Duhhhlushus! (A Dinner Story)

With the impending storm looming (snowmageddon, as I like to call it), I thought it would be a good idea to do some grocery shopping today, something that I haven't personally done since before I entered the convent (Dad has been buying all the food). I wanted to get some produce and something to make for dinner, so I drove over to Gangstah Chops (everybody has a sketchy Price Chopper nearby. It's a necessity.) and bought some food.

Most of my purchase is visible...

I drove a couple blocks to my apartment and then put away the groceries.

Pre-put-away

And then I started scheming...

After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to experiment. I'm glad I did.

I cooked the asparagus like I usually do: put vegetable oil in a pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook the asparagus until either slightly tender, or soft.

I coated the beef chunks in Central Market brand Steak Sauce, and then put them in a 2-quart pyrex, and poured on some more sauce. I preheated the oven to 450F and later on turned it up to almost 500.

I cut up a half of each pepper (one green and one red) into short strips. I sprinkled them in the pyrex with the beef and sauce and put it in the oven to cook.

I had leftover rigatoni in the fridge, so I warmed it up in a pot of boiling water.

When all the components were cooked, it was time to put it together. Pasta on bottom, with asparagus laid over it, and topped with the beef, sauce, and peppers.

I've never been able to make an 

aesthetically pleasing dish, but this one is!

Dad thought it was good, too!

This dish was definitely one of my most interesting ones yet. The spice of the steak sauce was really complimented by the heat of the peppers, and the beef was cooked to about medium-well, which gave it a nice texture to compliment the pasta (which I cooked past aldente) and the asparagus. A really great mix of flavors and textures. I had a great time cooking this dish and experimenting with the ingredients.

And I had some fun too before preparation...