Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce

I think it's so funny, or I guess interesting, how much we learn as we grow up. Not only what we learn, information wise, but what we learn to like or dislike. As a kid, I used to hate tomatoes, onions, garlic and avocado - I know I'm really kicking myself about it.

Over time, I don't know what happened, all of a sudden they all began to just grow on me and now, well now, I love them, can't live without them! This pasta is just a simple, comforting meal. Just roast off some tomatoes, toss with some spaghetti and top with a drizzle of really good olive oil. Really, it's that simple. 

Mmmmm carbohydrates!

Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce

Yields:

Original recipe here.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. pasta, cooked al dente

1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, torn

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a 13x9" baking dish with 1/3 of the olive oil. Place the tomatoes cut side up in the dish. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese and garlic and toss with a fork to mix well. Sprinkle the mixture over the tomatoes, making sure that each cut side is well covered with the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked through and starting to brown on top, about 20 minutes. When the tomatoes are done, add the basil and stir vigorously to mix everything into a sauce. Add the pasta to the baking dish, then top with the remaining olive oil and toss well. 

Italian Almond Macaroons

I have come to realize that the internet is one of my major vices. The internet itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but the amount of time that I spend on it... now that can be considered vile. One of my most favorite things to do on the internet is to look for recipes on food blogs. And while meandering around the web, I found this very simple and melt-in-your-mouth delicious recipe which the author titled "The Ultimate Holiday Cookie." I mean how could I resist with that title? If you like almonds, you'll absolutely LOVE love love this recipe!

Recipe via Food Gal:

Italian Almond Macaroons:

Yields: About 32 cookies

16 oz. almond paste

1 3/4 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

16 oz. slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease it. Measure almond paste carefully or else mixture will be very sticky! Break into pieces, place in bowl of a food processor with the sugar. Pulse until crumbled finely, and evenly combined with sugar. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the almond mixture little by little. Once mixed, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, keeping them as round as possible. Place the slivered almonds into a shallow bowl, roll each ball into the slivered almonds. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake until a pale gold color, about 15 - 17 minutes. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes.