I’ve been craving bad things. Things I gave up years ago and promised myself I wouldn’t eat again. Things that always leave me full of regret and craving nutrient-rich food. I’m hoping this is a short phase of pregnancy. Because Pizza Hut pan pizzas and massive amounts of ice cream must end. Though moderate amounts of ice cream are welcome. Very welcome. That’s one thing I’ll never give up. Read more
I got my wish. Ended work early on Friday afternoon. Hot chocolate just because. And picturesque snow falling, which turned into a blizzard. An epic one! We’re 34″ under, nearly 3 feet. The roads haven’t been plowed, nor has the backyard where our car sits. We did dig our car out yesterday. Maybe more so to feel justified in drinking another cup of hot chocolate. We’re getting a little stir crazy. It’s times like this I dream of cable, On-Demand, Netflix, and Jetson mobiles. We’re keeping our bellies happy though, making biscuits and cinnamons rolls and Gnocchi Macaroni and Cheese while doing some yoga to balance it all out. Can you even call that balance? Read more
I’m back in action. Thanks for your sweet comments while I was out soaking up computer screen rays. My vitamin HTML levels are at an all time high. And I’ve never felt more unrested. I kid. Well, not really. But on a positive note, I’m making a tiny dent in that big ole t0-do list. We rented out our condo (hallelujah!). My resume and portfolio are near completion. My sister’s wedding invites and website are done. I dried and straightened my hair for the first time since Christmas (TMI, sorry). And those secret projects I mentioned are cooking up nicely. One foot in front of the other. Read more
Can I tell you something? This Food Matters Project is changing my life. We are trying a new recipe every week. It’s quite a miracle. If I actually made New Years resolutions, this would be one of them. It’s also cleaning up our diet. Our meals are more focused around vegetables that, might I add, taste good. No, divine. This week was no different—Roasted Red Pepper Pesto. Fingers dirty. Playing with food. Peeling off red pepper skin. I was in little girl heaven. There’s something beautiful about holding the food you make. Turning it into something palatable. I felt like an artisan. Read more
Did you lose sleep wondering how I served these homemade pasta noodles? Hopefully not.
Originally, I thought I would coat these cute little guys in a pink vodka sauce. Then I remembered New Years was only days ago. Something lighter was in order. Drum roll please—so I decided to go with Pesto. Spinach Pesto that is.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks—Everyday Food. It’s quick. Easy. Healthy. What more could you ask for?
Spinach Pesto
Everyday Food
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
4 c. lightly packed fresh spinach leaves
1 garlic clove
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. In a food processor, combine nuts, spinach, parmesan, and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth.
3. In a saucepan, add pesto to your cooked homemade noodles. (I also sauteed a couple chopped tomatoes and an onion for extra veggies prior to adding the noodles with pesto to the saucepan.) Cook for 5 minutes and serve.
Pesto will keep for 1 week in the fridge.
I have to be honest, I was nervous how this would turn out. First time making homemade noodles with my new machine. First time making spinach pesto. This could have spelled disaster. Thankfully, it was just the opposite. We ate every last noodle and then wished for more.
