Ziti with Sausage, Onions, and Fennel
I adore this dish because it turned out beautifully the first time I tried this recipe. I used 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper for the chile flakes and that provided just the right amount of spiciness heat without being too much for those of us who don't like spicy foods. I was nervous about using tomato paste since the first (and only time) I had tried tomato paste before, I thought it had tasted funny. But nope. That must've been user error the other time. This time...this time I got to enjoy a beautiful blend of flavors. It was also my first time cooking with fennel. So perhaps the newness of that anise flavoring added to my enjoyment.

My boyfriend Brian arrived home with another foodie friend in tow just as I was finishing preparing dinner. As we carried all the food to the living room to eat, the lights went out. Our third roommate whipped out a bunch of candles. I opened a bottle of Montepulciano that I had been waiting for someone to drink with me since neither Brian nor our roommate drinks alcohol. This was the first multi-course meal I'd ever planned for a small group. We had prosciutto-wrapped melon for an appetizer and Brian set up a cheese plate for dessert. I was very pleased to have good friends over for good food and I sat in the candlelight, very content.