a recipe:
for creamy vodka sauce:
Make a roux: melt around quarter cup of butter in a large saucepan, then add an equal amount of flour. You want to keep it on low heat and stir continuously with a flexible spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan. The flour/butter will be a thin paste. Cook for several minutes, until the roux has darkened slightly. It will be a light caramel color.
Now, add a can of coconut milk. Stir until it becomes smooth and creamy. It will thicken considerably as it cooks. If you over-cook it, it will become too thick and kind of gelatinous---don't worry, you can always add more coconut milk to fix this, stirring until it becomes smooth again.
When you are satisfied with the consistency, add some tomato sauce. You could just add a can of readymade sauce, or you could add some tomato paste, garlic, onions, SALT, etc. Also add a shot or two of the second-cheapest vodka in the house. And some crushed red pepper to give it a nice, classic pizza-restaurant taste.
for success:
I got honors on my thesis, and also won the Mathematical Association of America history of math paper contest.
for disaster:
I have a mortgage, an attorney, and a job starting in 2 months. It would appear I am an adult now, except that I feel more green and helpless than when the tasks I had to deal with were not "real-world" tasks (e.g. thesis).
Make a roux: melt around quarter cup of butter in a large saucepan, then add an equal amount of flour. You want to keep it on low heat and stir continuously with a flexible spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan. The flour/butter will be a thin paste. Cook for several minutes, until the roux has darkened slightly. It will be a light caramel color.
Now, add a can of coconut milk. Stir until it becomes smooth and creamy. It will thicken considerably as it cooks. If you over-cook it, it will become too thick and kind of gelatinous---don't worry, you can always add more coconut milk to fix this, stirring until it becomes smooth again.
When you are satisfied with the consistency, add some tomato sauce. You could just add a can of readymade sauce, or you could add some tomato paste, garlic, onions, SALT, etc. Also add a shot or two of the second-cheapest vodka in the house. And some crushed red pepper to give it a nice, classic pizza-restaurant taste.
for success:
I got honors on my thesis, and also won the Mathematical Association of America history of math paper contest.
for disaster:
I have a mortgage, an attorney, and a job starting in 2 months. It would appear I am an adult now, except that I feel more green and helpless than when the tasks I had to deal with were not "real-world" tasks (e.g. thesis).