I had another recipe lined up this week, but Wade's grandma passed away earlier today and he was spending the evening with family. It just doesn't seem the same to make something new for just me, so I heated up some leftover spaghetti sauce and thought I'd share that. First though, a story...
Spaghetti and us have a very turbulent relationship. It started at the very beginning of us--10 years ago when we pledged our undying love to each other for eternity.
My mom has an awesome spaghetti sauce recipe that I loved growing up. Our first week married, Wade requested spaghetti for dinner one night and I obliged. The sauce took some time, and while he liked it, he wasn't thrilled with it. I made it again the next week when he requested spaghetti for dinner...again. After the fourth week in a row of luke-warm receptions to my mom's spaghetti sauce recipe, I finally demanded some answers: (a) what exactly don't you like and (b) are we destined to eat spaghetti once a week for the rest of our lives?
He answered with (a) the meat and (b) yes. Apparently, growing up, Monday night was ALWAYS spaghetti night at Wade's house. ALWAYS. And while we ate spaghetti maybe once a month growing up, his family lived for Monday nights.
For the first five months, I tried my darnedest to make this a happy memory--sans meat in the sauce--for our family too. But one night, about the second or third month we were married, I cheated and opened a can of the cheap spaghetti sauce and got better raves than I had for my previous eight or nine attempts.
After five months, I threw in the pasta spoon. I could not stomach the idea of any more spaghetti. It was gross. Nasty. And I kept with that resolution up until about three months ago. I removed spaghetti from the meal rotation--except for the rare occasion--until we had kids. Then it made it's way back in the form of the go-to meal that everyone (but me) seemed to really enjoy. It allowed me a night to take off from cooking, more or less, and I also got to eat something of my own that no one else wanted to.
And slowly, we started eating it once a week or every ten days.
Stop judging.
But some nights I didn't want to make another meal for just me and I would end up with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Finally, I realized I needed to find a compromise on good spaghetti sauce that doesn't come out of a jar so I, too, could partake in this low-maintenance meal.
Enter Doug from Toastmasters. I mentioned my love-hate relationship with spaghetti one night in a speech and he emailed me his recipe. At first glance, it was daunting. I'm suppose to cook it in a crock pot? Who thinks that far ahead that they're having spaghetti? So I tried it one evening in a saucepan. And guess what? It worked!
Hallelujah!
So without further ado, here's the recipe:
1 lb. mild Italian sausage (I prefer ground beef because it's healthier and I think it tastes better, but Wade prefers the sausage. If I make it with ground beef, I'll just add it to a small pan of sauce for me and he eats his meat-free.)
2 x 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 medium onions
2 garlic cloves
1 x 6 oz can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. parsley
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. cold water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
DIRECTIONS
Brown sausage and place in slow cooker. Dice onions and add to meat with
tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, sugar, basil, salt, pepper,
oregano and stir. Cook on low for 8 hours to 10 hours. (Or in a saucepan. I haven't tried it in a crockpot yet, though I'm sure it would be 10x better in the crockpot. I just cook it as mentioned and then let it simmer while the noodles are cooking). One-half hour before
serving, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into sauce. Turn cooker to high.
Cook noodles and serve.
This makes a lot of sauce and only two of eat our noodles with sauce, so I freeze the leftovers for the next go round. I usually reserve spaghetti night for Toastmaster night and Wade will usually just open a can of sauce, so this sauce only comes out if I'm around to eat it too.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
What's For Dinner Wednesday--Smothered Pork Chops
I do like me some pork chops. Unfortunately, there are only so many ways to eat pork chops. Here's another way to add to the repertoire. Recipe is courtesy of The Food Network
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- (I didn't have any buttermilk so I made a buttermilk substitute. Pour 1 T white vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to reach 1 C. Let sit for 5 minutes. Use as much as the recipe calls for.)
Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.
Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through.
I thought this was really tasty. It was quick and easy to throw together using stuff I already had (minus the buttermilk, though that was an easy fix). Yay for another good recipe.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Ready...Set...Go!
Okay, I think I'm ready to put this in writing--
This year--August, to be exact--I'm going to be doing a HALF IRONMAN!
1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.
