Penne with Vodka Sauce and Spaghetti Bolognese

Uuuhhhhh.....YUM!!!! I sort of outdid myself last night! We went to Sambuca Saturday night for Tyler's birthday dinner, then we had Part II last night. He requested Italian food...so I made good on his request! Sambuca was it's usual deliciousness - we were just beatdown by the VERY loud band and the off key lead singer. That small issue aside, we had a great dinner. We started out with Calamari, Seared Tuna and Buca Balls....those delicious baby mozzarella balls that have prosciutto and jalapeno wrapped around them and then they're breaded and fried. Mmmmmm...Heaven!!!! Gary, Tyler and I had the filet, Zoe had the Chicken Parmesan, Dani had the Shrimp and Crab Linguine and Paige had whatever we were having :o)!! Seriously, she had eaten beforehand, so she ate some of my steak, some of Zoe's dinner and shared a brownie dessert with Sissy as well. The girls were both very, very good! Gary and I ordered a bottle of Sanctuary Cabernet and it was affordable and very, very good! I will be on the look out for it next time I hit Central Market for wine. Sambuca did not have cheesecake, so we made sure it was on the menu for Bubba's dinner last night.

Both of the pasta dishes I made last night were very easy and didn't take up a lot of time. I also loved how easily I could change some of the ingredients to fit whatever I had on hand or what sounded good that particular evening. For example, instead of ground beef in the Bolognese - use ground turkey. For the Penne with Vodka Sauce, you can add chicken to it, or keep it meatless. I'm trying to purge my freezer and had turkey meatballs on hand, so they went in the dish last night. Now, you could take the meat out of the Bolognese entirely....and then it would obviously no longer be Bolognese, BUT....you'd have a great Marinara sauce. And the best part - it was all ready in an hour. These are perfect for weeknights. You can even make the Bolognese sauce a few days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to use....or you can freeze it. You could even use it as your sauce for cheese lasagna. See what I mean? See what losing weight does to me? I DREAM CONSTANTLY about food or I'm making it for others to eat!! Okay - now to the good stuff - the recipes!!

Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce

1 lb Spaghetti, cooked to al dente
1 lb ground beef
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 stalk of celery, minced as finely as humanly possible
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
Fresh Basil and Parsley, a handful of each, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large covered skillet, begin browning your meat. Once you've started to break it up and it's beginning to cook through, add your onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Continue to cook over medium heat until the onion begins to turn translucent. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and pepper; stir to combine, cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Remove cover, add the Parmesan and let it continue simmering so that it will thicken up, about 10 more minutes. Check for seasonings, adjust to taste and serve over hot spaghetti.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

1 lb Penne pasta, cooked to al dente
2 25 oz jars spaghetti sauce (I used Emeril's Homestyle Marinara...other options would be any Bertolli or Barilla sauce)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup Vodka
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large saucepan, bring the vodka and 1 1/2 jars of the spaghetti sauce to a boil; cover and turn the heat down to medium low and allow it to simmer for 25 minutes. Uncover and add the whipping cream, Parmesan, basil, salt and pepper. Stir together, cover and allow to cook for 15 more minutes over low heat. Check for seasonings and if the Vodka sauce is a little too spicy, add some of the remaining spaghetti sauce 1/4 cup at a time to adjust the flavor to your tastes. Serve over penne pasta, or even rigatoni if that's what you have on hand. This is a great meatless meal - but you can add a roasted, sliced chicken breast or turkey meatballs to it for something a little more "man"stantial if needed!

Paige even dined on the Spaghetti with Bolognese. Even though the alcohol cooks out of the Vodka, I figured she should steer clear of it just in case....LOL!! Come to think of it, maybe she got a bite, she did pass out kind of early last night....hhhmmm.....

When I wasn't eating or cooking this weekend, I was up at the MB's store helping out. I'm not a demo woman, so I wasn't much help when they yanked the ceiling out Saturday. Zoe and I taped off areas and did a little spray painting, but other than that, I'm sort of useless. I'm who you bring in for the cleaning, staging and decorating. I'm not afraid to say it out loud - I'm not very helpful. Gary knows it. I know it. And being aware of my limitations allows him to hire people to help him get the job done properly AND promptly :) When it comes to selling spices, jellies and salsa, I'm your woman. Until then, I'll help out when asked!!

I'm getting more and more excited about the store opening! I can't wait to have a Grand Opening party and most of all - only drive 10 minutes to work. YES, YES, YES!!! Seriously, though...everything is beginning to come together and take shape. This is such an awesome adventure. There are just so many outlets and opportunities and possibilities for Mild Bill's and I'm looking forward to exploring them as they present themselves to us. I know one of my goals is to get in the Go Texas/Pioneer Booth at the State Fair. That place is AWESOME!!!

OMG...Guy Fieri is at some DDD where they make Salmon BLT's. Holy Shit!!!!!!

I'm terrible at keeping secrets from my hubby, so I went ahead and disclosed our anniversary destination to him. We'll be staying at the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street and I've gotten in touch with our friend Shannon who lives in Covington. We're hoping to meet up with him Saturday. Mother's on Poydras is on our list, as is Acme Oyster Bar, Cafe Du Monde, Jackson Square and Gary wants to hit Pat O'Brien's. We're going to Arnaud's for dinner one night and I plan on hanging out in a poolside cabana and RELAXING. We're very, very excited :)

Sooo....why no more CASI Board candidates? Certainly there has to be someone, anyone, out there willing to run for the board and shake things up!!! Potential candidates have until the 15th to submit their nomination form. I also need to send in our Pod's registration and credentials. I've outdone myself on procrastinating this year. I better get my ass in gear!

Speaking of my ass in gear, I registered for this year's Turkey Trot!!! Yay!!! I'll be running the 5k race Thanksgiving morning. This heat is really screwing up my running and walking work outs. I'm not a morning person, so I run at night. It's not cooling down worth a shit at night, so it's been a little too hot to do anything. Hopefully it will cool off some next week and I'll be back in business. I guess I can go out and buy a treadmill if worst comes to worst....but I really don't like those things. Fingers crossed for a cold front!!! All I'm asking for is 98 degrees, Mother Nature. Help a Sista out!!!

Have a great evening everyone....spread some kindness and joy while you're at it!!

Kelly