ooey gooey goodness
A couple of weeks ago I cooked the meal, whos recipe I posted here, for jordan and my family and it really was quite successful. I am pleased and feel accomplished, plus my cheesecake was seriously amazing, and not too difficult. I highly reccomend trying it. Anyway, I think I am going to try to make a tradition of Sunday dinners, every week there will be a good home cooked meal, nice red wine and a sweet treat :0) I'm going to post my recipes here, mostly for my own benefit but I'll write how they turned out this way you can try them for yourselves if you'd like.
Farmer's Pasta Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday Italian
Episode: Gooey Good Food
Butter, for greasing pan
2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
6 ounces pancetta, chopped
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups whole milk
8 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
6 ounces provolone cheese, grated
1 pound rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh coarse bread crumbs
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a small bowl. Pour off all but 1/4 cup of the pan drippings (if necessary, add more oil to the pan drippings to equal 1/4 cup total). Reduce the heat to medium. Add 3 teaspoons of garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in all the Fontina, mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone cheeses.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook until almost al dente, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. (The pasta will continue cooking in the oven.) Drain pasta and add directly into the cheese. Add the parsley, basil, and pancetta and toss to coat. Season the pasta mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared dish.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Add the bread crumbs and toss to coat. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the pasta mixture. Drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil and bake until the sauce bubbles and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
I've had a really great couple of days..Monday I spent the day by myself cleaning, doing homework, reading, painting, and tuesday afternoon included much of the same, then last night Jordan came over and we got Italian Ices, watched Lucky you, ate pizza, had a couple of beers and ended up falling asleep until four am as usual. It was a really great time.
today I slept through math, went to Education and my professor gave me back a paper which I got an A+ on, with remarks on it that meant so much to me. The weather was beautiful, I got payed well this week and Jordan picked me up from class with the windows rolled down, tuck and patti blaring (like the two 90 year olds we are) and we got delicious chinese food for lunch. Then we watched a movie called Awakenings with Robin Williams which was really great, although a little sad..but it really made me think quite a bit.
It was about a group of people with a particular disease that caused them to be catatonic for most of there life. A doctor comes along and gives one patient a medicine which enables him to wake up out of his coma-like state and live again, but it inevitably stops working and he goes through a difficult journey from being catatonic to fully functioning to catatonic once again. Imagine feeling as though you have slept away the last thirty years of your life and suddenly you're awake and alive again. I suppose some people may feel this way even without the disease.
In relation to this tonight at 10pm there will be a show about Randy Pausch and his "last lecture" He's a 47 year old man with three small children and only a few weeks left to live, yet he looks and acts perfectly healthy and "normal" I believe he will be speaking about how to make your childhood dreams come true..I don't know but I feel as though there has been alot on this topic lately. Just live and make yourself happy..the trivial things we stress over daily really don't matter much in the long run. I sound like a bumper sticker.
In my life time I would like to find a place to settle down with my non existent hubby where we can have kids and live comfortably without having to work like slaves, and where one of us (preferably me) can stay home with our children until they start school, where there is a relaxed environment and treesss, and other beautiful plant life. I want to travely everywhere, and I want to see the northern lights. I will deffinately get there.
And the last little tid bit that's been on my mind..I really feel that Obama could make a change in our country. He seems like a real person to me, genuine to some degree..maybe he's just a really good politician lol but he's got my vote.
Farmer's Pasta Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday Italian
Episode: Gooey Good Food
Butter, for greasing pan
2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
6 ounces pancetta, chopped
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups whole milk
8 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
6 ounces provolone cheese, grated
1 pound rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh coarse bread crumbs
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a small bowl. Pour off all but 1/4 cup of the pan drippings (if necessary, add more oil to the pan drippings to equal 1/4 cup total). Reduce the heat to medium. Add 3 teaspoons of garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in all the Fontina, mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone cheeses.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook until almost al dente, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. (The pasta will continue cooking in the oven.) Drain pasta and add directly into the cheese. Add the parsley, basil, and pancetta and toss to coat. Season the pasta mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared dish.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Add the bread crumbs and toss to coat. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the pasta mixture. Drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil and bake until the sauce bubbles and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
I've had a really great couple of days..Monday I spent the day by myself cleaning, doing homework, reading, painting, and tuesday afternoon included much of the same, then last night Jordan came over and we got Italian Ices, watched Lucky you, ate pizza, had a couple of beers and ended up falling asleep until four am as usual. It was a really great time.
today I slept through math, went to Education and my professor gave me back a paper which I got an A+ on, with remarks on it that meant so much to me. The weather was beautiful, I got payed well this week and Jordan picked me up from class with the windows rolled down, tuck and patti blaring (like the two 90 year olds we are) and we got delicious chinese food for lunch. Then we watched a movie called Awakenings with Robin Williams which was really great, although a little sad..but it really made me think quite a bit.
It was about a group of people with a particular disease that caused them to be catatonic for most of there life. A doctor comes along and gives one patient a medicine which enables him to wake up out of his coma-like state and live again, but it inevitably stops working and he goes through a difficult journey from being catatonic to fully functioning to catatonic once again. Imagine feeling as though you have slept away the last thirty years of your life and suddenly you're awake and alive again. I suppose some people may feel this way even without the disease.
In relation to this tonight at 10pm there will be a show about Randy Pausch and his "last lecture" He's a 47 year old man with three small children and only a few weeks left to live, yet he looks and acts perfectly healthy and "normal" I believe he will be speaking about how to make your childhood dreams come true..I don't know but I feel as though there has been alot on this topic lately. Just live and make yourself happy..the trivial things we stress over daily really don't matter much in the long run. I sound like a bumper sticker.
In my life time I would like to find a place to settle down with my non existent hubby where we can have kids and live comfortably without having to work like slaves, and where one of us (preferably me) can stay home with our children until they start school, where there is a relaxed environment and treesss, and other beautiful plant life. I want to travely everywhere, and I want to see the northern lights. I will deffinately get there.
And the last little tid bit that's been on my mind..I really feel that Obama could make a change in our country. He seems like a real person to me, genuine to some degree..maybe he's just a really good politician lol but he's got my vote.