had forgotten all about a truly delectable pasta dish (my favorite) that Mom makes until she made a batch of it for one of our recent family dinners together: Penne with Vodka and Spicy Tomato-Cream Sauce. Somehow one humble pound of Trader Joe's penne fed our big hungry mob (I think there were six of us) with leftovers to spare.

So I filed it away and then one night this week I was casting about for a quick, easy pasta dish to make before my kung fu class, and I recalled this recipe and the fact that I had all the ingredients on hand. (Side note - I keep my pantry stocked with pasta and canned San Marzano tomatoes, as these are the base for numerous last-minute dinners.) I whipped up a batch and M. and I each had a bowl....and then another each, and perhaps one more over the course of the night (I'm hungry when I get home).

It also served for my lunch the next day, and M.'s dinner too. Then when I returned home late (hungry again), I was dismayed to see him chowing down on the last bit of pasta....until I remembered that I ended up with extra sauce that I had stored in a separate container. I found a half-box of rigatoni in the pantry, and now there's still more left over. Lunch anyone?