What Did You Eat?

PPN: Angel Hair Pasta With Sweet Red Pepper Pesto

It's been several weeks since I participated in Presto Pasta Night.  My cooking hasn't been interesting lately, to tell the truth.  But, when I saw this recipe, it seemed promising.  It's very quick and the dish can be served at room temperature.  And angel hair pasta cooks so quickly, it doesn't heat up the kitchen.  I wish I could have used red bell peppers from my garden, but they're the size of cherry tomatoes right now.   Instead of roasting some peppers from the store, I used very good bottled roasted peppers that I like to keep on hand for quick meals.

This pesto recipe is full of flavor and would be good on sandwiches and in soup.  It doesn't have a large amount of oil or cheese in it, so the calories aren't nearly as high as some pestos I've made in the past

PPN: Linquine With Smoked Clams And Spinach

Ever since I became anemic, every meal I prepare is vetted to make sure it contains a lot of iron.  I take iron supplements twice a day, but I've always believed that vitamins and minerals are best for your body if consumed in food.   I was surprised to learn that mollusks are one of the highest sources of iron, beating out liver and beef.  This was a happy discovery because I love clams, oysters, and mussels.  Too bad I can't get my hands on cockles, they may be the highest iron source of all.  The fact is, I've never seen a cockle in my entire life, but  like most kids, I learned about them from the folk song Molly Malone.

I've long enjoyed eating smoked oysters, mussels, and clams.  So, this recipe seemed like it would taste very good, plus it contains the requisite high levels of iron from the smoked clams and spinach.  It was delicious and took barely ten minutes to prepare.

PPN: Couscous Salad With Spinach And Lemon Chive Dressing

This will be a short post, because I'm exhausted from dancing all of last night.   My legs were doing the mambo, the samba, and the tango, but the rest of my body was trying to sleep. Yes, I'm so trendy, I have that hot new ailment called Restless Leg Syndrome. I always try to keep up with the popular syndromes, and I'm very good at this one.  I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow, because lack of sleep is going to drive me to do something unpleasant. I don't know what it would be, but most likely it would involve some kind of bodily harm to someone, just for looking at me the wrong way.

So, being really grumpy and tired, I fixed this quick meal that tasted very good. It didn't make me any less grumpy though.  It uses my favorite fast pasta, couscous, with parsley, spinach chiffonade, and lemon chive dressing.  I added some tuna to it, to give myself some protein.  But, while I love tuna, it didn't make me feel any better. I also used some sun gold tomatoes from my garden, which was nice, I admit.  But, basically, I need sleep.  If I don't get some, expect to see me on news as "Northern California woman runs amuck in small town, smashing windows and shooting people with a paintball gun."  Actually, I've never used a paintball gun, but it sounds like a handy thing right now.

PPN: Confetti Couscous, With Dried Cherries And Pistachios

Thanks to everyone for motivating me to stop complaining about the cherry harvest.  Your enthusiasm made me realize that this was a gift to be enjoyed.  I saw how inferior the cherries in the grocery store looked, compared to mine.  So, after giving away nearly 30 pounds to neighbors, I got busy drying, freezing, and cooking the rest. 

Years ago, back when I made my own yogurt and granola, my mother gave me a dehydrator to dry food.  A lot of dried bananas, pineapple, and apples were produced with that machine, but eventually I packed it away, where it sat on a shelf in the garage for years, lonely and unappreciated.  My husband once told me to throw it away, but I couldn't do that.  So, I was very happy to haul it down from the shelf and dry some of the cherries.  Naturally, I thought of my mother.  I wish she was still alive to see the cherries and eat this dish.  It tasted much better than I expected. The sweet cherries, crunchy pistachios, soft couscous, seasoned with mint and basil, created a most enjoyable meal.

PPN: Alphabet Soup

I ate a lot of Campbell's soup when I was a kid.  My favorites were chicken noodle, tomato, and alphabet soup, which I ate on a weekly basis.  My mother once bought Heinz because it was on sale, and I immediately knew it wasn't Campbell's, as soon as I tasted it.  Gradually, I started eating more adventurous fare (at least I thought so at the time), like Knorr and Progresso.  But, I still have a soft spot in my heart for alphabet soup.  When I was at the grocery store, I saw a package of alphabet pasta and decided to make my own version, modeled after Campbell's.  It wasn't hard.  Tomato based broth, chopped vegetables, and pasta.  And I made sure the broth didn't have mystery floaty things in it, like onions or tomato pulp.  I don't object to that now, but hated it when I was a kid.  I enjoyed the soup I made, and thought it wasn't nearly as sweet as Campbell's, which makes me wonder if they're putting sugar into theirs.