I know. It sounds crazy just reading it, right? Imagine saying it out loud! I'm going to swim for a mile, then I'm going to ride my bike for over 50 miles and THEN I'm going to run 13 miles.
So let me back up a bit...
Last September, I was signed up to do a duathlon with my buddy M. As the summer wore on, I was wearing out really fast. I was also nursing an ankle injury. I put in a pretty dismal half marathon in August followed by a half-hearted sprint tri the next weekend, and I made the decision not to do the duathlon. I emailed the race director and she graciously rolled my entry fee to 2012.
But I wasn't really thinking about 2012 because, as you may recall, Baby #3 was on it's way.
And then December happened. At one of my lowest points (hi, welcome to my roller coaster), I received an email from the race director reminding me of my deferred race fee and she wanted to know which race I wanted to sign up for. And suddenly, I felt like I had something to look forward to.
I spent a lot of time considering my options--all of them. Not just which race to do, but non-race options as well. I don't want anyone thinking that I signed up for this thing on a whim. I spent many hours contemplating the impact it would have on my life as well as our family's life. And in the end, I really felt like this was a unique opportunity at a fraction of the cost and I would regret not taking advantage of it.
(I know this sounds like I put a race ahead of having a baby, but there were other factors at play. Not just this one thing. I'm just choosing not to share those parts).
Anyway, after much contemplation, I decided to jump into the biggest race they offer and sent back the email declaring my intentions.
Then I set about telling people. I didn't want to just tell everyone. There was a part of me that was afraid that it would be too much for me to handle. The training and the actual race. But, after a few initial balks at the idea, pretty much everyone I've told has been very supportive of the idea.
In fact, my buddy M, who I was suppose to go with last year, signed up to do the duathlon again this year.
But the most surprising thing was when I told my running buddy H.
H looked at me like I was crazy and said "you can't do it without me."
I laughed and said "but, H, you just had a baby in September. Your fifth baby, to be precise. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this." but inside I was thinking "please, please, please do this so I don't have to do it--the training and the race--alone."
A few days later, H called up and said "I'm serious. You can't do this without me. Send me a link to the website. I'm signing up."
And that, folks, is true friendship! I'm excited and terrified at what lies ahead. But, in the end, I will be able to cross off my list something I thought I wouldn't be crossing off for years to come, if ever. An Ironman (Half or Full) really was a pipe dream I never thought I'd have the guts to try.
And I have the coolest friends EVER! M. and H. rock!
This year--August, to be exact--I'm going to be doing a HALF IRONMAN!
1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.
I know. It sounds crazy just reading it, right? Imagine saying it out loud! I'm going to swim for a mile, then I'm going to ride my bike for over 50 miles and THEN I'm going to run 13 miles.
So let me back up a bit...
Last September, I was signed up to do a duathlon with my buddy M. As the summer wore on, I was wearing out really fast. I was also nursing an ankle injury. I put in a pretty dismal half marathon in August followed by a half-hearted sprint tri the next weekend, and I made the decision not to do the duathlon. I emailed the race director and she graciously rolled my entry fee to 2012.
But I wasn't really thinking about 2012 because, as you may recall, Baby #3 was on it's way.
And then December happened. At one of my lowest points (hi, welcome to my roller coaster), I received an email from the race director reminding me of my deferred race fee and she wanted to know which race I wanted to sign up for. And suddenly, I felt like I had something to look forward to.
I spent a lot of time considering my options--all of them. Not just which race to do, but non-race options as well. I don't want anyone thinking that I signed up for this thing on a whim. I spent many hours contemplating the impact it would have on my life as well as our family's life. And in the end, I really felt like this was a unique opportunity at a fraction of the cost and I would regret not taking advantage of it.
(I know this sounds like I put a race ahead of having a baby, but there were other factors at play. Not just this one thing. I'm just choosing not to share those parts).
Anyway, after much contemplation, I decided to jump into the biggest race they offer and sent back the email declaring my intentions.
Then I set about telling people. I didn't want to just tell everyone. There was a part of me that was afraid that it would be too much for me to handle. The training and the actual race. But, after a few initial balks at the idea, pretty much everyone I've told has been very supportive of the idea.
In fact, my buddy M, who I was suppose to go with last year, signed up to do the duathlon again this year.
But the most surprising thing was when I told my running buddy H.
