friend who was in the car and had heard our entire conversation, also asked if we could a similar dinner party for her for 10 people the following Sunday night (for her husband's birthday). I laughed a little. We should be so lucky to get all our business this way. Lasagna feeds a lot of people; it's a pretty easy crowd pleaser. I'd definitely enjoy a nice catered lasagna dinner party if someone invited me over for it.

My dad, who was a cook in the Navy, often made our family American comfort foods that he prepared for the crew of the ships he was on. He had a big box of recipes that were Navy standard issue and as a kid I loved looking through these to see how they worked. Lasagna was definitely a Navy staple and in turn was a regular staple for dinner in our home growing up. I do still get a warm feeling of nostalgia when I dive into a hot square of lasagna. Something about the crunchy topping, with the gooey cheesy interior mixed in with the savory meat and creamy ricottta - is all very comforting to me. It's all so very satisfying...and it brings back a wonderful taste memory. In homage of my dad's lasagna, I've developed what I think is the perfect lasagna recipe over the years. It is very different than my father's lasagna but I think is equally as good. Most notably my dad uses cottage cheese and I use ricotta. But both are good options. For catering purposes we scale up for whatever number we need. Though it won't be enough to feed a big Navy crew on an aircraft carrier, this recipe should feed about 10-12 people easily...with second helpings.

1 lb. dried lasagna noodles
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 T fresh basil, chopped
2-3 T fresh oregano, chopped
2-3 T fresh thyme, chopped
1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 6oz. can tomato paste
2 C diced tomato (canned is fine)
2 15oz. containers of ricotta cheese
1 lb. shredded mozarella cheese
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
4-6 C tomato sauce (canned is fine)
Additional grated Parmesan for topping off
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

*pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Stage I: The noodles
1. Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling, salted water about 10 minutes. You don't want to cook the noodles all the way through, just partly so that they are barely tender (they will finish cooking to a perfect texture in the oven).
2. Drain noodles and coat with olive oil to keep them from sticking to each other. Set aside until final assembly.

Stage II: The meat
1. Preheat a skillet on the stove. Coat the hot skillet with olive oil and saute the onions, garlic, and half of all the herbs - about 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.
2. Add beef and sausage and continue to cook until no longer pink; add in diced tomato.
3. Drain meat of its fat (discard) and stir in tomato paste. Set aside until final assembly.

Stage III: The cheese filling
1. Combine ricotta cheese, the other half of the chopped herbs, and the beaten eggs in a mixing bowl.
2. Add 1/2 C Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until final assembly.

Stage IV: The final assembly
1. Coat the bottom of a lasagna dish (13x9 or something similarly sized) with 1/4 cup or so of tomato sauce.
2. Arrange 4-5 noodles lengthwise overlapping on top of the sauce.
3. Spread half of the meat mixture over the pasta.
4. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spreading it out almost like frosting on a cake.
5. Sprinkle half of shredded mozarella cheese on top of the ricotta.
6. Top with another 1/4 cup or so of tomato sauce.
7. Repeat steps 2-5.
8. Top the last layer with noodles, sauce, and shredded mozarella and a handful of grated parmesan.
9. Bake for 1 hour.
10. Let lasagna rest for 10 minutes. Serve and be happy.