The Homemade Pantry winner is down at the bottom, below the recipe, in case you can’t wait to see if it was you :) Thank you to everyone who chimed in about making, sharing, and eating homemade food - with friends, family, and strangers too. I always love hearing what you all have to say! Watch for the next giveaway later this week – we’ll be talking aspirational cooking, with a book that fits the bill.

As I recently confessed, when I make a meal to take to someone else I will often make a double recipe, and keep some for us to eat here at home. I consider it a super bonus when, like with my friend Jessie’s vodka sauce, there is still another portion leftover, which can be tucked away in the freezer for later use.

One of my favorite things to do with a frozen quart bag of vodka sauce is to make Vodka Mac and Greens: take the sauce out of the freezer and heat it gently on the stove top. While it is heating, chop a heap of greens (here I used kale and collards), and start cooking a pot of whole-grain macaroni. When the pasta is almost done cooking, add the greens, stirring them in to the water (you might need to add them in batches).  Then a minute or two later drain the whole mess in your colander – reserve a couple tablespoons of cooking water to thin the sauce. (I know, I know, you are losing vitamins cooking your greens this way, but you are gaining TIME! and EASE! and reality check: sometimes I just want dinner in one pot, nutrients be darned).

Mix the pasta and greens with the vodka sauce and a little parmesan, then sprinkle everything with some fresh oregano and red pepper flakes. This is a shockingly delicious, slightly indulgent, and veggie-packed dinner that my whole family loves.

All in under ten minutes.

Super bonus!

Also: we made orange playdough again this week … and did not end up at the doctor’s office this time. Another super bonus :)

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And in proof that sometimes if you put it out to the universe, the universe responds – according to random.org the winner of Alana Chernila‘s beautiful book, The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making, is Emmy from emmycooks.com, who said in her comment, “pick me!”. Emmy also said that she likes to take lentil soup when she is delivering homemade meals – here’s one of her favorite lentil soup recipes.  Emmy, please email me your contact information (inheritthespoon[at]gmail[dot]com) and I will get the book out to you right away. It’s a keeper.

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