Julie and Julia.

I have been thinking that I am getting kind of old, and should start learning how to cook for myself. I sat my mom down and said, "Mom, I would like to start making dinner once a week." I think she was more than thrilled that she would have one less day of kitchen duty! Today was my first day in the kitchen. I found an awesome recipe, thanks to my iphone application "Epicurious." I made, "Linguine with Chipotle and Red Pepper Sauce." I was a little nervous to make it. Luckily, it turned out A-mazing. It was a little spicier than I thought it would be, and I even left out an ingredient (mostly because I didn't know where to find it in the grocery store!) I also left out the Manchega cheese because I didn't know what that was either! So I subbed in Feta cheese, and that was delicious. Here's the recipe if you would like to try it!

Linguine with Chipotle and Red Pepper Sauce

Makes 4 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 large red onions, thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

1/3 cup dry sherry

1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained, thinly sliced (This is the ingredient I left out!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilles

1 pound linguine

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup freshly grated Manchego cheese

Preparation:

Heath olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add red onions and red bell peppers; saute until onions are brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in Sherry, roasted red peppers, garlic, and chipotles. Simmer until liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes.

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain linguine, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Return linguine to pot. Add pepper mixture, parsley, vinegar, and reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid; toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls. Top with Manchego cheese.

It turned out quite delicious, with lots of left overs. I think I would definitely make this again. The only time consuming thing was chopping everything up, but I think that was my lack of knife skills, and I'll only get better in time.