Deliciousness......

I'm a fan of most of Pioneer Woman's, aka Ree Drummond, recipes. I like that she is not ashamed of her love for butter, cream, bacon and it's grease and all things yummy. Most of her recipes are easy and inexpensive to make. About a month ago, I tried the Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce and Gary and I really loved it. A few weeks ago, I needed something quick for dinner and I had most of the ingredients, but not all of them...so what did I do? I improvised and had really great results! Below is my adaptation of The Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Tomato Blue Cheese Sauce. I will also include her recipe as well. Both are delicious - hers is a little lighter than mine. You can serve them both with a salad and bread and you have a complete meal in no time!


Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

1 lb Pasta (Angel Hair or Spaghetti; I normally have one or the other on hand)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Small Yellow Onion, minced
1 28 oz Can Diced Tomatoes, drained and juice reserved
Dash of Sugar
Salt,Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes to Taste
5 oz Crumbled Blue Cheese
3 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Cups Arugula
Half and Half, for thinning

Get a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, add a generous amount of salt to the water to help season the pasta. Cook until al dente, drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid should your pasta get a little sticky - you can always add the liquid to the pasta to un-stick it! In the meantime, heat a large skillet and add the olive oil. Once it's hot, add the onion and garlic and cook it for a few minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and then stir in the blue cheese. Once it's melted, add the ricotta cheese and the cream. Stir until all of the cheese is melted and everything is combined. If the sauce is too thick, you can use the reserved tomato juice or half and half (or both!) to thin it out. Cook until everything is blended and heated through and check for seasonings. At this point, you can either add the arugula and wilt it prior to serving, or you can top the spaghetti with the arugula for garnish. Enjoy!



Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Tomato Blue Cheese Sauce

1 1/2 lbs Pasta (Angel Hair Or Thin Spaghetti)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole 28-ounce Can Diced Tomatoes, Drained
Dash Of Sugar
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, To Taste
¾ cups Crumbled Blue Cheese
¾ cups Heavy Cream
4 cups Baby Spinach
Half-and-Half, for thinning
Extra Blue Cheese Crumbles, For Garnish

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add minced garlic and cook for a minute. Pour in drained tomatoes. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in crumbled blue cheese. Add cream and stir, then a little splash of half-and-half if sauce is too thick. Cook for a minute or two, tasting and adding more seasonings as needed.

At the very, very, very last minute. toss in spinach. Immediately toss in the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately!


I also have two really great fish recipes. I had this beautiful walnut crusted salmon dish in mind but it didn't turn out exactly as planned. Here's what I did instead and I must say it was fabulous!

Cadillac Cowgirl Walnut Salmon Salad

2 6-8 oz Salmon filets
3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 Tbsp Dark Sesame Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (get the small walnut pieces), plus more for salad if desired
Olive oil to drizzle on baking sheet
Salad Mix (I like to use the Spring/Baby Spinach Mix)
Cherry Tomatoes
Chopped Cucumber
Chopped Red Onion
Goat Cheese Crumbles
Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Whisk together and spread evenly over both pieces of fish. Press equal amounts of the chopped walnuts on each piece of fish. Place the fish on a baking dish drizzled with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until the Salmon is done to your preference. If you want the walnuts a little toastier, turn the broiler on and let them go for a few minutes - but watch them so that the walnuts don't burn...like mine did...while I was trying to cook them in a skillet :) Aren't you glad I rehearse before I give you recipes?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

While the Salmon is cooking, prepare your salad. When the fish is finished, you can either lay each piece of salmon next to the salad and drizzle the salad only with the dressing; or you can remove the salmon from the skin and put big chunks of fish on each salad and drizzle all of it with the dressing. You can also garnish it with more chopped walnuts as well!

Cadillac Cowgirl Pan Seared Yellow fin Tuna

2 Yellow fin Tuna Filets (they're all normally pre-cut the same size)
4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and taste for seasoning. You may want to add a little more of the mustard, oil, or soy sauce for your own personal tastes. Once you get the mixture just right, pour the marinade over the tuna steaks and allow to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the tuna and sear on each side 2-3 minutes. Tuna steaks are typically served rare or medium rare. You can certainly cook them until they're done, but it may affect the taste and quality of the tuna steak. Once they are cooked to your liking, remove from the skillet and serve along side a salad or steamed veggies.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Paige starts swim lessons Monday! She's entered a new phase of her life, one that doesn't involve clothes or underwear. Yes, you heard me correctly, my child wants to be naked 24/7. All of you child-less Male and Female Ho's out there listen up: What you do prior to having children will come back and haunt you once you've had them. Just ask my husband. He's paying for the foolish and manwhore years of his youth :o)

Kelly