Vodka Sauce & Pasta

You, too, can make homemade pasta sauce! How, you ask? Easy! Just follow this super simple & fast Vodka Sauce recipe - people will love you forever!

As an aside, I have no recollection of where I got this recipe, so I don't know who to credit. Sorry!

Vodka Sauce & Pasta

Ingredients:
1 box pasta (penne, mostaccioli or rigatoni work best)
2 15oz. cans of Hunt's Tomato Sauce
2T minced garlic
1/3 C vodka (I use Absolut, but you can use any kind)
2/3 C heavy cream
1T dried parsley
Salt
Red pepper flakes
Parmesan (to serve)

Assembly:
Put the water on to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, in a different pot, heat some olive oil. Fry the garlic on high heat until it is golden brown.

While stirring the garlic, reduce the heat a bit and pour in the tomato sauce, a large pinch of salt & some liberal shakes of red pepper flakes. (I made the mistake once of putting in TOO MUCH red pepper...don't be afraid to taste this as you go and season accordingly.)

Let the sauce come to a bit of a simmer, and then add the vodka. Reduce the heat until the water for the pasta is ready.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. About two minutes before the pasta is finished, pour in the heavy cream and parsley into the tomato sauce mixture. Stir well from the bottom of the pan.

Drain the pasta. Return to the pot. Pour the cream sauce over the pasta & combine well (or, if your sauce pot was larger, pour the pasta in there...whichever). Keep the heat on low and stir another few minutes until the sauce thickens up and clings to the pasta more.

Serve in bowls and top with parmesan.

I've made this with turkey meatballs, and it's super good. It's good by itself. It freezes pretty well. You can't go wrong! It's really yummy.


And, I wanted to show off Ben's pasta tonight, too! I cut up a few noodles for him and mixed it with some carrot puree. He loved it, and it let me use up some of the purees I have in the freezer for him.

Ben's "Vodka Sauce & Pasta" - Pasta and Carrot Puree

Buying & Eating Organic?

or⋅gan⋅ic /ɔrˈgænɪk/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [awr-gan-ik]

–adjective

noting or pertaining to a class of chemical compounds that formerly comprised only those existing in or derived from plants or animals, but that now includes all other compounds of carbon.

***

I've started making Ben's baby food - it's a lot cheaper, and it's really fun. I asked for (and received - thanks to my fab in-laws!) a Magic Bullet for Christmas. I'd heard it was a great tool to have in the kitchen, and I knew it would be a big help in blending up fruits and veggies for Ben. I've made quite a few things for him: carrots, avocado, green beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, bananas, mango (one of his new favorites), and apple juice ice cubes. (I've made him more, but I can't remember it all!) I steam or bake each fruit/veggie, then blend it & put it in ice cube trays to freeze. Once it's frozen, I put it in labeled Ziplocs for storage. It's so easy - and like I said, much cheaper than buying Gerber, Earth's Best, or any other packaged baby food out there. (And less waste, too...though I do like those cute little glass jars...)

Because of my new-found domestic goddess-ness in the baby food making department, I've started to really pay attention to where the food I'm making (for all of us) is coming from & what is being used on them. (Sidenote: I'm super excited to get to the Farmer's Market here in Madison this summer and buy some locally grown, organic items.) Unfortunately, organic items are not always the most economical option (yesterday, we saw Roundy's Organic Milk for about 3x the price of regular Roundy's Milk).

I found this great list online of items you should buy an organic version of, and items that don't need to be organic. It's a list I am planning on bringing with me next time I go to the store - to help avoid the yucky stuff, and to save money. Click on the heading of each list to read the entire article, which describes why you should buy organic of certain foods.

Top 12 Foods to Buy/Eat Organic
1. Meat
2. Milk
3. Coffee
4. Peaches
5. Apples
6. Sweet Bell Peppers
7. Celery
8. Strawberries
9. Leafy Greens
10. Grapes
11. Potatoes
12. Tomatoes

10 Foods You Don't Have to Buy/Eat Organic
1. Asparagus
2. Avocado
3. Bananas
4. Broccoli
5. Clean Cabbage
6. Kiwi
7. Mango
8. Onions
9. Papaya
10. Pineapple

Also, if you're looking for more information on homemade baby food, check out Wholesome Babyfood. This website has a lot of great information & recipes - it has been a great resource to me!

Happy (organic) eating!