H looked at me like I was crazy and said "you can't do it without me."
I laughed and said "but, H, you just had a baby in September. Your fifth baby, to be precise. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this." but inside I was thinking "please, please, please do this so I don't have to do it--the training and the race--alone."
A few days later, H called up and said "I'm serious. You can't do this without me. Send me a link to the website. I'm signing up."
And that, folks, is true friendship! I'm excited and terrified at what lies ahead. But, in the end, I will be able to cross off my list something I thought I wouldn't be crossing off for years to come, if ever. An Ironman (Half or Full) really was a pipe dream I never thought I'd have the guts to try.
And I have the coolest friends EVER! M. and H. rock!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
What's For Dinner Wednesday--Beef Stew
Full disclosure: This wasn't the meal I made this week. I made a pot roast. But, part of why I chose the recipe for pot roast that I did was because it looked a lot like this amazing stew I made for A's birthday back in November. It sort of fell flat on that count, so I'm going to post the beef stew recipe instead.
3 pounds stew meat, cubed
1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 T olive oil
1 C baby carrots
4 large potatoes, cubed
1 T parsley
1 tsp black pepper
2 C boiling water
1 package onion soup mix
3 T butter
3 onions sliced
1/4 C red wine (calm down. It was cooking wine).
1/4 C warm water
2 T flour
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday Thoughts
I had this whole other post planned, but I decided to go this route:
Today, at church, we were reminded how to speak and act appropriately. And while I get it--I get why we do things like this--I left with the feeling that maybe people would be more...
I don't know...
excited to come to church if it didn't seem like someone was always telling you what you should or shouldn't say or how many people you should or shouldn't have at your special religious events. Maybe it would be easier to come if you didn't feel like everyone was judging you. But most importantly, maybe you'd feel a little more excited about coming if it didn't just seem like such an eternal trudge to the next life.
Like I said, I get it. This isn't a complaint against the powers that be that decide these kinds of things. It's just a thought. My thoughts being that heaven forbid if I stand up and tell you all how I feel about Christ lest I say something that doesn't follow the "guidelines".
Sometimes, I wonder if in our quest to make tangible guidelines that pinpoint exactly what should or shouldn't happen, we forget the important parts. Like, how church is suppose to lead us closer to the Savior and how we should want to come and not leave feeling like we're less worthy than anyone else. We should be excited about each other and our accomplishments. We should celebrate big milestones and events. We should feel comfortable expressing thoughts close to our hearts without feeling like we are breaking rules.
I get it. I get why there are even guidelines. People like to toe the line. Some people don't understand that you can't have 50 people blessing a baby. But, those guidelines that are handed down are relatively broad. And some people are okay with broad. But, some people have to quantify everything. They have to make it fit into a little box and in the process, they forget that not everything has to--or should, even--fit into that little box. Maybe they are general for a reason.
I know. It's me. It's my attitude. It's because I feel like I'm trudging through life spiritually, always afraid that when I die, God is going to be like "you stood up and said this at church and I clearly told you that you had to have one of these five things in there, and you didn't really have any of that, so there's no room for you here."
Except for I KNOW that won't be the case. I know that when I die, I'll realize that so much focus was put on the details and not enough focus was put on the big picture. I would do better to remember that when I'm sitting in church and getting lectured on these things that matter to everyone else.
But I didn't really have any plans on standing up and saying anything ever again after today's lecture. I mean, I don't want to be the person that everyone blames when we have a revisit of this topic. I'm pretty sure my reluctance to share my feelings isn't part of the big picture God had planned either.
Sometimes, I look at other people in other faiths and think "they look like they get it." Maybe their beliefs aren't necessarily what I believe, but it seems that they seem to be saying "This is who I am. I might not be perfect, but I'm doing my best. And in the end, God will understand and He'll welcome me with open arms because I welcomed Him with open arms." And everyone else around will nod their heads and say "me too." instead of "you need to be better. You need to do this and this and this and this to prove that you're doing your best. And guess what, we keep telling you that your best is good enough, but then we keep telling you that you're not doing your best."
And so it's going to be my philosophy from now on to say "Hey, listen. I'm doing my best here. I'm giving it my all. And in the end, will it really matter if my kid stood up and repeated the same words we've heard from every other kid for eons of time, because we all have to start somewhere, right?"
