Spaghetti and Sauce with Cheesy Garlic Bread

Last Sunday we wanted a traditional Sunday dinner so SP made his delicious sauce for spaghetti:


I also made cheesy garlic bread:


... with toasted ciabatta topped with garlic butter (made with grated garlic, softened butter and chopped parsley) and three cheeses - mozzarella, cheddar and Pecorino.

Christmas Dinner

For Christmas dinner we went to my stepgrandmother's for the same meal we've had every year since my mom and stepdad got married. We had salad:


... roast beef tenderloin:


... a loaf of garlic bread:


... green beans with almonds:


... and Christmas cookies for dessert:


Unfortunately this year things didn't go according to plan and the meal was less than stellar. My stepgrandmother, who is 82, has finally decided to hand the reins over to me and my mother. After years of being an amazing cook she just doesn't have it in her anymore. She was so upset that the meal didn't turn out the way it usually does. The Yorkshire pudding (not pictured) never rose or cooked all the way through. The beef and green beans were overcooked, and she decided not to make mashed potatoes (much to the disappointment of everyone in attendance). At least the cookies were good.

Pasta with Meat Sauce and Garlic Bread

Last Sunday I decided to make a meat sauce so we'd have something to eat during the week if I didn't feel like cooking one night. We ended up having the sauce on Monday over penne:


I also made garlic bread:


The sauce was ground beef, chopped onion, garlic, carrot and celery, tomato paste, tomatoes and seasonings all cooked down until the flavors combine and the sauce thickens.

Penne alla Vodka and Garlic Bread

Whenever we've made penne alla vodka we always use Lidia's recipe. But while I was watching ATK over the weekend I saw them make penne alla vodka and decided to give it a try.


I really liked that they kept some of the tomatoes whole instead of pureed and I liked that there wasn't too much cream. I don't think SP was a fan because the vodka flavor wasn't very pronounced, but I thought it was fantastic. I also made some garlic bread topped with a little grated Pecorino cheese:



Penne alla Vodka
America Test Kitchen

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Table salt
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Puree half of tomatoes in food processor until smooth. Dice remaining tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding cores. Combine pureed and diced tomatoes in liquid measuring cup (you should have about 1 2/3 cups). Add reserved liquid to equal 2 cups.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are light golden around edges, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove pan from heat and add vodka. Return pan to medium-high heat and simmer briskly until alcohol flavor is cooked off, 8 to 10 minutes; stir frequently and lower heat to medium if simmering becomes too vigorous. Stir in cream and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just shy of al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and transfer pasta back to Dutch oven. Add sauce to pasta and toss over medium heat until pasta absorbs some of sauce, 1 to 2 minutes, adding reserved cooking water if sauce is too thick. Stir in basil and adjust seasoning with salt. Divide among pasta bowls and serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.

Spaghetti and Meatballs with Cheesy Garlic Bread

Remember the last time I made spaghetti and meatballs how I made enough meatballs to freezer some for future meals? Well this week seemed like the perfect time to use some of those meatballs for an easy weeknight dinner:


SP made his sauce on Sunday and we cooked the meatballs in the sauce (just put them in frozen) until they heated through and transferred everything to a container. When I got home I put water on for the pasta and heated the sauce in a pot over low heat. Then it was just a matter of assembling and serving:


I also had half a ciabatta in the freezer so I made cheesy garlic bread:


... with mozzarella, cheddar and Pecorino cheeses and a garlic butter using garlic, salt and parsley. It was a sensational meal and super easy to get on the table on a weeknight. I love meals like this!

Spaghetti and Garlic Bread with Cheese

Looks like a nice plate of past and sauce, right?


Unfortunately this sauce was just wrong. All wrong. I wanted to use up some carrots and celery that I had in the fridge, so I minced 2 or 3 carrots in the food processor with two stalks of celery and an onion, along with some garlic. I guess it was just too much carrot because the sauce was too sweet. And the red pepper flake did nothing to balance that sweetness.

