Penne alla Vodka and brownies

A woman at work told me she wanted to whip up something quick for dinner. Did I have any ideas? I told her she should make Penne alla Vodka, she said she didn't know how to make it. What? This woman makes the best brownies ever. Everybody at work loves her brownies. She brings them in on people's birthdays, wedding showers, baby showers. She puts silly little decorative food picks in them, umbrella, feathers...you get the idea.

Nobody knows everything but everybody knows something, and I'm not a fan of keeping recipes a big mystery. I start by heating up the water for the pasta; Hint, by the time the pasta's done, the Vodka sauce will be ready. Cook the Penne pasta according to the directions on the box.  I use Penne Rigatoni.

Some people cook sauce for hours, I'm always in a hurry and the sauce comes out great. In a deep sauce pan sautee a little garlic and oil, then add 1- 8oz can of tomato sauce, I use Hunts. 

Next is a couple of spices.   Add approximately 1 Tbsp. of Basil, 1 Tbsp. of Oregano, I use McCormick's organic. Also 1 Tbsp. of Sugar. I usually "eye" the dried herb spices, just pour it into the palm of your hand, if it looks like it could be 1 Tbsp., it’s good!

Mix it all together, then add 1 pint of heavy cream, I use Tuscan. Then add 1/8 oz. of Vodka, I use Grey Goose.  Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer on low for 10 min.  Drain the pasta, and add it to the Vodka sauce.  

That's  Penne alla Vodka.  Brownies eat your heart out.

 


Teresa
xo 

Cutsey DIY Valentine's Wreath

The holidays are over and in New York it almost seems like Spring. It's the middle of January and it's a frigid 50 degrees...burr; not!

 

It's so nice outside, and my mind is racing.  I'm thinking...Spring Celebration.   Flowers, baskets, lillies, violets, pinks, yellows and everything else Spring.  I know this sounds crazy, but this is coming from the same person that decorated for Christmas the week before Thanksgiving. 

 

My front door seemed lonely.  I thought a nice transition into spring would be a Valentine's Wreath. 

What do I do?  Go to Michaels.  I'm not much into the adorable, cutsey, crafty stuff, but when I got to Michaels I saw so many adorable, cutsey things.  I was completely overwhelmed with all the spring colors, the flowers, wreaths, candles, and whimsical  chachkas.  Exactly what I was trying to avoid.

If you're wondering why I tend to stay away from cute and everything "cutsey", I think it goes way back to when I was a teenager.  I was the girl that was "cute",   not..."pretty", not..."hot", and not..."sexy",  but ...cute! I hated it.  I guess those were my shallow years.  If you call me cute now, I'll bake you cookies.  Ok, enough about that...that's another post. 

 

At Michael's I decided to do a crafty, cutsey wreath with a twist, to add a little funk.  I strayed from the ordinary and found a thin rectangular wood frame, light enough to hang on the door.  It has so much detail, rectangular shaped and unexpected...perfect!  I got a pink floral heart wreath, smaller in size to fit inside the frame, and a black bow. I love pink and black.

On the way to cash out at Michael's, I passed an isle filled with whimsical letters, in  all different shapes and  sizes.  I figured I'd go all out on the "cutsey" theme and decided to personalize my wreath with the letter "F".    

 

And then, there it was...
My  crafty and yes! cutsey DIY Valentine's Wreath. 

xo
Teresa

Personalized wooden frame, framing a floral heart wreath , toped off with a bow 

Thin rectangular frame from Michaels

 

 

   Krylon spraypaint in  satin beige

 

 

Flower Heart Wreath

Black Satin Bow for top of wreath

 

 

 

Letter "F" to personalize 

Hot Glued letter "F" to bottom corner of frame

 

Cutsey DIY Valentine's Wreath 

xo