Birthday Pie!

Tom's birthday was last month, and as tradition, he got a labor-intensive meal as his gift. Cooking instead of getting something material is also great since I'm unemployed! 

I don't remember where I first saw Rigatoni Pie, but Tom has always wanted it. I usually would defer the idea since it's pretty labor intensive, but as it's a gift, I decided it was worth the extra effort. 

Using a Martha recipe, I embellished the meat sauce to my liking. I also injected EVERY NOODLE with seasoned ricotta cheese. The recipe calls for a 9" springform, but as I only have a 10", I used an extra half pound of pasta. My back killed me when I was done, but it looks like a pasta birthday cake, and it was totally delish. I'll definitely make this again for special days. 

She Sells Stuffed Shells

Part 2 of Tom's Food Anniversary gift, super cheesy stuffed shells with a chunky meat sauce.  I much prefer shells to lasagna, despite the two having similar ingredients. Maybe it's me, but most lasagna I make end up watery. My shells always come out perfect (not to brag). 

For my shells, I use Ree Drummond's recipe. Only I add more veggies to the sauce, and instead of just 3 cheeses, my recipe uses 4! FOUR CHEESES! Am I mad?! Probably.  

These freeze really well, but they usually don't last long enough anyways.