Dog, bebe, and dinner

Max is officially over his Fred Flinstone phase and is back to normal. Of course, back to normal for him is an effervescent hyperness that is endearing only after he's come back from the brink of death. That dog has spunk, I tell you, and is more like a cat with nine lives when you consider the trials and tribulations he's encountered - and survived - in his relatively short time on earth.

Baby seems to be doing well, too. I had my 32 week appointment yesterday and le bebe had a heart rate in the 140s (phew... I always get nervous) and my blood pressure was "excellent" at 110/60. The doctor did confirm my continued observations, however, and that is that I have the strangest looking bump ever: long, oval and totally flat down the front. In terms of keyboard keys, it looks more like this ] instead of this )

Last night was "new recipe" night at our house and, thanks to Giada De Laurentiis and her book, "Everyday Pasta," we had a scrumdiddlyumptious meal (don't be fooled, "new recipe" night is not a regular occurrence at our house. I just so happened to be get inspired) . Well, I thought it was scrumdiddlyumptious. The husband contingent liked it well enough, with the exception of the artichoke hearts. Never mind him, though, since he's a veggie-phobe. And, after nearly 4 years of marriage, I've finally stopped taking offense to him picking vegetables out of dishes that I lovingly prepare and flicking them off to the side in disgust.

If only I could eat Giada's recipes every night and look like her, because her food is delicious. Unfortunately, I would look less like a petite, beautiful Italian woman and more like this:



But I digress. The recipe was fantastic and enough to feed Jon and Kate plus 8 with no problem whatsoever. I will make it again, with a few modifications (namely substituting the frozen artichoke hearts for canned so that I can cut them into smaller pieces with the hope of tricking the husband into eating at least one). Clearly when I make this again, I will be cutting the ingredients down to at least half...

Rigatoni with Sausage, Artichokes, and Asparagus
3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1 pound of hot Italian sausage, casings removed (* I used mild Italian sausage and it was good)
2 (8-ounce) packages of frozen artichoke hearts
1 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
12 ounces rigatoni or other tubular pasta
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil reserved from the tomatoes in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up meat into bite-sized pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes, asparagus, and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender but firm, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

(Recipe from Everyday Pasta. Copyright 2007 by Giada De Laurentiis) Thanks, Giada!