Make-a-Date-Crazy Pasta Bake

by Angela McClure
(Holly Springs, NC, US)

Make-a-Date-Crazy Pasta Bake

About ten years ago, my mother and I were both divorced and living only a quarter of a mile from each other. One night, I had leftovers from a date. I let my mom try the casserole I had designed. I told her that I was making this for my dates and it seems that everyone who had tried it, liked it.

She said to me, that she was sure that this dish would make a date “go crazy” for me and to keep making it and she had to have the recipe! I gave her the recipe expecting her to probably simply file it away.

Months later, my mother invited me to dinner. She wanted me to meet a man that she had been dating. The house smelled so good. When we all sat down to dinner, I looked at my plate and knew right away that this was the same dish I had designed and had given her the recipe. My mom smiled at me and I could tell she knew what I was thinking.

While we ate, her date told me that the dish was his favorite. He loved my mom's cooking and looking at my mom, he stated that he was “crazy” for her and her cooking. When he said that, I thought both my mom and I would choke from laughing. We both remembered our conversation months before. But, we kept it our little secret.

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