4 - I'll take 'The Special' ~

Sorry about the long time with out post-idge I've been rather busy and on top of everything done a couple 400 mile drives up and down the coast and spending a lot of time away from my apartment... It's nice to eat out and try new foods once in a while but when you're doing it too often you miss cooking for yourself! So yes, I've been around a bit and got a lot more ideas for recipes to try!!

Tonight's dish is the one dish that easily was prepared the most in the year 2009 by my roommate and myself in our new apartment, so what better way to start 2010 than by preparing this delicious dish in your home!



So it's called 'The Kos-Pee (cos-peh) Special' through the combination of my roommate's and my names, because it's the first dish we made together in our new apartment and it was kind of an accident, it really just came into being by both of us bringing our different cooking skills and knowledge(s?) together and going "ooh how about we add this!" haha and as you should know all the best things are the result of accidents!



Okay so the main ingredients you're gonna need are:
-1 whole yellow Onion
-2 Tbsp of Garlic
-1 Jar of Alfredo Pasta Sauce
-1 Package of Linguine Pasta Noodles
-8 oz (1 Package) of fresh Mushrooms (I prefer the precut, saves you time and it doesn't usually cost anymore)
-16 oz of mixed frozen vegetables (from the freezer isle of your supermarket)




First put a pan on medium-high heat and cut the whole onion into 'forkable' sized pieces, add some olive oil to the pan and then throw the onion in stirring occasionally just so it doesn't burn. You want to wait till the onions turn to almost a clear transparent state and then throw in your two table spoons of chopped garlic in (oh boy now it smells delish eh?)This right here is a very basic start that I often use in many of my recipes, so if you follow this blog you might see me start quite a few recipes this way...



Next you add the cut mushrooms in and once again stir occasionally. You want the mushrooms to get kind of a soft feel and let them get to a neutral gray or tan-ish color. About this time I like to add some spices and this I think is all up to you! I often add some parsley, oregano, thyme and (a bit of) salt & (a ton of) pepper to taste! About this time you're also going to want to fill a medium/large sized pan half-full with water and bring it to a boil for the noodles.



Next you add your frozen veggies! Keep stirring occasionally and let the whole mess cook for a while and just defrosts to the point where it just soaks together and just smells delicious!



Once your other pan comes to a boil you can turn down the heat a bit and add the entire package of dry noodles. You can add a couple pinches of salt here to make sure the pasta all cooks evenly and some olive oil to the water too for flavor and so that the noodles don't stick!



Back over to the first pan, once your veggies have all defrosted you can finally add the sauce! Let that just all cook together for a bit (I usually add some more pepper/spices here) while you're waiting for the noodles to cook.




The noodles should take 10-15 minutes depending on how hot of a temp you're cooking at. I've done this so much I just gauge when it's done by how it looks... but you can always taste test a single noodle to see how it is or the old Boyscout method is to throw a noodle against the wall... and if it sticks then its ready!



All you gotta do now is strain the noodles under cold water give the noodles a few flips and flops then throw them back in the pan and you're all set! To serve add some noodles to a bowl and then pour your vegetable sauce over the top and then mix it all together with a fork and you're good to go! Invite friends over or just impress yourself with your new found ability to prepare a quick and easy (and delicious!) meal!! Serves 4-6, enjoy!