Not Exactly Alfredo Sauce, But Just As Good

I love cheese. There's no surprise there. I also love Alfredo sauce, but sometimes it needs a little kick. I found this sauce was just the thing - Gorgonzola Sauce.

Here's what you need:

your favorite cooked pasta (I used linguine)

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups whipping/heavy cream

1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth (I used some left over white zin.)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (2 ounces)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Here's what you do:

1. Cook the pasta to your liking.


2. While it is cooking, melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat (I had to use low because I have a gas stove). After it is melted, add the garlic and stir until it has a golden hue.


3. Stir in the whipping cream, wine, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken and then reduce the heat.


4. Stir in the cheese and cook until it is melted.


5. Toss the pasta and the sauce together.


6. Top with walnuts and any extra cheese if you please.

The sauce has a good taste to it and is not as bland as some Alfredo sauces can be. I served this with small bruschette rounds and Wegmans' store made bruschette.

Enjoy!

Better Than Take-Out

I love Chinese take-out just as much as the next person, but it gets a little expensive after a while. So I decided to make my own. I got all of my ingredients at Wegmans and I used my wok I got for my wedding shower (almost three years ago). The wok was actually the inspiration for this, because I felt so bad for not using it and it seemed to call me everytime I went into the pantry. So I got it out, oiled it up, and started cooking.

Here's what you need:

1 lb. beef sirloin strips, 3 tbsp water, 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch

1 diced red peper, stir fry veggies (onions, snow peas, baby corn, carrots, etc. I used a package Wegmans had ready so I didn't have to do the cutting and washing)

1 tbsp peeled and chopped garlic, 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger root (this also comes in a paste and can be located in the aisle that contains the prechopped garlic)

1 tbsp veggie oil, 1/2 cup stir fry sauce (or 1/4 cup soy sauce)

Here's what you do:

1. Steam the veggies for 3 - 5 minutes until they're tender and bright. (I used a big boiling pot with a steamer basked. After the veggies were steamed, I removed the basket and then put a bag of rice into the boiling water now flavored with the veggies)



2. Place the beef in a small bowl with the water and the cornstarch. Coat the beef in the cornstarch.



3. Cover the pan with the oil and heat on high until it sizzles and smokes a little bit (you may want to wear an apron and open a window. I'm just saying.).


4. Stir fry the beef, ginger, and garlic for about 5 minutes (or about medium rare).


5. Add the veggies and stir fry for another minute or two (or until your meat is cooked to your liking).


6. Add the stir fry sauce and stir until headed through.

I served with cooked brown rice.

Enjoy!

A New Way to Personalize Tacos

If you know me, you know I love to cook and take pictures. If you know my family, you know we love our "Personal Taco Parties." I found a way to combine all three things.

For dinner, I made a variation of Rachael Ray's Taco Pasta Toss. And thanks to my neighborhood Wegman's grocery store, it came out great.

First, I made the salsa. The original recipe called for chopped tomatoes and jalapenos and and only using part of an onion. We love salsa, so I made some quick salsa. Using an onion chopper (the kind you place the onion on the blade and push down on the arm), I chopped the onion (I saved some for the beef), two small plum tomatoes, and a clove of garlic. I mixed everything together in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and some freeze dried cilantro (it's just as tasty as fresh, and I can use it whenever I want).

Then I started cooking the penne pasta. I used half a box for two people.

I browned a pound of lean, ground beef and three-quarters of the onion in a skillet. I also used a packet of taco seasoning. The original recipe calls for chili powder, coriander, and cumin. I used the seasoning because it won price wise in comparison to buying the coriander (I had the other two ingredients).

After everything was browned, I added a small can of tomato paste and a bottle of Corona. I stirred it all together and let it bubble and the sauce reduce and thicken, about 10 minutes. You should stir pretty often, or it will all stick to the bottom.

I put the cooked and drained pasta on a plate, added the meat (sooooo

good, I could just eat it plain) and then topped with shredded lettuce (already shredded and in

the perfect portion for two thanks to Wegman's), cheddar cheese, and the salsa. I also added a bit of sour cream for a little creaminess.

It was to die for.

