From Mario Batali of Food Network’s Iron Chef, this is a recipe James made for me for my birthday. He found it in Maxim magazine under the title “Six Ingredients to Seduction” (subtitle: cook her pants off). All eye rolling aside, this was a very tasty dish and it was quite sweet of him to make me dinner. All by himself. Well, almost…I supervised.

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp hot chili flakes (or red pepper flakes)
1 lb heirloom tomatoes, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes, with all the juices
12 basil leaves, torn in half
1/2 lb spaghetti

Boil six quarts of water with 2 tbsp salt. Meanwhile, heat a 10- to 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook until garlic is golden brown, about one minute.

Dump tomatoes in saute pan and bring to a splashy boil (about five minutes). Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook one minute less than the package instructions suggest. Drain the pasta in a colander, toss into the pan with the tomato mixture, and place over medium-high heat.

Toss for 30 seconds, add basil, and toss again. Pour into a warmed salad bowl. Grate Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste, dim the lights, and serve with two forks.

This is a recipe by Rachael Ray from the show “30 Minute Meals,” and what I would consider the first thing I’ve made in the kitchen that I didn’t like. The recipe instructions seemed easy enough (see below), but I kept hitting snags along the way.

For starters, my butter/flour/milk mixture would not thicken up like Rachel said it would. Also, I’m not sure what she means by “fresh ravioli,” so I bought frozen. There wasn’t any mushroom or spinach varieties, so I tried Italian sausage. The raviolis were actually quite good, especially for frozen food.

James, my trooper of a guinea pig, ate his entire portion and said the recipe was “too bold” and “lacked flavor.” Meaning there was just too much going on with the all the cheese and the ravioli and the artichokes (which were also a little big, even after we cut them up). Also, the recipe needed much longer in the oven, probably 10 to 15 minutes, to be thoroughly warmed.

This was suppose to be a 30-minute meal. In all, it took us closer to one hour and fifteen minutes, which included having to make a replacement sauce because the first one didn’t turn out right. I couldn’t finish my dinner, partly because I was just disgusted and exhausted from the process. Fortunately, Burger King’s drive-thru is open 24/7.

Here is the recipe, as it appears on the Food Network website (if you have better luck with it, let me know):

Spinach-Artichoke Ravioli-Lasagna

1 (10-ounce) packages chopped frozen spinach
1/4 stick butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and pepper
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 packages large fresh ravioli cheese, wild mushroom or spinach stuffed varieties
2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke hearts in water, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.
Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat broiler or oven to 425 degrees F.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave for 10 minutes on high.

While spinach defrosts, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Cut butter into small pieces and melt. Whisk in flour and cook a minute or 2 then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a bubble, as it begins to thicken, drop heat to low and season it with nutmeg, salt and pepper, to your taste.

Combine ricotta cheese, a little salt and pepper, lemon zest, thyme and garlic in a bowl.

Cook pasta to al dente, 5 to 6 minutes in salted water.

Remove spinach from the microwave and wring it completely dry in a kitchen towel. Open the towel and separate the spinach with your fingers. Pile up the sliced artichokes on your cutting board.

Drain pasta well. Ladle just enough white sauce in the bottom of a lasagna dish to lightly coat it. Top with 1/3 of the pasta. Top the pasta with a layer of half of the ricotta cheese dotted with half of the spinach and artichokes. Thinly cover the veggies with more white sauce then top liberally with grated cheese. Repeat these layers then top your lasagna with the remaining 1/3 of the cooked ravioli, the last of the white sauce and some grated cheese.

Place under hot broiler or into a preheated 425 degree F oven until sauce browns and bubbles, 3 minutes

My favorite meal, hands down, from childhood. This is a wonderful dish and so easy to make.

3 1/2 to 4 lb boneless beef bottom round roast OR beef chuck pot roast
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
6 large golden potatoes, peeled and halved
6-8 medium carrots, peeled
onions and mushrooms, as desired

In a large dutch oven, empty soup and fill the can over half-way with water and add to pot. Stir well. Add roast, flipping to coat both sides. Heat at 350F for 2 to 2 and a half hours.

Add potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms. If the roast is very large or a lot of veggies are added, pour another can of cream of mushroom soup and water on top of roast. Cook an additional 1 and a half to 2 hours, until everything is tender. Serve with warm biscuits and milk.

Here is a meal menu for a good, home-style dinner:

Main dish: Crispy Garlic Chicken (see October 26th entry)
Starch: Garlic Mashed Potatoes (see October 27th entry)
Veggies: Seasoned Green Beans & Mushrooms (see below)
Side: Flaky biscuits (courtesy of Pillsbury)
Drink: Milk

Seasoned Green Beans & Mushrooms:

From Taste of Home’s magazine “Simple & Delicious”

1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tbsp butter

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients and set aside. In a large skillet, saute green beans and mushrooms in butter until almost tender. Add seasoned mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until veggies are nice and tender. Voila!