I know, to some, this will seem like a complaint of the church I've chosen to belong to. And it's not. Not at least to the fundamental teachings that make it the church I've chosen. I realize that things are open to interpretation, and part of being faithful is believing that the interpretations you've been given are the best ones to follow. Nowhere does it say that I have to blindly follow without any questioning. I firmly believe I can still be faithful in following and still have my reservations.
So there. There's my Sunday Thoughts. Pretty deep for having taken the last two weeks off, right? I'm back on track this week. New recipe and everything. Maybe even a few laughs. It's been so...tense...around here.
Today, at church, we were reminded how to speak and act appropriately. And while I get it--I get why we do things like this--I left with the feeling that maybe people would be more...
I don't know...
excited to come to church if it didn't seem like someone was always telling you what you should or shouldn't say or how many people you should or shouldn't have at your special religious events. Maybe it would be easier to come if you didn't feel like everyone was judging you. But most importantly, maybe you'd feel a little more excited about coming if it didn't just seem like such an eternal trudge to the next life.
Like I said, I get it. This isn't a complaint against the powers that be that decide these kinds of things. It's just a thought. My thoughts being that heaven forbid if I stand up and tell you all how I feel about Christ lest I say something that doesn't follow the "guidelines".
Sometimes, I wonder if in our quest to make tangible guidelines that pinpoint exactly what should or shouldn't happen, we forget the important parts. Like, how church is suppose to lead us closer to the Savior and how we should want to come and not leave feeling like we're less worthy than anyone else. We should be excited about each other and our accomplishments. We should celebrate big milestones and events. We should feel comfortable expressing thoughts close to our hearts without feeling like we are breaking rules.
I get it. I get why there are even guidelines. People like to toe the line. Some people don't understand that you can't have 50 people blessing a baby. But, those guidelines that are handed down are relatively broad. And some people are okay with broad. But, some people have to quantify everything. They have to make it fit into a little box and in the process, they forget that not everything has to--or should, even--fit into that little box. Maybe they are general for a reason.
I know. It's me. It's my attitude. It's because I feel like I'm trudging through life spiritually, always afraid that when I die, God is going to be like "you stood up and said this at church and I clearly told you that you had to have one of these five things in there, and you didn't really have any of that, so there's no room for you here."
Except for I KNOW that won't be the case. I know that when I die, I'll realize that so much focus was put on the details and not enough focus was put on the big picture. I would do better to remember that when I'm sitting in church and getting lectured on these things that matter to everyone else.
But I didn't really have any plans on standing up and saying anything ever again after today's lecture. I mean, I don't want to be the person that everyone blames when we have a revisit of this topic. I'm pretty sure my reluctance to share my feelings isn't part of the big picture God had planned either.
Sometimes, I look at other people in other faiths and think "they look like they get it." Maybe their beliefs aren't necessarily what I believe, but it seems that they seem to be saying "This is who I am. I might not be perfect, but I'm doing my best. And in the end, God will understand and He'll welcome me with open arms because I welcomed Him with open arms." And everyone else around will nod their heads and say "me too." instead of "you need to be better. You need to do this and this and this and this to prove that you're doing your best. And guess what, we keep telling you that your best is good enough, but then we keep telling you that you're not doing your best."
And so it's going to be my philosophy from now on to say "Hey, listen. I'm doing my best here. I'm giving it my all. And in the end, will it really matter if my kid stood up and repeated the same words we've heard from every other kid for eons of time, because we all have to start somewhere, right?"
I know, to some, this will seem like a complaint of the church I've chosen to belong to. And it's not. Not at least to the fundamental teachings that make it the church I've chosen. I realize that things are open to interpretation, and part of being faithful is believing that the interpretations you've been given are the best ones to follow. Nowhere does it say that I have to blindly follow without any questioning. I firmly believe I can still be faithful in following and still have my reservations.
So there. There's my Sunday Thoughts. Pretty deep for having taken the last two weeks off, right? I'm back on track this week. New recipe and everything. Maybe even a few laughs. It's been so...tense...around here.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Big Unveiling
So, we were kinda busy this Christmas season.
With what, you might ask?
