Garlic Spaghetti

My Sunday routine is pretty set. I tutor in the morning, I come home, I cook and bake all day, and I avoid doing laundry like it's the plague. That's just the way it is here in my little ol' house.

Well, the past few weeks my schedule has been completely thrown off! My father, who is the best EVER, has been redoing our kitchen and guess what day he comes? Yup, you guessed it... Sunday. So since he's been here sanding and grouting and laying tile I have been exiled to the living room. Since I can't actually cook and bake my Sundays away I've been watching others do it on the Food Network. The other day Melissa d'Arabian was making this simple spaghetti recipe and I just knew I needed to make it. I was immediately enticed when I saw that she slow cooked the garlic for 30 minutes before adding the tomatoes. I added it to our next weekly menu and made it.

 I am happy to report that this dinner was excellent! I halved both the oil and the butter because it called for an insane amount of each, and it was still unreal. The recipe below is what I did, but if you feel like playing fast and loose with the rules (and your hips) feel free to click on the original and make the original. I'm sure the extra oil and butter make it that much more rich and delicious. This is a great weeknight meal and perfect for when you want a simple meal.

Source: Adapted from Melissa d'Arabian

Ingredients:

9 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb.- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked (I used 1/2 lb. of perciatelli- it's long and thick with a hollow center)
1 tbsp. dried basil

Directions:

1- In a saucepan combine the garlic and oil. Heat over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2- Add the butter until melted. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, and season with salt and pepper.
3- Heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4- Toss in the cooked spaghetti. Serve hot.