Hi y'all. Since cooking is one of the skills in the arsenal of a RPW, I thought I'd share one of my (and his) favorite recipes. It's a great one to break out when you are showing off your skills to a worthy man. It's also one of my "go to" recipes for company and no one has ever not liked it. It is warm, homey and entirely un-diet friendly. I hope you like it.

Rigatoni Vodka (non traditional)

1 box of rigatoni (cooked per the package instructions)

Chop up all the ingredients mention below so you are ready to toss them all in at the appropriate times.

Saute on medium:

  • 1/4 C of olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet)

  • 1-2 cloves of garlic (there is no such thing as too much garlic - I use 6 or 7 most of the time - practice and figure out what works for you)

  • 6 slices of prosciutto diced (this stuff is pricey - get it from the deli counter and ask them to slice it thin, don't buy the prepackaged stuff, it'll cost you more)

when the garlic and the proscuitto start to smell good, move on to the next step. Don't let the garlic turn too brown that means it's burning

Add to the skillet:

  • 6 plum tomatoes diced (chop 'em as small as you can - you can also use whole canned tomatoes diced up if fresh are hard to come by - dont' worry if they are out of season though, the vodka helps with that part)

  • salt, pepper and dried basil (a sprinkle across the skillet of each - about a teaspoon if you are a measurer)

cook this down until the tomatoes start to break down. I use a fork to smash them and speed along the process

Add:

  • 1/4 C vodka (the cheapest you can buy is fine, no use wasting the good stuff)

cook down to a paste

Add:

  • 1 1/2 C light cream (let this heat up before you add the cheese)

  • 6 oz grated mozzarella (get the kind from the dairy section, don't waste money on fresh mozzarella here, I've tried it and it's not as good)

  • 1/4 C grated pecorino romano or parmasean (DO get this from the cheese section - none of that shelf stable kraft nonsense - that's not real food!)

  • 1/8 C sharp cheese

let the cheese melt into the tomato mixture. it should melt enough to stir it without it being stringy

Pour it over the pasta and serve in bowls.

The recipe is supposed to serve 6 but that's depends on how many times your man goes back for second or thirds. I rarely have leftovers when its' just me and my husband BUT it can reasonably serve four adult people if you aren't stuffing yourselves.

Ladies who cook....what are your go to recipes to keep his stomach full?