Meal No. 315: Penne with Tomato Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Last night, it was good to have a final visit to the Roediger House by Wake Forest grad Brian Hill, who's been teaching in McDowell County the last five years but who is moving to Vermont. Although Brian was in the English Education track, he ran around in the same circles as some of my grad students in social studies, and back in those days he was a frequent visitor to the house along with others in the program.

Brian is also one of those great teachers who not only pursues a passionate reflection of his craft on his own, but he seeks out helpful feedback and guidance. As a student teacher, he invited me to observe him a couple of times, even though he was not one of my students. While he's been teaching in Marion, NC, he's had me come observe him three or four times over the years. It's always good having him come by the house as well, and last night, in his final North Carolina days, he made time to come hang for a while.

And his vegetarianism was a useful impetus for me last night to put my thinking cap on, and to seek out a good recipe that would not contain objectionable items. This led me to a recipe I'd cut from Cuisine at Home a few years ago, for Tomato-Gorgonzola Sauce with pasta. I also made the fancy-dancy salad inspired by some recipes in Southern Living, and steamed some sugar snap peas as well.

It was pretty good, methinks.

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"Tomato-Gorgonzola Sauce with Pasta Shells," from Cuisine at Home, October 2007.