Blue Cheese Pasta Sauce (Warning: Highly Addictive)

 Look. What. We. Got.

A pasta maker! YES

Our friends Marcella and Chris sent us a box of goodies a few weeks ago, and what was inside but this very cool device for rolling out linguine and spaghetti, and a stand to dry the pasta on.

Thanks, guys. High-fives.

 The pasta maker has two functions. First, after your dough is ready to flatten, you can roll it through the machine while turning the hand crank and out it comes, as flat as you want. The knob shown above has seven thickness settings for rolling out your dough. I found with my whole wheat dough, that I had to make it a bit on the thick side (5) so that it wouldn't fall apart.

After you have all of your dough rolled out and have let it dry out for 10 or 15 minutes, you can put the linguine/spaghetti attachment onto the machine and get to work.

 As you can see, I split my dough up between linguine and spaghetti pretty evenly. All you do is run the flattened sheets of dough back through the attachment while turning the crank and it cuts the dough for you.

Totally. Awesome.

Mr. Pfeiffer eagerly awaiting any dropped pasta shrapnel.

Just like before, you want to lay your wet pasta out to dry overnight so that it will keep.

 Blue Cheese Pasta Sauce

• 2 T EVOO
• 2 C. chopped tomatoes
• Half an onion, chopped
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 C mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 C crumbled blue cheese
• 3 or 4 handfuls of fresh spinach
• red pepper flakes (I use 2 T, for alot of kick)

1. In a skillet, saute up the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender
2. add mushrooms, saute until tender
3. add tomatoes, bring to a simmer
4. add blue cheese, stir until melted
5. add pepper flakes, lemon juice, pinch of sugar and salt
6. just before serving, add spinach and mix gently until barely wilted (3-4 minutes)
7. serve over some home made pasta!

 Optional

• 2 T lemon juice
• salt
• basil or whatever spices you love

 Dont' be jealous of my new rooster dish cloth.

YUM-OH