Killing me deliciously......

A big bowl and a movie.....that's all it takes! (picture lifted from The Proud Italian Cook)

When I was growing up, when my mother announced that we were going to have lasagna for Sunday dinner, I would get butterflies of excitement.  Sunday dinner couldn't come soon enough.  The days were almost unbearable leading up to Sunday. And, if my mother announced it too early in the week....it's a wonder I ever made it to school. I was almost comatose from the brain waves sparking and my stomach doing flip flops and my heart racing at unheard of speed.   By the time Sunday came, my anticipation was almost deadly.  I mean...I was delirious to the point of doing crazy things...out-of-my-head types of things. 
Yeah, seriously.
I kid you not. 
Lasagna made me do crazy things.  

I miss those days.  I miss that lasagna.  

But, this morning, I am sorta feeling a little like those days of being Lasagna Crazed.  
You see, I have big plans for Sunday dinner at my house.
I am going to watch THE BIG NIGHT!
Just me and the DVD and some wine and something Italian....
My someone Italian was called out of town unexpectedly and my favorite fashionista is busy with her visiting sorority sisters....leaving me all to myself to indulge in whatever I want... and this is what I want....

It's an old movie, I know.
But, I have never, ever seen it.
I know...hard to believe.
My excuse is this---in 1996 (when the movie was made), I had an 11 year old and a 5 year old.  My movie watching consisted of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Disney princess movies.
I never even heard of  THE BIG NIGHT. 
A year or so ago, I happened to see on Facebook that one of my favorite little neighborhood bistros was hosting  an evening to thank their families for helping them reach the success they were enjoying by showing the movie while making the movie's signature dish-- Timpano. 
The pictures they shared on their FB page captivated me.
The wine was flowing, everyone was involved in the process of making the food, they were laughing, there was joy and love and did I mention that the Timpano itself looked absolutely beautiful??
 It was exactly how I envisioned the perfect evening to be.....
Immediately... I was Googling up a storm. What is Timpano?  IMDB--THE BIG NIGHT?
 I was connected.  In love.  Enthralled.  On the edge of delirium.   
Then, when I realized that one of my favorite foodie bloggers--The Proud Italian Cook--was a big fan of the movie and Timpano (and she graciously shared the recipe and all her personal tips on her blog!), I was certifiably delirious.
The deal was sealed--- I wanted to host my own movie and Timpano night for family and friends.
So, I set about making it happen by buying my very own Timpano pan.
Then, life got in the way and for some reason, my family talked me out of it.
So, in the swirl of all of that, I never, ever got around to getting the movie.....
UNTIL LAST WEEK....
That's when The Proud Italian Cook did another blog post about Timpano.
Within minutes of reading it, I was on Amazon purchasing THE BIG NIGHT.
It came yesterday.
Just in time for SUNDAY DINNER.....for one.  

The anticipation is killing me.....