"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." -Confucius
Summer Vegetable Pasta
This is a versatile recipe that makes the most of summer's bounty! Use any fresh, favorite vegetable or herb that is in season. The closer to your home it is grown, the more tasty and nutritious it will be. Mess around with this all you want, just adjust the cooking times as necessary.
Summer Vegetable Pasta
10oz Whole wheat or spinach spaghetti or linguine
Cooking spray (or olive oil)
½ Sweet Onion (such as Walla Walla), chopped
1 small Zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped ¼”
½ Red Bell Pepper, chopped
½ Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
¼ cup Sun-dried Tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped
2 cups Grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup leftover cooked Chicken, shredded or chopped
¼ cup Kalamata Olives, chopped (optional)
½ cup Cream
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
2 T Fresh Basil, minced
¼ – ½ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano_Reggiano)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid, set aside. Return pasta to pot and set aside.
2. Coat medium sized stir fry pan with cooking spray (can use olive oil instead, if you like), and heat over medium high heat. Add onion, cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes).
3. Add zucchini, peppers, and dried tomatoes; stir fry until crisp tender, about 5 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Add cooked chicken, grape tomatoes, and olives if using. Cook until heated through, about another minute. Add to pasta in pot.
5. Add garlic to stir fry pan (add more spray or oil as needed), cook, stirring, until fragrant, being careful not to brown. Add reserved cooking liquid, cream, basil, and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer until reduced by about half. Add cheese to taste, stir until it melts.
6. Return pasta and veggie mixture to stir fry pan, and toss until pasta is coated with sauce. Top each serving with additional cheese.
Feeds 4 or so. Email or comment if you have any questions. Enjoy!
Thoughtful Friday 4
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~ Leonardo DaVinci
Thoughtful Friday 3
"There is more to life than increasing its speed." -Mohandas Gandhi
Just One Word
Ran across this challenge on Coffee Mom's blog. Can you answer each of the questions in just one word?
1. Where is your cell phone? Dunno?
2. Your significant other? Special
3. Your hair? Long
4. Your mother? Jolly
5. Your father? Gone
6. Your favorite thing? Son
7. Your dream last night? Weird
8. Your favorite drink? Coffee!!
9. Your dream/goal? Farm
10. The room you’re in? Living
11. Your church? Family
12. Your fear? Spiders
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Snohomish
14. Where were you last night? Home
15. What you’re not? Bored
16. Muffins? Pumpkin
17. One of your wish list items? Antiques
18. Where you grew up? Paradise
19. The last thing you did? Awaken
20. What are you wearing? Pjs
21. Your TV? None
22. Your pets? Cat
23. Your computer? Laptop
24. Your life? Full
25. Your mood? Serene
26. Missing someone? Holly
27. Your car? Unhealthy
28. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
29. Favorite store? Ours!
30. Your summer? Happy
31. Like(love) someone? Lots!
32. Your favorite color? Rainbow
33. Last time you laughed? Always
34. Last time you cried? Dunno
35. Who will repost this? Nobody
I love these stupid things. The idea of answering these with one word was a unique challenge – its interesting to think of which questions took me a long time to answer. One of them was #9. In the last year, I have achieved a number of my dreams and goals. I have a wonderful husband, we own a home and a business we love, I have a son AND I was able to quit my day job to be home with him, and I'm doing art again. Much of our life feels very complete. So, what's next? I believe in always having goals and dreams, so I really had to think about this one. I'll likely think more about it later. Anyway, my answer relates to #13. We want very much to return to the Snohomish community. It is home to us. So, my dream and goal is for one day to live on one of those lovely little patches of green farmland, in a sweet little farmhouse that needs a little love, and perhaps a big red barn. My dreams are pretty simple. 🙂
I've always liked answering questions. In school, I actually enjoyed tests. The ACTs and SATs were fun. And I especially loved math, because in general, there is always just one right answer. What a relief that was! My love of questions may have been instilled in me as a child, as one of the games I'd play with my dad, usually on a long drive somewhere, was "What's the capital of…" and "What's the square root of…" and so on.
No, It Isn’t Chocolate Cake
We had a lovely few days down at my mom’s house in the Hood Canal area. One of those fun little towns that has a post office, general store, and zip code, and that’s IT, literally. It isn’t too far from where I grew up, but feels totally different. The trees, the birds, the bugs, even the dirt is all just a bit different. So I don’t get this nostalgic feeling of remembering my childhood when I go there, but I do feel like I’m building new wonderful fun memories. I have mixed feelings about this one.
I stopped mid-sentence while talking with my mom when I realized my son had been way too quiet for way too long.
This isn’t chocolate cake crumbs. It looks like it, but isn’t. Unfortunately.
What’s worse is that he didn’t even make a face, like it was completely gross that he was eating dirt. He didn’t even spit it out, I had to scoop it out with my finger.
He sure was awfully cute, though.
Thoughtful Friday 2
Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. –James M. Barrie