Well, for starters, Wade went a little Griswaldy on the house. He put up strands and strands of lights. It really did look pretty neat, and we got them up Thanksgiving weekend. That has been the earliest we've ever gotten them up. But it was a blessing in disguise because had we waited any longer, they wouldn't have gotten up at all due to the misfortune that December became.
Speaking of which, we just received our ER bill.
HOLY FREAKIN' COW!!!
But that's for another day.
What else did we do?
Wade took two weeks off (there's a story there. A funny story about how Wade saved all his vacation up, but I'm still too pissed to talk about it). And in that two weeks he built me this:
Yep. A kitchen island.
The man is amazing. He just used stock cabinets from Lowes. Screwed them together. Mounted everything to the floor. Painted it. It looks incredible. The pictures don't do it justice. I have no idea how I've lived this long without an island.
What's that?
Oh. Right. Granite countertops. Yeah, we did those too. Back in November. There were a few hiccups with them, but now I love them too. There's another post in the workings about those too. I'll get there. Patience.
The next task on our list is to do something with the cabinets. We have a pretty good idea of what we want to do, but we need warmer weather. I'm really excited for the updated kitchen and can't wait for it all to be done.
What else is going on? Oh man. If you knew. But that revelation will have to wait.
With what, you might ask?
Well, for starters, Wade went a little Griswaldy on the house. He put up strands and strands of lights. It really did look pretty neat, and we got them up Thanksgiving weekend. That has been the earliest we've ever gotten them up. But it was a blessing in disguise because had we waited any longer, they wouldn't have gotten up at all due to the misfortune that December became.
Speaking of which, we just received our ER bill.
HOLY FREAKIN' COW!!!
But that's for another day.
What else did we do?
Wade took two weeks off (there's a story there. A funny story about how Wade saved all his vacation up, but I'm still too pissed to talk about it). And in that two weeks he built me this:
Yep. A kitchen island.
The man is amazing. He just used stock cabinets from Lowes. Screwed them together. Mounted everything to the floor. Painted it. It looks incredible. The pictures don't do it justice. I have no idea how I've lived this long without an island.
What's that?
Oh. Right. Granite countertops. Yeah, we did those too. Back in November. There were a few hiccups with them, but now I love them too. There's another post in the workings about those too. I'll get there. Patience.
The next task on our list is to do something with the cabinets. We have a pretty good idea of what we want to do, but we need warmer weather. I'm really excited for the updated kitchen and can't wait for it all to be done.
What else is going on? Oh man. If you knew. But that revelation will have to wait.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What's for Dinner Wednesday--Penne Sardi
Yay for new recipes!
I asked Wade what he'd want for New Year's Eve dinner if he could have anything. He immediately said Penne Pasta Sardi from Biaggi's, an Italian restaurant found at the Gateway.
I googled it--yay for the internet--and luckily, someone had done all the dirty work for me.
http://www.whitewaxflower.com/2011/05/biaggis-penne-sardi-copycat-recipe.html
One day, I aspire to be one of those people that can take a taste of a dish at a restaurant and then go home and recreate it. Until then, I'm glad that there are people out there that can do it.
So, if you want pretty pictures, head over there. Otherwise, I'll tell you what I did here.
First, I had to make the bread crumb topping. I took 3 pieces of bread and broke them up into pieces. Then I put it into the blender and blended it until it was only crumbs, but not superfine, because they'll only burn.
Next, I had to brown the bread crumbs. I added garlic, garlic powder, oregano, parsley flakes, onion salt and onion powder in with the bread crumbs. I didn't measure out the amounts, just shook the bottles and tasted the crumbs until I thought they tasted good.
I spread the bread crumbs in an 8 x 8 pan and put them in the oven set at 200 degrees. The recipe said to stir them every three minutes for about 10 minutes and they'd be done, but after 15 minutes, I had to turn on the broil for just a few minutes to get them toasty enough.
The next step took the most time, but probably made the dish. Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in a pan on the stove.Take a medium onion and cut it into thin slices. Add about a cup of mushrooms and add the onions and mushrooms to the pan. Salt and stir. Salt some more and stir again. Keep cooking over VERY low heat until the onions go from being stiff and white to clear and flimsy to brown and syrupy. This process takes about 45 minutes so don't fret when it doesn't happen right way.
