Pasta Pie

This week Cece has been in town and I knew our wallets and/or waistlines would not appreciate us eating out every meal.  So it sounded like a great time to try this recipe especially since I had all the ingredients and seemed pretty easy. I found it on a vegan website and decided to spare Tim and Cece.  So I modified it by using dairy cheese instead of soy.  Despite  a  setback or too, it was simple and tasty!  I believe Tim's words were "Noodles and cheese are the best inventions ever!"

You will need:
Marinara sauce:as much as you prefer.  I had homemade red sauce that I had previously made but you could certainly use your favorite store brand.
And, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Tomatoes
Cook a pound of Rigatoni per instructions. Preheat your oven to 350. Also, you may want to have more than one box of rigatoni.  As you can see from the pictures below, I was about 10 rigatoni or so short of filling the spring form pan.   Since I did not have any additional noodles to cook and fill the space, I resorted to placing a piece of sourdough in the pan to fill the hole.

 Start stacking. This I will admit tested my patience but I am sure it is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it. In the spring form pan, stack each noodle upright. Any noodles I had that were exceptionally long, I trimmed with kitchen scissors.

Next, ladle on your marinara sauce. Spread the sauce around carefully, and try your best to fill all the individual rigatoni tubes with sauce.

Shred cheese and spread evenly over the top. I used a combination of mozzarella and Parmesan.  I tore cut the mozzarella and placed over the red sauce.  Then I sprinkled the Parmesan on top.

 I covered the pie with a dash of fresh parsley and placed on a baking sheet to place in the oven.

 Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the cheese has reached your desired level of golden.

Unlatch and remove the side of the spring form pan.

Bonus add some sliced tomatoes on top.  I was able to get cherry tomatoes from the garden that added an extra layer of freshness.  I highly suggest trying this recipe.  It looks somewhat impressive but the hardest part is stacking noodles!  Perfect for a busy night when you are not in the mood for going out to eat.  Enjoy!

Vulcan 10K

I have been very behind in my blogging  due to dealing with migraines almost daily since Labor Day.  But I can FINALLY report that I am much better and feeling closer to 100% each day! So I am attempting to  catch up a few posts of what we have been up to.  November 6 Tim had his first 10K.  He is training to run the Merecedes Half Marathon so this was one more step towards his goal.  I think that Saturday has been the coldest morning we have had this fall.  But they did not let the cool air get in the way! See pics below of before, during( there's not much to do in that part of downtown Birmingham by yourself @ 8:oo am.  So I walked and took a few photos.  And the best part, the after shots!)

Finished first 10K and an Auburn win makes for a good day!

Thanksgiving Decor Inspiration

In honor of Thanksgiving Day being a week a way, I thought I would post a few pics to inspire your decor and/or table!

I hope everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends this Thanksgiving!  Enjoy!

GUMBO!!

Gumbo

1/2 cup vegetable Oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Cup stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tbsp salt
5 Bay leaves
Garlic Powder

4-5 C shrimp stock

3 C water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco Sauce (as desired)
1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 can tomatoes drained & chopped (I just had 16oz of tomatoes that I had canned tha I added)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups fresh white fish, cooked and diced
2 lbs crabmeat, flaked
2 lbs medium shrimp
2 lbs scallops
1 lb okra
1 tsp brown sugar
1 lemon juiced
File powder

Make roux, heat oil in heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add flour slowly, stirring constantly, 30 to 40 minutes until medium brown. Add celery and next 3 ingredients. Cook 45 minutes, stirring often. Add broth, water, worcestershire, Tabasco, tomato sauce, tomatos and all seasonings. Simmer 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. 30 minutes before serving, add okra, seafood, brown sugar and lemon juice to soup mixture. Sprinkle with File powder if you want to thinken before serving. Serve with rice. Freezes well. Enjoy!