On days when it seems the sun just will not shine, like it has for the past 2 days, I always feel the need to brighten the day and the soul with a little comfort food. And what better comfort food, than pasta?
This being said, I am also in the middle of lent and while I am not Catholic, my boyfriend and I did decide to participate. I mean it is only six weeks, we can definitely give up something we love for six weeks, right? Wrong. We did last four. Good effort, try again next year? Basically a major fail. My life without pasta was miserable. I wound up getting sick about midway through the third week and I honestly believe that it was because I had a lack of pasta in my diet. I love pasta. Without pasta there is no Italian, no Chicken Pad Thai, no Chicken Noodle Soup, no Wontons! What is a girl to do? So, Saturday at approximately 6:49pm I reinstated pasta into my diet and it was wonderful. A warm filling meat sauce served over tender rigatoni with crispy, crunchy, garlic filled bread. It was a meal to savor and delight. It completely brightened my day and my spirits. A simple meal of pasta and meat sauce can do wonders for a person. I am a true believer that food impacts life.
Well I guess before I go much farther I should explain a little bit about myself. I graduated from college in December and find myself somewhere stuck between childhood and adulthood. I am not struggling by any means, I actually wound up with a great job in event planning. Not too shabby for a girl who loves food, since a major part of my job is menu selection and food tastings. Yet still I often find I question my choices, my decisions and my future. Does anyone ever feel truly certain they are doing the right thing with their life? I know I don’t, but there is one thing that I am always sure about and that is food.
I love food. I love to make food, I love to talk about food and most of all I love to eat food. It’s a passion. I am an adventurous eater, but still hold the classics dear. There is nothing better than Mom’s Mac and Cheese and I don’t think I could have gotten through college without a giant plate of nachos. But my tastes have always been bordered on adventurous and I love spicy food. The hotter, the better. I enjoy experimenting but have certainly seen my fair share of failures: Gazpacho – people just do not understand cold soup, or that dessert where I misread the recipe and put in two cups instead of two tablespoons of Chambord liquor? It was eating a crepe filled with sticky alcoholic strawberry shots. Not so appetizing.
At the end of the day food is what brings people together; it is what helps heal any heartache; and most of all it is what keeps me going from day to day. So, here is my life: a little luck, a lot of faith, and really great food. Oh and I'll through in my recipes to keep you full and happy.
Simply Warming Meat Sauce:
1 Jar of Traditional Pasta Sauce
1/2 Med Yellow Onion Quartered
4 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped
1lb Ground Beef
Good Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Parmesan Cheese
1lb Rigatoni
1. Saute onion and 2tbs EVOO in a fry pan over med-high heat until onion browns, about 5 mins. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain fat, remove onion and set aside.
2. In a pot saute garlic, S&P, and red pepper flakes with 1tbs of EVOO for 45 seconds. Add jarred sauce and let simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add the meat and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes (approximately the same time it takes for the pasta to cook).
4. Serve over rigatoni with a sprinkle of Parmesan. Enjoy.
Delectably yours,
alc
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