giada's short rib pasta

What do you do for friends who have already done so much for you and meant so much to you in the short time you've know each other? Why, cook them a great meal, of course! (Food is definitely my love language.)

To back things up, I have been stalking reading Meseidy's food blog, The Noshery, for awhile. So when she announced that her dogs were having puppies, I asked about them, and I think you know the rest about our love story with Sampson. But what you don't know, is that the second we stepped into their house to meet the puppies, we connected with this dynamic couple. (The second we were out the door, JT and I both commented how we thought we'd like them based on the books in their house.)

When we asked to meet the yellow puppy a second time, she asked us to stay for dinner and made us perhaps the best dish we'd ever eaten. These great friends even helped us move a few days later, so to say thank you, we invited them over for dinner.

Having made Giada's short rib pasta multiple times, I decided this hearty dish would be perfect for a food blogger and her carnivorous husband. And I also decided I'd put myself in Meseidy's shoes and play food blogger myself for a minute. So here's How to Say Thank You, Undomestic Style.

 

channel The Pioneer Woman and assemble ingredients 

 

the BEST

 

prep veggies

create delicious veggie puree

dredge short ribs in flour/salt/pepper mixture while pancetta is cooking

slightly burn pancetta and "neglect" to take a picture

return pancetta, ribs, puree to pot and add aromatic ingredients

 spend 20 minutes trying to open wine bottle

Google "How to Open a (mutilated) Wine Bottle"

Get it!!!

Clean house while pot braises

Console sad, neglected puppy

 Friends arrive while hair is still wet, (bagged) salad is unmade, and short ribs are not shredded

Swallow pride and allow friend to assemble bruschetta

EAT! (thirty minutes after they arrive)

Meseidy's amazing dessert

In typical Undomestic style, my dinners are generally "semi-homemade." I am not afraid to serve a bagged salad with a little embellishment. My absolute favorite is Dole's Perfect Harvest salad kit with a little goat cheese crumbled on top. So delicious! 

The moral of the story is, love and friendship matter more than details. 

Or a perfectly clean house.