In memory of my Mom, please enjoy the recipe for one of her signature dishes: Italian meat pie.

Two frozen pie crusts
Ground beef
Tomato paste
Spice packet from Kraft Italian dinner (it’s what makes it Italian!)
Canned corn
Cottage cheese

Brown the beef, then mix with tomato paste (don’t skimp!), spice packet, and corn. Bake in pie crusts (one to cover) at 350 for an hour.

When done, serve with side of cottage cheese (as they no doubt do in Tuscany).

Mom never really loved being in the kitchen, and had a casserole/crockpot-heavy repertoire. But the Italian meat pie somehow became one of my favorites.

I miss you, Mom.

People saying they’re actually going to make this both make me totally tickled and surprisingly verklempt.

Her name was Barb, and she was a total trip. If you really do make this, raise a glass to her if you would.

I think I probably posted this last year, and I suppose I may as well again. https://www.thedailybeast.com/giving-my-mom-the-death-she-wanted

We’ve decided to make it again, and watch “The Three Stooges,” who made her cry with laughter. (We’re fudging on the spice packet because the Kraft dinners are hard to come by, so we’re using Italian seasoning.)

We are also deviating from her recipe in that she would almost certainly have added another can of tomato paste.

Et voila