Gorgonzola Pear Pasta

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 15 Min
Ready In: 25 Min
Servings 4

Ingredients
9 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large pear, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the penne in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.
2. Return the drained pasta to the pot; stir the butter, Parmesan cheese, and Gorgonzola cheese into the pasta and place over medium heat; cook until the cheese is completely melted. Pour the cream into the pasta mixture; stir. Remove from heat and fold the pear into the pasta mixture. Top with walnuts. Season with pepper to serve.

Hints:  Add chopped roasted asparagus, craisins, and an extra pear. Cook these separately on a cookie sheet covered in foil. To maximize flavor, drizzle the asparagus, cubed pears, walnuts, and craisins with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper when they're on the sheet. Cook at 350 for 10 minutes.

*So, not every day can be a Salmon day.  Seeing how I cannot rate this recipe with 3 stars, it would appear silly to even post it; yet, somehow I take comfort in my failure by posting on this blog (that and I still need a good recipe for Gorgonzola cheese--I have one, but I never need all of the Gorgonzola to put into Eloise's Salad--hence, I need another, any suggestions?)  I got this recipe from the site allrecipes.com and followed some of the hints typed above.  Unfortunately, I did not have asparagus--that would have been a nice touch.  If you feel compelled to try this recipe, I recommend not cooking the craisins; they became too chewy after heating.  I used wheat penne as well--try regular.  I did add cooked chicken.  As a bit of encouragement, Ellen gobbled this meal up (she's usually  more selective, but then she also had 3 helpings of green beans so maybe she is going through a growth spurt).  We finished our meal, but I probably won't make this again.

How to use gorgonzola cheese from Christie:  Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches.  Thanks, Christie!  We'll give them a try!