FOUGERE'S FAVORITES

flavor FOUGERE'S FAVORITES

BY SARA FOUGERE · PHOTOS BY L.G. PATTERSON

In 2012 my son Drew began his high school football career as a Rock Bridge Bruin, and I began my career as a football mom. For the past nine autumns, from Drew through Grant and on to Luke, there has been a Fougere boy among the “Boys of Fall.” And I have loved every minute of it!

I love football. I love the games, the fans, the band, watching my friends' daughters who cheered or danced, the whole thing. And I really loved feeding the boys. There were years when the O line ate at our house every Thursday night and there were years when several moms gathered with me in my commercial kitchen, and we fed the entire Rock Bridge team. It was raucous, and sometimes stressful, but it warmed my heart to watch my boys, and their friends, with plates full of pasta bakes, laughing around communal tables.

And now it's almost over. When Luke takes the field this fall it will be his last year of high school. It will be my last year as a football mom.

Although it is true that all my boys come home or stay home often and we do have many of their friends for dinner frequently, I can’t help but be struck by this passage of time and how I will miss these days! I want to invite them all over and make many casserole dishes full of Beef Lombardi like we have so many times before. I have yet to find a kid who doesn't love this mash up of sortof spaghetti, sort-of goulash and even sort-of stroganoff. The secret really is the sour creamed noodles, and the spicy beef which together make for a creamy, delicious bowl of all-together goodness. The second-best thing about Beef Lombardi is that is freezes beautifully so make two and give yourself a night off in a few weeks! Happy football season!

1 pound ground beef, I prefer 90-20 2 tablespoons olive oil 14.5 ounces chopped tomatoes 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chiles 2 tablespoons sugar 6 ounces tomato paste 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper 12 ounce package of egg noodles 1 bunch of chopped green onions 1 ¼ cup sour cream 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup shredded parmesan 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Cook ground beef in olive oil in a skillet until brown. Stir in all tomato products, sugar, bay leaf and seasoning. Cook egg noodles according to package directions and drain. Stir green onions and sour cream into egg noodles. Place noodle mixture in greased 9x13 casserole dish. Top with beef mixture and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake covered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.