Friends of ours, Kent and Jen – the “Jents” host a fabulous party every November. It is the most fun time! They are absolutely wonderful hosts. You should have seen their wedding, it goes down as my favorite wedding ever. Jen did a wonderful job planning her big day and it showed. We all had such a blast. Everything was absolutely beautiful, the bride … stunning. Their wedding was just a couple months before their first cheese party.

This year, we were unable to attend this fun event, and I was so disappointed. We were out of town the weekend they had their third “Cut The Cheese” Party. A few years ago, Kent and Jen took a fabulous vacation to Italy and they bought a wheel of parmesan to have delivered for their first “Cut The Cheese” Party. We all had so much fun … we could order cheese by the pound to take home and enjoy for weeks to come. It was fun to watch Kent cut this big wheel of parmesan and I think he had a great time doing it. This parmesan cheese is the best I’ve ever had. I love parmesan cheese, it is one of my favorites. Most afternoons, I will cut a few thin shards of parmesan and eat it with a pear or an apple in the late afternoon. I love the nutty flavor of parmesan … yum!

Dennis and I ordered five pounds of parmesan from Kent and Jen this year.

I actually think I should have ordered more. I’m using the parmesan in my recipe for dinner tonight. I was originally going to make chicken parmesan, but I want the cheese to stand out on it’s own, so I decided to make pasta with the main ingredient being the parmesan, and about a tablespoon and a half of fresh rosemary, served with vermicelli in a sauce of nothing more than olive oil, butter, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.

This is the longest vermicelli I’ve ever seen! It’s as tall as my boots.

I found this pasta at The Temecula Olive Oil Company in Solana Beach. They have a few locations around San Diego. I highly recommend this store for their olive oils, balsamic vinegars, different salts and even soaps and candles.

The finished pasta dish was light in taste, which was just what I wanted. It will make for a fabulous lunch tomorrow as well. Dennis even packed his serving up to take along to work with him.

I can’t wait until next year when, hopefully, Jen and Kent will be having this party again.

Today actually happens to be Jen’s birthday. I’d like to wish her a very Happy Birthday with all the love, laughter, and blessings such a wonderful young woman deserves. You’d be so lucky if you could meet my friend, Jen, she is truly a fabulous gal. For those of you reading my blog that know Jen, know just what I’m talking about. She really is wonderful.

Ingredients

• 16 ounce vermicelli

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (for pasta water)

• 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Boil water. Place vermicelli into boiling water and cook until done (make sure to save a cup of pasta water in case you want to add it to your sauce). Meanwhile, melt butter into olive oil in a sauté pan. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic, rosemary, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook together for just a minute or so. Add vermicelli directly into sauté pan and toss. Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris