A Woman's Work is Never Done

I wish I could be one of those people who wakes up on Monday morning raring to go.  You know the type who sees Monday as an opportunity to start anew and conquer everything that got left behind the week before.  That would not be me.  The fact is, I hate Mondays.  It's hard, after what is usually a busy weekend, to get up early and face the week.    And, even more than facing the week, it's hard to face my house and what a mess everything is.  Frankly, sometimes it looks like a tornado has blown through.  There's stuff everywhere that everyone has left around knowing I would pick it all up on Monday morning.  It's a mess.

So, my Monday started, as usual, with the laundry.  The laundry has to be, hands down, the most thankless task on my agenda , and probably on yours as well.  For a small person, Kate sure has a lot of dirty clothes.  She seems to need to change multiple times every day.  If, for some reason, the ensemble isn't to her liking (and she's 15 so nothing is to her liking), into the hamper it goes, having never traveled farther than her mirror.  Why should she fold it if I can wash it and then fold it for her?  In short, I feel like I could do the laundry continually and never actually have an empty hamper to show for my efforts.  Laundry is like the Energizer Bunny.  It just keeps going and going.  It never ends.

And then there are the bathrooms.  And the kitchen.  Need I say more?

All this fun happens before I even make a list and hit the grocery store.  I could probably go to the grocery store any other day of the week, but somehow it always happens that Mondays are the day we are running low on milk, and everything else for that matter.

The good news in all of this is that all the cleaning and laundry really build up my appetite, and I feel like I deserve something really delicious for dinner.  It's been a little cool lately and it seems like a good night for pasta bolognese.  I just happened to have recently picked up Ina's new cookbook How Easy is That, and there's a really quick and easy bolognese.

Miracle of miracles, I have all the ingredients in the house for the bolognese!  It took me about 30 minutes to put it together and it tastes like it was simmering on the stove all day.  Absolutely delicious!  It's creamy, with just a hit of heat, just the way a good bolognese should be.

You should give it  a try.  I think we all deserve something special for dinner tonight.

Weeknight Bolognese
(Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That, 2010)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 pound lean ground sirloin
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 cups red wine, divided
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound dried pasta, such as orecchiette or small shells
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat,  Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and has started to brown.  Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more.  Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, a splash of oil, and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the box.   While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.  When the pasta is cooled, drain and pour into a large serving bowl.  Add the sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan and toss well.  Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.