When the kids were little, I used to sing them to sleep. I am not a great singer, but I’m good enough to soothe tired children.
With the boys, I sang a weird Beatles medley that just seemed right. I couldn’t remember all of the words to any of the songs I wanted to sing, so I created weird transitions between “Eight Days A Week” and “Love Me Do” and sometimes, I would slip in and out of the German versions of some of the songs. (Thanks Herr Agacki!)
My husband always had better songs for the boys. He remembers lyrics better than I do. When we were first dating, I’d ask him to sing me to sleep. He’d change words to fit the situation. He would snuggle me close to his chest and I’d feel his heart beat and absorb his warmth and strength as his voice caressed my ears. It always felt safe.
When our daughter was born and as I rocked her in my great-grandma’s rocking chair, the only song I could ever remember to sing was “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, but the John Denver version NOT the Peter, Paul, and Mary version. As she grew a little older, she started to sing along with me. It was super cute and sweet, but not really conducive to putting her to sleep.
One year for Christmas, my mom presented us with an illustrated copy of John Denver’s “Country Roads” written in children’s book format. My husband I would turn the pages as we sang our daughter to sleep…or tried to. The little monkey started absorbing all of those words also and would sing along. My husband harmonized with our voices. To me, it always sounded lovely.
Sometimes the boys joined in. We are not the Partridge Family or the VonTrapp family singers, but there is a bond that happens when a family sings together, even terribly.
Recently, we were at a used book store and were combing through the CD section. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just something that might catch my attention. Suddenly, my daughter was climbing on me and started singing “Country Roads, take me home, to the place I belong…” loudly and not quite in key. It was not the song playing in the store, I don’t even know what that song was.
My husband said her name from across the store “sh…”. The older man next to me snickered. “Someone has been listening to John Denver,” he said. I explained about using “Leaving on a Jet Plane” as her lullaby. His eyes got a bit of a far away look. “When my kids were little, we used to look at John Denver albums before bed. All those pictures of the trees and eagles and mountains, it was really soothing for them.”
I smiled as my daughter ran off to another part of the store, singing. “Almost heaven…”
Maybe I don’t live in West Virginia. Maybe it’s not the country roads that take me home. The radio frequently reminds me of my home far away, but I’m in the place where I belong. My kitchen.
Last summer I made Salerno Shoestring Squares for the first time. I made them ahead of time and reheated them for lunch one day when my friend was here. “I still need to get a picture of this.” I said before we dug into our lunch.
And what a dig! I never did get the picture. Our bellies were gloriously full of this Italian version of chili cheese fries. If lasagna and chili cheese fries had a baby, this would be it.
I waited a while before remaking this recipe…you know, so I could get pictures.
The meat sauce for Salerno Shoestring Squares is dense. It’s rich and flavorful. The tiny amounts of herbs and seasonings blend together as fluently as the harmonies my husband I produce while singing with the kids.
Layers of flavored cheese wrap themselves around the potatoes like a mother holding her infant.
This is serious comfort food. You should always make sure to have a stash on hand. It can be made in advance and frozen.
It’s probably very mean of me to present you with this recipe at the time of year when everyone resolved to eat healthier and get more exercise and all of that. I suppose you could substitute lentils or white beans for the ground meat and have a vegetarian version of Salerno Shoestring Squares, that might help reduce my guilt in introducing you to your new favorite food.
Without a doubt, this recipe is a keeper.
“So kiss me and smile for me, make some Salerno Shoestring Squares for me, already I’m so hungry I could die.”
The Recipe:
Salerno Shoestring Squares
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 1/3 cup Onion Chopped
- 1 clove Garlic Crushed
- 1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce with Tomato Bits
- 1 6 oz can Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Parsley Flakes
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp crushed Basil Leaves
Cheese and Potato Layers
- 1 cup Cottage Cheese Large Curd
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp Parsley Flakes
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed Oregano leaves
- 1 lb frozen Shoestring Potatoes
- 8oz Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
Instructions
- In a large pan, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic slowly until meat is browned and onion is tender. Spoon off excess fat. Stir in next ingredients; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, salt and oregano. In a 9x13x2-inch baking dish, place half the frozen potatoes; spread with half the meat sauce; add half the mozzarella cheese; spoon on half the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat layers, reserving some of the meat sauce to spread over the entire surface. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is bubbly in the center. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
If you liked this recipe, check out my other make ahead meals.
By contrast, the simpler named, simpler prepared Macaroni and Cheese was an overall more satisfying dish. While also custard based, it did not require a water bath to cook. There were few ingredients, but the addition of bread crumbs created a more interesting dish. 
Just say those words aloud. It’s ok to alternately smile and gag. It’s not something we are used to seeing in our menu rotation. There are reasons for why this recipe has fallen out of fashion. My kids would argue that taste was one of those reasons, but I think they were having an exceptionally picky day. Side note: I mentioned to Nick what I was writing about and he said “Oh, right, that weird stuff.” 
When this recipe was originally published, there were not the variety of cheese cracker options that are available today. I’m not sure if this qualifies as progress. I stuck with Cheez-Its original flavor. Getting out the blender or food processor seemed like dishes I didn’t feel like doing so crushed the crackers with a combination of the potato masher and my hands. It makes lovely pictures, but a crumbly crust.
Boiling the potatoes with the onions mellows the onions and just leaves the flavor. The small amount of water used to boil the potatoes means the potatoes don’t need to be drained and the starch from them helps to thicken the cheesy sauce. These are not the best au gratin potatoes I’ve ever had in my life. They aren’t steakhouse worthy, but you know, for something that is ready in 30 minutes or less, it’s a pretty decent side dish for any night of the week.
