Happy 4*3*2*1th Birthday, Jay!

This is a few days late, but it was Jay's birthday this week and I think it's worth mentioning that this will be the last year he gets to be a factorial.



I spent almost the whole day in the kitchen, making special birthday meals (except lunch was at 5 Guys) and Jay's favorite cake- his mom's pineapple upside-down cake. His mom so graciously emailed me the recipe and Jay said it turned out as good as hers (first thing of hers I've gotten that response to :D). Yay!


Is it just me, or does that bear sippy-cup look a bit nervous about all the fire... Perhaps he's a relative of Smokey?

Here is a little snap-shot of our yummy Rigatoni with Fontina cheese. Seriously folks, this recipe is soooooo good. I'm pretty sure my mom got it from some magazine, but it is such a winner that I think I will post it for those of you who are interested. The only tricky ingredient is the Fontina cheese. Not all grocery stores will carry it. Usually Costco has it, but they didn't this time, for some reason. I had to go to Sunflower market, but I hear Harmon's has a pretty good selection of specialty cheeses, and if you live in Salt Lake, there is a Mediterranean market on about 39th and State that has Fontina for a really great price (so my mom tells me). This recipe calls for only a pound of pasta, but we ate all ours and still have quite a bit of sauce (yessssss) so perhaps you could stretch it further with more pasta. I think next time I will try it with milk instead of cream and see how it turns out.



Rigatoni with Sausage & Fontina Sauce

1 lb Italian sausage
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use more)
1 28 oz can Italian crushed tomatoes
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 T dried basil
1 C heavy cream
½ lb Fontina cheese, grated
¼ C grated Romano cheese
2 T chopped fresh basil leaves
1 lb Rigatoni, cooked "al dente" drained
Fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter (2 or 3 oz package)

In a heavy skillet, saute the sausage in olive oil until no longer pink, crumbling as it cooks. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and basil. Cover, cook for 10 minutes. Add heavy cream and grated Fontina cheese. Stir on low until cheese is melted. Place cooked pasta on serving platter. Top with sauce, grated Romano cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and fresh basil.
Serves 8