Penne Alla Vodka & Tantrums

So with turning 3 I had high hopes that the tantrums were coming to an end. They just seem to be bigger, louder & more dramatic. (And they also wake up the baby, NOOOOO!)

Last night Matt was home late from work (I know, I know, I'm lucky, when I say late I mean 5, but he does go in really early). I was attempting to get dinner made with a fussy 9 month old who didn't want to nap & a grumpy 3 year old who wanted to be entertained. I handed Laurence a whisk & a mixing bowl and let him bang around. Evie of course wanted to join the fun, but she wanted some pasta to pretend to cook. With some misgivings I gave her some uncooked macaroni noodles to play with & went back to the pasta I was really cooking. Well, the next time I turned around there was pasta all over the kitchen floor. Trying to keep my frustration in check I asked Evie to put it back in her bowl. "I don't want to" she tells me with defiance. The next 30 minutes consisted of me telling her she had to pick it up & her laying on the kitchen floor saying she wouldn't.

Dinner was of course finished during this time, Matt got home & we sat down to eat, minus Evie (who was still laying on the kitchen floor). When she realized we were going to eat without her she got that pasta picked up in under a minute. Then she sat down & ate 2 huge helpings of this yummy pasta! (Of course another tantrum followed when I asked her to eat one piece of spinach... the conflict never seems to end). Anyway, enjoy the recipe, it's one of our favorites!

Penne Alla Vodka

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, reserve liquid
5 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 small onion, (1/4 C) minced
1 T tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teas red pepper flakes (leave out if you don't like a little spice)
Table Salt
1/3 C vodka
1/2 C heavy cream
1 pound penne
2 T chopped fresh basil (or 2 teas dried)

1. Puree half of tomatoes in food processor until smooth. Remove cores & dice remaining tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine tomatoes in measuring cup, add reserved liquid to equal 2 cups.
2. Heat pan over medium heat, saute bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, add onion & tomato paste, cook stirring occasionally until onions are light golden brown around edges, about 3 minutes. Add garlic & pepper flakes; cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in tomatoes & 1/2 teas. salt. Add vodka. Simmer briskly at medium high heat, 8 to 10 minutes, until alcohol is cooked off. Stir in cream and cook 1 minute.
4. Add sauce to cooked pasta in Dutch oven, toss over medium heat until pasta absorbs some sauce. Stir in basil & bacon. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

~Cooks Illustrated #83, with some variations. (let me know if you want the original recipe, the articles that go along with the recipes are very useful!)