Mananya Cooks: Stan Cooks Romantic Dinner of Bagel, Chips & Spaghetti
I'm back. Back from a whirlwind summer! What better way to go back to my regular cooking and dining out routine than have my guest star, Finance Professional, Stan The Man, tell us his spaghetti secrets. *How it all started.* For our dinner date, we decided to stay home (@jvalrose will be very disappointed to hear that!) This time, STAN WAS GOING TO MAKE DINNER FOR ME---the second time in our 16 years together. The first time, he had to be rushed to the ER because he had a knife accident while cutting tomatoes. Stan has always been a man of many options. I had the opportunity to choose from THREE menu-items! Don't you wish your man gave you so many choices? They were: 1. Cereal with milk
2. Plain Omelet
3. Spaghetti with canned tomato sauceHm. Tempting. ALL three choices. Okay, only 1 choice was tempting. Um, #3, please! So, began his adventure. His mom (Mama K) helped out, too. She gave him ALREADY COOKED sausage and red bell peppers to add to his store-bought sauce. Gawd knows if the sausage wasn't already cooked, his sauce would have been meatless. To add additional punch, I went to our community garden and picked out a handful of fresh basil for him. He was all set. He's a finance guy. All about numbers. He cooked his pasta for 9 minutes as instructed on the package. NO MORE. NO LESS. He added salt to the water to give it some flavor. He also informed me that he added bell peppers to make it sweeter. Alright folks, you heard the man. 9 mins. Add salt. Add bell peppers. His secrets. NOW, wait, what about APPETIZERS?? Not one appetizer, but TWO. We had:1. Bagel with cream cheese and a side of salt and vinegar potato chipsBless his soul. Not sure why he fed me bagels. I hate bread and bagel is my nemesis. Not to mention, salt and vinegar chips remind me of the smell of sweaty feet. But, I was a good sport. His pasta was uh-amazing and perfectly cooked. Perhaps I should start following the 9 min rule. I loved every bite. Besides, you could tell he made it with love. Pictured:1. "Mananya, is it done yet??"
2. Dinner//Bagel, Chips & Spaghetti
3. Close-up of the appetizers
4. Finely diced ingredients
5. Whoa, there! Slow down on the cheese
6. Spaghetti Kiss!
2. Plain Omelet
3. Spaghetti with canned tomato sauceHm. Tempting. ALL three choices. Okay, only 1 choice was tempting. Um, #3, please! So, began his adventure. His mom (Mama K) helped out, too. She gave him ALREADY COOKED sausage and red bell peppers to add to his store-bought sauce. Gawd knows if the sausage wasn't already cooked, his sauce would have been meatless. To add additional punch, I went to our community garden and picked out a handful of fresh basil for him. He was all set. He's a finance guy. All about numbers. He cooked his pasta for 9 minutes as instructed on the package. NO MORE. NO LESS. He added salt to the water to give it some flavor. He also informed me that he added bell peppers to make it sweeter. Alright folks, you heard the man. 9 mins. Add salt. Add bell peppers. His secrets. NOW, wait, what about APPETIZERS?? Not one appetizer, but TWO. We had:1. Bagel with cream cheese and a side of salt and vinegar potato chipsBless his soul. Not sure why he fed me bagels. I hate bread and bagel is my nemesis. Not to mention, salt and vinegar chips remind me of the smell of sweaty feet. But, I was a good sport. His pasta was uh-amazing and perfectly cooked. Perhaps I should start following the 9 min rule. I loved every bite. Besides, you could tell he made it with love. Pictured:1. "Mananya, is it done yet??"
2. Dinner//Bagel, Chips & Spaghetti
3. Close-up of the appetizers
4. Finely diced ingredients
5. Whoa, there! Slow down on the cheese
6. Spaghetti Kiss!