This is my submission to Presto Pasta Night, which was started by the wonderful Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. Each Friday Ruth has a recap of wonderful pasta recipes from bloggers from all over the world.  So, do stop by and check it out.

PPN: Scallion-Chicken Noodles

I enjoy this recipe.  It's quick, simple to prepare, and delicious, with a lovely fragrance of scallions and ginger root.  Of course, not everyone likes this recipe as much me.  One friend made it, and objected to chopping an entire cup of scallions.  What?  That's not a lot of prep work.  Try making a real cobb salad someday--that's chopping worth complaining about.    I chop the scallions and grate the ginger root as the water for the pasta boils.  My only problem with this dish is sharing it with others. I want all of it myself.

This is my submission to Presto Pasta Night, which was started by the wonderful Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. Each Friday Ruth has a recap of wonderful pasta recipes from bloggers from all over the world.  So, do stop by and check it out.

PPN: Turkey And Bok Choy Wonton Soup

One of my very favorite comfort foods is wonton soup.  If I see a recipe different from those I've tried, I must make it.  To me, there's nothing so soothing and delectable than a soft wonton full of savory filling. This recipe from Martha Stewart Living included bok choy in the filling.  Hooray!  I've never made wonton soup with bok choy, so I had to correct that oversight.  As it turns out, bok choy gives the dumplings a stronger taste than spinach, which was appreciated. 

To those who think making wontons is laborious, I urge you to plunge in and make them.  It's a simple process, which I detailed here.  Once you do it, you'll get faster and faster, until you can turn them out very quickly.

PPN: Straw And Hay Pasta

Well.  Never count your chickens before they hatch.  Picture me at the knee surgeon's office today, learning that I don't qualify for a knee replacement. And picture the look on my face when he discounted the pain I feel in my knee everyday, telling me to learn to live with it.  Instead, he's sending me off to physical therapy.  I may try acupuncture on my own too. 

The Straw and Hay Pasta I made didn't help the pain in my knee in any way. But, it was quick to fix and soothing. It must have been all those carbs.  Straw and Hay recipes usually call for shredded prosciutto, but I used thinly sliced mushrooms instead.  They weren't as rich as prosciutto, but they gave the pasta a slightly meaty taste.  I love the look of the green and white pasta mixed together.  They almost made me feel cheerful.

PPN: Italian Tomato Basil Pasta With Irish Butter

I thought there was a container of homemade ragu sauce in the freezer, but a relentless search with frozen fingers proved me wrong.  I looked at the lovely tomato and basil pasta from Italy, and decided to have it with delicious Irish butter and pine nuts.  Oh yes, there was shaved parmesan on it too. And lots of freshly ground pepper.  I won't have this dish often, but it was marvelous.  I notice a lot of people are serving pasta tossed with butter or pesto lately. And there's a good reason for that.  Simple is better.

PPN: Pasta Shells Stuffed With Lamb, Feta Cheese, And Spinach

My cousins Charmayne and Keith came for dinner tonight. I haven't seen Keith, who lives in Virginia, in eons, so this was a special occasion for me.  Of course, it's always special to see Charmayne, but she lives in Sacramento.  I wanted an easy dinner to prepare, so I would be well rested and ready for the hilarity that ensued once they arrived. We talked about serious subjects too. Charmayne couldn't understand why I refuse to watch The Hills, but am a loyal viewer of The Real Housewives of Orange County.  It turned out that Keith also watches the surgically enhanced and make-up spackled ladies in Orange County.

I decided to make a baked pasta dish, and my first thought was to make lasagna. Instead, I made shells stuffed with lamb, feta cheese, and spinach, because I knew it would be was easy to assemble them the night before and store them in the fridge.  I don't have lamb very often, so I didn't substitute another meat for it. Frankly, lamb has such a distinctive taste, nothing can replace it successfully, in my opinion.  The dish was very good, but the next time I make it, I'll add golden raisins.  I think the sweetness would be great with the richness of the lamb and the tangy feta cheese.