A Very Simple Sunday Supper.... (say that 5 times fast!!)

I need to preface this post by saying that I am not a very good photographer!! The presentation turns out much better in my head than in the actual photos; with that being said, I am jumping into the post feet first, bad photography and all!! Enjoy!!

My simple Sunday supper; It was a dreary day in my part of the country. The sun wasn't out, it sprinkled on an off. The outdoor activities we had planned were scrapped. My husband and I decided to get some work done (mine was fun, picking colors for a kitchen reno I'm working on!!) We thought about going out for dinner, but decided to stay in because the day had taken on an easy, laid back vibe, having to fix myself up seemed like too much work!! I thought supper should be just as laid back; I decided to doctor up some jarred marinara sauce. I love starting with an already made sauce, there is so much you can do with it!! You can eat it as is but why not add some extra ingredients to it to make it more special? There are lots of things you can add, this is what I did and it was very yummy!!

My mise en place: A can of chopped tomotoes for extra texture. Chopped scallion for a sharp taste. I went to the olive bar at my grocery and selected, gorganzola stuffed olives, garlic stuffed olives, roasted garlic cloves and the sweet little red peppers and cut them into bite sized pieces. Crumbled gorganzola cheese and white wine, some for the sauce, more for the cook!!

I added all the ingredients to the marinara sauce (holding back the cheese) and let it simmer for about an hour. I added the cheese, and a little of the pasta water, just before serving, letting it melt into the hot sauce making it creamy and luxurious!! I served it over whole wheat spaghetti.

The table set very simply to complete the laid back theme. (My daughter's place was set after the photo, she is still using plastic dishes!!)

I served a very simple salad of mixed baby greens, endive for crunch, blanched thin asparagus and dressed simply with red wine vinegar, olive oil and pepper.

The pasta served!!!

Wine, sparkling water, votives and roses of course!!

The pasta was great!! Rich, creamy and very indulgent. We finished up with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt and a scoop of raspberry sorbet. Dinner was easy to make, easy to clean up and very satisfying. Starting with an already made ingredient and personalizing it to your taste is an easy way to get a supper on the table that tastes like you spent a lot more time preparing. Afterall, isn't having more time to relax on a Sunday very luxurious?

I love hearing from you!! Comments are appreciated!!