Next step is the sauce.
2 1/2 C heavy cream or half and half (I went all out and used heavy cream)
1 C butter (yep. That's right.)
1 1/4 C mozzarella cheese
5 T grated parmesan cheese
1 C sun-dried tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter and cream together in a large sauce pan, and bring almost to a boil but not quite. Stir in the cheeses until they're melted followed by the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
*a sidenote about the tomatoes. The only sun-dried tomatoes I could find were found in the canned tomato aisle packed in oil. They were tomato halves. I just threw them in. I would suggest washing the tomatoes and then chopping them up into more bite-happy pieces.
Cook a bag of penne pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and put it into a bowl. Add the sauce and the carmelized onions and mushrooms and another 1/2 cup of mozzarella and stir it up. Put it in a baking dish, top it with more mozzarella cheese and layer the top with the bread crumbs.\
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the bread crumbs aren't burning.
*Another sidenote: I also added grilled chicken to the pasta. I just grilled some chicken and cut it up into bite-size pieces and added it with the sauce and onion/mushroom mixture.
I got rave reviews on this dish from both Wade and our friends we had over for NYE. It really wasn't that hard to create either, as long as you leave enough time to not rush the onions and mushrooms. Maybe not the healthiest dish, but for special occasions, it was perfect.
I asked Wade what he'd want for New Year's Eve dinner if he could have anything. He immediately said Penne Pasta Sardi from Biaggi's, an Italian restaurant found at the Gateway.
I googled it--yay for the internet--and luckily, someone had done all the dirty work for me.
http://www.whitewaxflower.com/2011/05/biaggis-penne-sardi-copycat-recipe.html
One day, I aspire to be one of those people that can take a taste of a dish at a restaurant and then go home and recreate it. Until then, I'm glad that there are people out there that can do it.
So, if you want pretty pictures, head over there. Otherwise, I'll tell you what I did here.
First, I had to make the bread crumb topping. I took 3 pieces of bread and broke them up into pieces. Then I put it into the blender and blended it until it was only crumbs, but not superfine, because they'll only burn.
Next, I had to brown the bread crumbs. I added garlic, garlic powder, oregano, parsley flakes, onion salt and onion powder in with the bread crumbs. I didn't measure out the amounts, just shook the bottles and tasted the crumbs until I thought they tasted good.
I spread the bread crumbs in an 8 x 8 pan and put them in the oven set at 200 degrees. The recipe said to stir them every three minutes for about 10 minutes and they'd be done, but after 15 minutes, I had to turn on the broil for just a few minutes to get them toasty enough.
The next step took the most time, but probably made the dish. Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in a pan on the stove.Take a medium onion and cut it into thin slices. Add about a cup of mushrooms and add the onions and mushrooms to the pan. Salt and stir. Salt some more and stir again. Keep cooking over VERY low heat until the onions go from being stiff and white to clear and flimsy to brown and syrupy. This process takes about 45 minutes so don't fret when it doesn't happen right way.
Next step is the sauce.
2 1/2 C heavy cream or half and half (I went all out and used heavy cream)
1 C butter (yep. That's right.)
1 1/4 C mozzarella cheese
5 T grated parmesan cheese
1 C sun-dried tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter and cream together in a large sauce pan, and bring almost to a boil but not quite. Stir in the cheeses until they're melted followed by the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
*a sidenote about the tomatoes. The only sun-dried tomatoes I could find were found in the canned tomato aisle packed in oil. They were tomato halves. I just threw them in. I would suggest washing the tomatoes and then chopping them up into more bite-happy pieces.
Cook a bag of penne pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and put it into a bowl. Add the sauce and the carmelized onions and mushrooms and another 1/2 cup of mozzarella and stir it up. Put it in a baking dish, top it with more mozzarella cheese and layer the top with the bread crumbs.\
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the bread crumbs aren't burning.
*Another sidenote: I also added grilled chicken to the pasta. I just grilled some chicken and cut it up into bite-size pieces and added it with the sauce and onion/mushroom mixture.
I got rave reviews on this dish from both Wade and our friends we had over for NYE. It really wasn't that hard to create either, as long as you leave enough time to not rush the onions and mushrooms. Maybe not the healthiest dish, but for special occasions, it was perfect.
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