So if you want to try it like I made it - here's what you'll need:

Pasta

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 large onion

1 small can of tomato paste

2 plum tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

cilantro

1 bottle of beer or a cup of stock

shredded cheddar cheese

shredded lettuce

sour cream

A Guy with Fashion Sense!

Spring fever is upon NEPA with the celebration of Pi day (that's 3/14 for you non-math people; also notice I am not referencing that other celebration for various other reasons) and aside from the deluge of rain in the past 48 hours, the weather is looking up. Almost all of the snow February brought us is gone and birds are chirping. I've been wearing flip flops around the house and opening the windows at work. Renewal is here!!!!

That being said, I will reference a point I made in my May 13, 2009 blog post with a funny story. The point is - a bikini top is not a substitute for a bra. Here's the story:

I was shopping Friday afternoon and stopped in aerie (it's American Eagle's answer to Victoria Secret) to look at yoga pants. As I am looking through the merchandise, I realize how very small it is, even the larges and extra larges look like kids clothes. So I begin to walk out figuring nothing is going to fit me in there when I see an interesting sight. A woman (I'm going to guess in her late twenties/early thirties) is looking at the bikini tops which I think are too small for a Cabbage Patch doll. As she's looking through them, her male companion asks her what is she doing looking through the bathing suits; it's too early to buy them. She responds: "I'm looking to buy only the top so I don't have to wear a bra under my tank top." He responds: "That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard. A bathing suit isn't underwear, it's a bathing suit. And these look heavier than your bras so wouldn't you be hotter in a bathing suit? That's the most stupid idea I've ever heard."

You go guy! Tell her that a bathing suit is not underwear. And if he understood this (and he was wearing a striped rugby shirt and patchwork plaid shorts) then she should of.

She stomped out of the store and said something to the extent of he wouldn't understand.

Um, yeah, he does sweetie.

The Best Valentine's Day Present Ever!!!!

In his never ending mission to keep me happy, Brian has found the best Valentine's Day present ever: Crystal Cream Soda!!!!

If you're interested, Price Chopper in Taylor is selling Birchola, Orange, and Cream soda by Crystal Soda for $0.99 for a 20oz. bottle. It's expensive, I know (you used to be able to get 6 cans for $2.00 at Gerrity's) but it's worth it.

Nothing says love like Crystal Club soda.

The Great Game of Cat and Mouse

So.

December was an exciting month. There were parties, and relatives visiting/to visit, and presents to wrap and open, and lots of food. But the biggest excitement was what went on in our house.

Mr. Peanut caught three mice.

Mouse #1 was cornered in the room where Brian and I keep some of our clothes and our shoes. Mr. Peanut successfully trapped the mouse in a shoe and Brian set it free. Exciting, but not really.

Mouse #2 was left at the bottom of the staircase for me to discover at 6:30 A.M. Needless to say, I ran, barefoot, screaming up the stairs. Brian took care of this mouse (time of death is still undetermined, but cause of death was pretty obvious) and Mr. Peanut sat and waited for me outside of the shower for me to praise him for his job well done. Exciting and gross and I'm still getting shivers.

Mouse #3 was discovered a few days after Mouse #2. Mr. Peanut was carefully guarding a stack of DVDs while I made breakfast and Brian and I discussed what decorations to put on the Christmas tree and who would shovel the snow and what mass to go to. Kitty lunged, the mouse went running across the house, and I jumped on to a kitchen chair screaming. Mr. Peanut caught the mouse, was walking toward me with it in his mouth and Brian accidentally bumped him. Peanut dropped the mouse and it went to hide in the living room. As I'm having a stroke I somehow manage to pull myself together to go on with my day.

Later that afternoon, I begin to decorate the tree, vaguely aware of the presence of a mouse in the room I'm in. Mr. Peanut's sitting pretty keeping an eye on things when all of a sudden I feel something bump my foot not once, not twice, but three times. The screaming (me), the chasing (kitten), and the laughing (Brian) begin.

We went to bed, me very tired from being attacked by the mouse, and prayed for nature to take its course over night. And sure enough it did. Mr. Peanut caught Mouse #3 the Monday before Christmas right by our tree. Thankfully, Brian took care of it so I didn't have to see it.

However, I'm still freaked out when the cat sits and stares at the same place for too long.