May 8, 2026

Friday happy hour at #vanaprastha. 4 (plus 4) ingredient Boursin pasta. Stories and recipe tomorrow morning on my Substack.

A little later posting than usual today. Keith and I had an early movie date followed by mid-day breakfast. We hadn’t been to a movie theater in years, but the show was so worth it! Check out Monday’s Note from Vanaprastha blog.

So, yesterday’s happy hour first-time recipe and Friday movie.

Keith: “I don’t really like pasta unless it’s lasagna, and I like your meatloaf, too.” Me thinking: This pasta is yummy, while serving myself another spoonful—and another. He likes meat, I like carbs; we both love fruits and veggies.

Keith: “Do we have any ice cream, with maybe chocolate or butterscotch topping?” Me: “Yes, there’s a container of homemade vanilla ice cream in the downstairs freezer, and butterscotch in the man-cave cabinet.” Me thinking: Put a quart of whole milk and 2 pints of heavy cream on the grocery list; okay on sugar, salt, and vanilla to make two batches of vanilla ice cream next week; better get another back-up jar of butterscotch.

Keith: “Is an old John Wayne movie okay for tonight?” Me: “That’ll work,” thinking, good compromise. He likes action, I like romance—and this pasta recipe.

4-Ingredient (plus 4) Boursin Pasta – from Southern Living Magazine

Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 pt. cherry tomatoes

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for garnish

• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more for pasta water

• 2 (5.3-oz.) pkg. garlic and herb spreadable cheese (such as Boursin)

• 1 lb. rigatoni pasta

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Basil leaves, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high.

Place cherry tomatoes in a 13x9-inch baking dish; drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Toss to coat. Push tomatoes to outer edges of dish; place Boursin cheese in center of dish. Drizzle cheese with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake in preheated until tomatoes have blistered and cheese has softened, 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Remove baking dish from oven and add 1/4 cup of the pasta water; stir until creamy. Add pasta and stir until well coated. Stir in Parmesan, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and up to 1/2 cup more pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time, to reach desired consistency—I added very little more. Garnish with fresh basil (really enhanced the flavor!) and black pepper; serve immediately.

That’s it for today. Happy Mother’s Day. See you next week! -C.D.

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