Gooey Goodness for a February Night

I definitely do better at actually making dinner every night when I do a week's worth of shopping at a time and thus can just come right home and cook. Tonight, I was feeling heroic, so I cooked after stopping on the way home and doing a week's worth of shopping. Hee hee! It paid off in cheesy deliciousness. This is my version of an Ina Garten recipe, the original of which can be found at http://http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/penne-with-five-cheeses-recipe2/index.html . Jeannene got me a 3-book set of her cookbooks for Christmas & this is the first I've made from any of them. Ina's recipe is probably better than what I ended up with, especially since I completely forgot the basil, even though I was thinking while making it that it needed basil. Oh, my poor brain. But, here's how I did it. My version didn't turn pink, either, which was a complaint in some of the recipe reviews. It's ridiculously easy. Definitely not for dieters, unless it happens to be your splurge day. In that case, by all means, have at it!

Penne with Five Cheeses

2 c. heavy cream

1 c. canned whole tomatoes you have crushed by hand

3/4 c. freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese (&#*! grocery didn't have Fontina...come on, it's not that exotic)

1/2 c. Gorgonzola, crumbled

2 heaping tbsp. ricotta

6 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced and torn into pieces (I'd just shred it next time...not sure why she called for sliced)

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped (obviously, I omitted this)

1 lb. penne

1/2 stick butter

Salt to taste & for pasta water

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Mix everything but penne and butter together. Cook penne 4-5 minutes. Drain well and add to rest of ingredients. Toss to mix well. Place in 13 x 9 baking dish. Dot with butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, about 10 minutes. Serves 6. Nice with Caesar salad and sourdough bread.