Pasta Squared

Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.

~Sophia Loren

What's the only thing better than a pasta? Two pastas! Side by side. Rossi Tomato Basil Garlic and Spinach Basil Garlic Fettucini smothered with Vodka Sauce and nestled side by side in a bowl. I love this stuff. We ration it so it lasts! It doesn't get faster or easier or better. Saving my energy for tomorrow's Irish Feast of Corned Beef and Cabbage. This year I am going to try cooking the brisket in my new Schlemmertopf. We'll see...! The Rossi link is in the February archive - Day 26!

Getting stewed....

The only thing new is you finding out about something. Like nothing's really new, but you reinvent it for yourself and find your inner voice.
~Mike Watt

Ok, this is becoming my favorite soup. But this time it became more stew-like. Thicker and heartier. I doubled everything (recipe on Day 6) using one can of kidney beans and one cannellini beans but kept the broth at 32 oz. Lots of vegies and 2 packages of tortellini. Quite good!

Cooking up a quilt

Really, I don't dislike to cook, but what you cook is eaten so quickly.  When you sew, you have something that will last to show for your efforts.  

~Elizabeth Travis Johnson

And 'sew', tonight I cooked up a quilt! Not in one night, of course. But tonight I enjoyed it in all it's finished wonder. A simple flannel rag quilt that has the look of an heirloom. And as for any concern about food being eaten so quickly...food fotos fix that!

Cobb Monday

 

To remember a successful salad is generally to remember a successful dinner; at all events, the perfect dinner necessarily includes the perfect salad.
~George Ellwanger 

I was on my own tonight so, in this case, the perfect salad WAS the perfect dinner. Cobb. Avocado and bacon. Mmmm. From Agoura Deli. They make the best. Oscar dénouement coverage. Nice relaxing night.

Day 35 Birthday Bliss

 

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.  ~Lucille Ball

Family, flowers, cheese souffle and Sprinkles cupcakes. A sunny day and a sunny outlook. Special. All for my birthday. Priceless. I no longer focus on the years for my birthday, so I decided today that I will no longer focus on the days of my blog entries. Too much pressure. I have been away for a few days. Sometimes forgetting to note my culinary products with a photo; sometimes realizing that they did not deserve noting (although I made a mean hot dogs and beans the other night)!  So tonight I will watch the Academy Awards with some hummus and pita and bask in the bliss of the day.

Day 30 A Pie in a Pot

All my fans tell me what a glamorous life I have, but I tell them how hard I work and how many nights I spend alone with my dogs, eating chicken pot pie

in my bedroom.
~Shannen Doherty

Aw...Pot Pie can be glamorous. Well, sort of. This one was tasty and that's all I care about. Easy peasy...and carroty! Perfect after work. Two cans of chicken drained and flaked, one can of cream of anything soup, 1 cup of vegie or chicken broth, 3/4 cup buttermilk or cream, 1/2 cup white wine, one small bag frozen mixed vegies. Add preferred seasonings. Mix it up. Pour in greased flat casserole dish. Open and roll out one 14 oz. box refrigerated pie crust (2 pieces). Work into one piece. cover casserole, seal and pinch. Trim off extra and use to decorate the top of the pie. Cut slits for ventilation. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

Day 28 Big day...

 

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. 

~William D. Tammeus

Son moves out=UHaul=Long day=Bare New Apartment=Golden Arches=Home is wherever family is!

Day 27 Nothing beats comfort food!

 

Some sensible person once remarked that you spend the whole of your life either in your bed or in your shoes. Having done the best you can by shoes and bed, devote all the time and resources at your disposal to the building up of a fine kitchen. It will be, as it should be, the most comforting and comfortable room in the house.~

Elizabeth David

Pot roast. Slow cooked for 8 hours in the crock pot. Noodles and carrots and potatoes and green beans and rolls...oh my. A feast for a crowd of men. I nibbled and enjoyed their joy. That's what it's all about anyway. I used a simple recipe adding carrots, quartered red potatoes and onions to the bottom of the pot. Layed chuck roast over. Then mixed two packets of brown gravy with one cup water. Poured over all. A sprig of fresh rosemary to satisfy my culinary sensibility. Comforting. Good. 

Day 26 Again with the pasta...

 

This is the best pasta in the world! I took advantage of some Lemon Pepper Fettuccini sent to me as a wonderful gift. You can order online. All natural and handcrafted. Located in Ohio, I have been a fan for years! Check out the website!

Rossi Pasta

 

Day 25 Pasta-bulous!

 

Life is a combination of magic and pasta.~
Federico Fellini 

This dinner wins no awards for healthy eating. And considering I added a basket of Il Fornaio Rosemary Rolls to the table, it can be called that old heart-attack-on-a-plate. It definitely can also be called delicious. Why this choice? This weekend, one of my sons will be moving to his own apartment. And that means losing my taste-tester and eater extraordinaire. My son runs in marathons...after he goes to the gym. He can eat whatever he wants! So for the next three days, I am trying to fill his plate in my best motherly way. And that means pasta tonight. Yummy small ravioli filled with butternut squash bathed in a cream-walnut sauce with a pinch of nutmeg. Fresh parmesan grated over the top. Maybe he won't move....

Day 24 Deli Day

He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart

~C.S. Lewis

Tonight I committed breakfast not only with my heart but with my order. I had a fabulous omelette from my favorite deli. Sandwiched in between work and errands, it was still a better choice from my perspective when cooking in wasn't in the realm of possible. Shout out to Brent's Deli! A Zagat top pick for 2010!

Brent's!

Day 23 Accompaniment: something added to complete or embellish or make perfect

 

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.~Mark Twain

Grilled chicken and this. Curried Rice Salad...warm. The perfect accompaniment. I kept the grilled chicken simple. Just a dusting of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. Perfect flavor. Grilled the breasts slowly and straight from the freezer. No time to defrost after work but ends up done to perfection. As an add, baked up frozen Il Fornaio dinner rolls. Fabulous. Out-of-the-bag perfection. Bake for 10 minutes. The rice recipe is in Robin Robertson's book Vegan Fire & Spice: 200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes. So many good recipes in this book!

Get the book!

Day 22 Gobbled up dinner

 

Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity ~Louis Pasteur
Tenacity is Mondays. When you have to get back on track. When you are fighting a cold. But I did it. I came home from work and moved right in to creating these fabulous Turkey Couscous Meatloaves. The recipe link is below. I baked the loaves for about 45 minutes instead of the recommended 30. Almost no need to crisp under the broiler. And I used a Granny Smith apple as I had one on hand. I doubled the recipe for a hungry group. Otherwise, I stayed true to the recipe. Moist. Delicious. And the Cranberry-Walnut-Apple Relish was more than a garnish...it really made the flavor burst! If you make the loaves, take the time to make the relish. Turkey Couscous Meatloaves Recipe

Day 21 Starve a cold, feed a fever?

Or is it the other way around? Either way, it's toast and Zicam for me tonight. I have my shopping list and plans for some interesting meals this week. So I better get better and quick! In the meantime, here is an interesting take on sous vide...

Really, Really Slow Food