I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and spent it with full tummies surrounded by some amazing company! Our Christmas was busy this year but we still had a very busy week! Needless to say, boxing day turned out to be quite quiet and dinner was really an idea on the back burner.... We had TONS of leftovers but after having it for breakfast and lunch (who can really say no to grandma's cooking at 7am... even if it is shrimp and lobster?!?!?), I didn't want any more.
So naturally, in my 'nerd-dom' on this quiet night, I decided to categorize my bookmarked recipes and came across the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Penne Alla Vodka. Firstly, if you don't know who Ree Drummond: the Pioneer Woman is, I am so sorry! She is an all around GODDESS! She cooks, she is an amazing photographer, a fantastic Mum and all around goddess! Discover her blog, enjoy her blog and follow every word as if it were gospel! She's humorous in her writing and I think that's what makes me adore her and her blog! Anyways! Ree's recipe for Penna Alla Vodka inspired me to whip up a quick batch for those of us who hadn't had dinner tonight... Can I tell you that I am so glad that I did it?!?!?
The recipe is really straight forward and I will apologize now for not having taken step-by-step photos like Ree does (and as I typically do). Pretty much heat some butter and olive oil in a pan set to medium high heat. Add a whole medium sized onion (diced) and a few cloves of garlic (I used 4 because I'm a saucy gal like that!). Let the garlic and onion soften and then add in 3/4 cup of vodka (we had Absolut on hand, but use what you have). Let the vodka reduce for a few minutes. Add one can of crushed tomatoes (I used a can of whole tomatoes that I pulverized with my emulsion blender) and a can of tomato paste. Keep stirring until it's all combined. I added some dried basil and oregano (about a teaspoon of each), some Spicy Pepper Medley and a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Now comes the fun part... Add some 35% whipping cream... I added about 3/4 of a cup. Mix and let it all simmer to deliciousness for about 5 minutes. Add your cooked penne (and in my case, some cooked chicken) and stir!
In the end, you should end up with something that looks like this :)
And voila! Delicious and quick and easy and wonderful!
Happy Monday!
tamara
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