Roast Vegetable Lasagna

As I write this post, I'm slowly recovering from the ordeal that is cooking for me. Tonight, more than any other night, the title of this blog has rung true. I have experienced panic, fear and frustration. And all before anything was even cooking!

It began easily enough. Prepare some vegetables and cook them at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Okay, maybe I need to read recipe instructions 6 times instead of 5, but can there really be much difference between 10 minutes in the oven and 40 minutes in the oven? Yes it's true. I confess, I did leave them in just a little longer than I was supposed to. But I got sidetracked. Seriously. (We've just hired a gardener to come and tidy up our yard and I had to meet with him.) At least we'll have a great garden.

You'll be pleased to know, however, that no real damage was done. Okay so they were kinda' chargrilled vegetables rather than plain old roasted, but hey, they still tasted great.

Next I had to make a tomato sauce. Lesson No. 2 - check your ingredient list before you begin making the meal!

"Do we have any sundried tomato pesto?" I fretfully asked my husband.

"No."

"But, but, I need some!"

"Do we have any sundried tomatoes?" he asked, casual as ever.

"Yes"

"Then I'll make the pesto."

"Great!" I said, happily. "But can you please do it now because I need to add the vegetables to it."

He sauntered off and expertly began cutting up sundried tomatoes and whatever else goes into sundried tomato pesto.

I checked my recipe again.

"Oh no, I've got to make some cheese sauce!"

To my surprise, my husband finished his pesto and took the blender out of the cupboard.

"What are you doing? Nothing needs to be blended?" I cried, not totally certain that I even knew what I was talking about.

"That tomato sauce you're making" he said. "The onions are not chopped finely enough. I'll just whip them in the blender for a bit."

So whip he did, with all the confidence and coolness of a person who's been blending tomato sauce for years, while I stood at the stove wishing the cheese sauce to make itself.

"It's alright. I can do that" he said. (What a man.)

And so while he made an exquisitely delicious cheese sauce, I began layering. Vegetables, pasta, cheese sauce, vegetables, pasta, cheese sauce, grated cheese.

"It's okay" I told myself. "It's all gonna' be okay."

We tenderly placed the dish into the oven and opened a bottle of wine. Trust me, I needed it. 35 minutes later it was ready. The most delectable lasagna, melted cheese dripping into layers of roasted eggplant, zucchini, sweet potato and pumpkin.

Delectable.

But the kids hated it.

Ah well, I know what I'll be having for lunch tomorrow!