I also cook...

Yes, can you believe I cook? Not as good as a really good friend of mine, but at least I try.

Well, it turns out that last week I took my flash card with lots of pictures in it, including Camilla's birthday party pictures to the wrong place. I actually moved the pictures from the flash card to "this particular computer", I edit them and, according to my records I moved them back to my flash card.

When I got home that night, I wanted to move the pictures again to my home computer and guess what? the pictures weren't there, after recuperating from my panic attack and  trying to spend the night not thinking about it, the next day I checked the "other computer" in hopes that I was going to find my pics, and no, they were gone. So as today, my last cakes and Cami's pics are gone! I got in contact with a "computer "guy and hopefullly by the end of this week he might be able to recover them.

Mean while, I thought I would share this yummy recipe for Vodka sauce.

Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis

Please, make your own  Tomato Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional


Directions:

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags.

FOR THE VODKA SAUCE

1 quart  of homemade Tomato Sauce or store-bought marinara sauce.

1 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound pasta, any kind you like!

DIRECTIONS:

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.


Well and since this is not my recipe, it is totally safe to try it!. It is really good.
Have a great week everyone!