And because we live in the woods, our yard is FILLED with leaves that need Mr. KK's attention on the weekends (since it's pitch dark at 5pm now…GRRR).
This weekend, however, Saturday was family day – all day long!
It started bright and early with breakfast at a little place down the road.
Max was well-behaved as usual.
After breakfast we headed out to a few car dealerships. Now that we have Max, and with the winter weather upon us, I need a larger vehicle with all wheel drive. For the record, I HATE car shopping. (But that's another post, for another day.)
To keep the spirit of family time alive, all three of us ventured out to Stop & Shop to grocery shop. I was finally able to introduce Max to my other Happy Place! Unfortunately it was the most crowded time to shop, but Max seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. He even got his own cart.
Saturday night was Date Night, as usual!
But it was extra special because we got to enjoy the homemade macaroni Max and I made on Thursday!
I also made a sauce we both LOVE, but haven't had in a while. It's from one of my cookbooks from when we lived in Boston (which feels like a century ago!). It's so easy to make and it tastes fantastic!
Date Night Pasta with Sausage and Pancetta
Serves 4 (if you're lucky!)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 ounces loose ground sausage (NOTE: to me, 4 ounces isn't enough, so I use 8 ounces)
4 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped
14 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound pasta
5 Tbsp. heavy cream (NOTE: I use light cream and it's equally delicious)
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper (NOTE: I never add salt to this recipe because the pancetta is usually salty enough to flavor the dish)
Directions:
Heat oil in medium skillet or Dutch oven. Add the garlic and fry over low heat to 1-2 minutes to flavor the oil. Remove garlic and discard it.
Add the pork and the pancetta to the flavored oil and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is brown and crumbly and pancetta is crispy.
Add the crushed tomatoes with half of the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste (or just pepper). Stir well and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions on the package. Or, in our case, cook the fresh pasta for just a few minutes until it floats.
Put the cream and the egg yolks in a warmed large bowl and mix with fork (I usually just fill a bowl with hot water for a few minutes to warm it up and then discard the water).
As soon as the pasta is done, drain it well and add it to the bowl with the cream mixture. Toss the pasta in the cream until it's well coated. Pour the sausage and pancetta sauce over the pasta and toss again.
Serve immediately with remaining parsley.
And because I'm a cheese whore, I absolutely put grated Parmesan cheese on top.
To ensure a good night's sleep for all, Max had a late-night bath (during which he screams like a champ and wears himself out) and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a nice bottle of red wine.
Cheers!
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