At least the garlic bread with cheese was good.

Pasta and Garlic Bread

Monday is grocery night so we needed something quick and easy for dinner. Since neither of us were hungry when I got home from work (SP was still sick) we did the shopping before we ate. We were famished when we got home, so I whipped up a quick pasta sauce and served it over ziti:


For the sauce I chopped the remains of a red onion I found in the fridge and cooked that in some oil with garlic, dried oregano and tomatoes, salt and pepper. It thickened up as the pasta cooked and was absolutely delicious. One of the best sauces I've made lately.

Since we'd gone to the store before dinner I was able to pick up a baguette for garlic bread with cheese:


We haven't indulged in this for awhile, but we both needed some comfort food. It was heavenly. I made a garlic butter using butter, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley and spread it on the baguette. I shredded cheddar, mozzarella and Pecorino and layered those on top. The bread baked to 400 degrees until the edges were crispy and the cheese melted. Yum!

Christmas Dinner

My stepgrandmother has been making the same Christmas dinner since I was a child and this year was no exception.


All the usual suspects were present and accounted for, including the roast filet with garlic:


... green beans with toasted almonds:


... whipped potatoes:


... salad (with luscious chunks of creamy avocado):


... Yorkshire pudding:


... and garlic bread:


For dessert we had coffee and Christmas cookies:

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Every time we try to plan a fall activity with our friends C & D the weather conspires against us. A few weeks ago we wanted to go apple picking but it was 80+ degrees outside, so we rescheduled for this weekend. And what was the temperature today, a balmy 85. We just can't win.

After much deliberation (in which I hemmed and hawed over the menu so much that SP wanted to rip his hair out) we decided to keep with our original plan for spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. SP was in charge of the sauce, which he cooked all day using up various odds and ends from the fridge, including an orange pepper, onions, shallots, garlic, both canned and fresh tomatoes and some oregano.


I made the meatballs the way I always do with a mixture of ground beef, pork and veal, bread crumbs, egg, fresh parsley, garlic and pecorino cheese. I gave them a quick fry in vegetable oil before they finished cooking in the sauce. C & D brought a loaf of good crusty bread that I made into garlic bread both with cheese and without:


... using my special garlic parsley butter and three kinds of cheese (mozzarella, cheddar and pecorino). C & D also brought dessert, a rich tiramisu cake that had just the right balance of sweetness from the mascarpone cheese and kick from the espresso-soaked lady fingers:


An inside shot of all the layers:


SP also baked some cookies using a cookie-in-a-jar mix he got from a speaking engagement he did awhile back:


The cookies are oatmeal with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Pasta and Garlic Bread

Monday is here again and we've got another meal of pasta with sauce and garlic bread. As I've mentioned before we get spoils from my parents CSA vegetable box and at this point in the season they're getting a ton of sauce tomatoes. SP made another batch of sauce, adding some leftover green pepper and onion he diced for another recipe last week as well as some fresh oregano that came in the box.


We had the other half of the baguette we used last week:


... slathered with butter, garlic and parsley. Maybe one day soon we'll indulge and have garlic bread with cheese like I used to make. That stuff is insanely good.

Chicken Parm

Thursday night SP made chicken parm for dinner. This is the first time we've had this dish at home because I thought I hated chicken parm. It all stemmed from my college days when they had chicken parm on Sundays, the worst day to eat in the cafeteria. That was the night they served the dregs since hardly anyone was on campus. Picture gloppy breading, overcooked chicken and a sickly sweet tomato sauce. Yuck! SP has always said he makes a mean chicken parm so he set out to convince me it could be tasty.


He also used up some of our half boxes of pasta as a side dish and I made the garlic bread. The chicken itself was moist and flavorful, with a nice crispy breading and just enough cheese to make it interesting. And the sauce had a slight kick and rich tomato flavor:


This is the chicken after he fried it but before it was transformed into chicken parm. I love the deep brown color:


And my usual garlic bread, with plenty of garlic, butter and parsley: