This Little Piggy made Vodka Cream Sauce Pasta

It's true.  I made pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce (from scratch) all by myself, and for someone who spends very little time in the kitchen, I must say... it was Tasty!  I'm typically not a Rachel Ray fan.  Yeah, she is pretty cute, and I guess she has done a decent job with her show.  Heck, I wish I had her job.  But, she did rudely crash David Chang and Mario Batali's book discussion at The Strand... Anywho, years ago my mom sent me Ray's recipe for vodka cream sauce, named "You Won't be Single for Long" vodka cream sauce pasta (I'm sure the title is a shocker).  I will admit, I agree to some extent with many of the not so positive comments in the response section of the link... it was a little runny and can be a little bland if the right balance in ingredients isn't achieved.  Not to worry though, if you make some alterations to the recipe, ie, add bacon, maybe more cream, definitely some salt... it ends up tasting pretty good!  At the very least, it's worth giving a shot, which is why I'm including the recipe below!

(n.b. I highly suggest making this with some delicious, fresh pasta. Any from Murray's Cheese Shop comes highly recommended from moi!)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream

1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.
Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.