What's for dinner?

What to make for dinner?  That’s the question I ask myself daily, usually around 4:30 pm.  I know most people already know what they are making for dinner that morning, or even a day or week ahead.  I even have a friend (you know who you are!) who plans out her meals for the month!  Not me!  While this friend is the Martha Stewart type, I am a cross between Amy Sedaris and a hobo who forages the remnants of my cupboards to find something palatable to eat.  Whether it is due to laziness, being tired, or just plain bored with drudgery, I can’t get my crap together enough to plan my meals out far in advance.  I’ve gotten pretty good at throwing things together to make a decent dinner, although sometimes it is more like the throw together meals a la Cher in Mermaids.  At the end of the day, we all get fed and no one goes to bed hungry, so I guess it’s not that bad.  

So, what did I throw together last night?  Gemelli pasta with cream sauce and asparagus.  I think it took me a 1/2 hour to make.  Mind you, this wasn’t one of those stellar throw togethers where everyone at the table is impressed.  Although, they seemed to eat it no problem and I got a compliment from the husband and the oldest - I will take what I can get.  

Let me give you an aside here:  I am a terrible recipe follower.  I eyeball amounts and make up dishes off the top of my head.  The problem is, if it came out tasting good, I have no memory to replicate it.  (note to self: write stuff down)

Here’s what I did last night in a nutshell, you can ramp the ingredients up or down accordingly.  Don’t forget to taste along the way and if something looks too thick, add more liquid to thin it out.  

3/4 Cup Mascarpone

1/2 cup half & half

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. dried cilantro

3 Tbsp. vodka (I like the graininess it gives the sauce.)

Bunch of thin asparagus, chopped into approx. 1 inch pieces

Gemelli pasta (twisted tube shapes) or any other type of pasta you want

Add mascarpone to sauce pot on medium high heat, while it is heating up, add the half&half and heavy cream.  Stir.  When small bubbles start to surface, turn down heat to medium and add the vodka.  Add the other spices and turn down to low if it is starting to bubble again.  Add more of the half and half or heavy cream if it seems too thick.  Add more salt to taste.  

On another burner, boil water for the pasta and cook until al dente as you occasionally stir the sauce.  When there are 5 minutes left for the pasta, add the asparagus to the sauce and turn up the heat so it cooks lightly.  You want bright green veggies with a crunch still left in them.  Drain the pasta when it is done and put back in the pot.  Add the sauce and toss.   I added fresh flat leaf parsley to the plates, but no biggie if you don’t have any.  Finally, serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.  Quick and edible when you have little time to spare.  

Also, I make no apologies for the the amount of butter, cream, full fat ingredients I use.  I have been known to “out-butter” Paula Deen and use more cream than Julia Child!

Cheers my Everyday Girls (and Guys), happy eating!