Craving, craving, craving......

I had a bad day at work last week, it's not the first and it won't be the last. But, on this particular bad work day I needed some comfort, I wanted something to help smooth the edges of a rough day, and a visit to Michael's Arts & Crafts just wasn't going to cut it. No, this called for something much more serious. This called for a plate of Fettuccine Alfredo.

That's all I could think of as the day progressed. I could see it, smell it, and taste it! I thought of which restaurants around the Hudson Valley had the best, were the closest, were open. I was completely crazed. I even went an entirely different way home to drive by Antonella's. I had every intention of pulling in and calling my husband to meet me there. I swear I felt the car start to turn on its own into the parking lot.

That's when it hit me....hello... Cookbook Challenge of 2010...remember. Perfect! Surely, I thought, I would have a cookbook which would contain a recipe of Fettuccine Alfredo. After scouring through 15 books I was begin to get a little panicky. The craving was still there and I had passed up a chance to have immediate gratification in exchange for learning something. What could I have been thinking!? Then, I found it.

It was a little book, I had completely forgotten that I owned it. Cookbook # 108 is "Patsy's Italian Restaurant Cookbook", published by the family that owns Patsy's on West 56th Street in New York City! It was the easiest dish I have ever made. I would have broken down in tears over how much money I've wasted on those little tiny sauce packets in my lifetime, but that would have slowed my eating down.

In spite of the crazy day, in spite of just how badly I just wanted to be served what I wanted without having to do any of the work, and in spite of the time it took to find the recipe, it was worth it. I am finally free from the little sauce-mix packets, you know the ones... they start with "McCor..."

In fact, when I was at the grocery store this weekend, I walked abit smugly past the big display of those little packets...until my eye caught a new one.... a four cheese with sun dried tomato..as my hand started to reach for it, I stopped myself, if I can make Fettuccine Alfredo from scratch, I can learn anything!!!!  I just need the right cookbook, good thing I have 117 of them!