My Favorite [ridiculously easy] Pasta

Oh, hey there, November! When did you get here? How did you sneak up on me like that? How did my little brother just turn twenty-freaking two? How is Thanksgiving next week? I had such grand plans. They involved butter, sugar, and lots of practice. They used egg whites and whipped them to peaky perfection. And purple sweet potatoes and coconut milk. And getting me to like brussel sprouts. So many things I had planned! And yet, here I am. Trying frantically to clean out my refrigerator to make room for a turkey that can feed eight. and three pies. And how many sides? I lost count. 

So if you are finding yourself in the same boat, with November flying by without you being entirely prepared for it, lacking motivation to do grocery shopping before the epic bender you’re going on this weekend, and your refrigerator stockpile slowly dwindling in the face of what you know is going to be a pie-turkey-potato-green bean EXPLOSION next week, this one’s for you. 

Pasta with Walnut Sauce

We Love Nick. What’s that? You have no idea who Nick is? That’s okay. I have a feeling you love him too, you just don’t know it yet. Nick is my cousin’s fiancée, and also our friend. Because we like him. So, well, you probably don’t know him. But let me tell you about him: he gave me this recipe. It was delicious. And deliciously easy. I think that’s all you need to know for now.

Do you know how awesome walnuts are? Um.. they’re like one of those superfoods people talk about a lot these days. They’re one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat and they are really high in omega-3-fatty acids which, if you didn’t know, make you smarter. Fact. Or something like that. Anyways, this sauce is mostly walnuts which means this pasta is ridiculously healthy for you. Another win. Because it means you can eat giant servings of it for several days in a row and feel really good about yourself. And have an extra-large milkshake for dessert. It’s called balance, people.

So. Grab yourself a bag of walnuts (okay, I know they are kind of pricey. But you can get a three pound bag at costco and eat walnuts for the rest of forever. Just make sure you keep them in the freezer so they don’t go bad.) And let’s say a silent ‘thank you’ to Nick for this kick butt pasta sauce recipe. Thanks Nick!

ps. check this recipe out on the Magic Bullet Blog too!

Walnut Pasta Sauce (courtesy of Nick. and also his mother, whose recipe this really is. I think. I adapted it only slightly.)

So not only is this recipe ridiculously easy to make (like, blend and dump easy) and ridiculously healthy for you, but it is also vegetarian and could oh-so easily be made  gluten free. I’ll mention below what you can sub out to make it so!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted until deep golden brown (you can do this in a 375 degree oven or on top of a stove, tossing them often, just watch them carefully if you do it on the stove so you don’t burn them. But don’t skip the roasting step! it’s what brings out all the nutty flavor of the walnuts)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup half and half (you could use milk or cream or whatever you have. or even a non-dairy alternative.)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• a large 1/4 tsp italian seasoning
• 3 tsp fresh squeeze lemon juice
• 1 lb linguine, fettuccine or other pasta; cooked and drained (if you use brown rice pasta, this recipe is gluten-free. Ta-da!)

These are the instructions as they were given to me: Blend first [11] ingredients. Dump onto pasta.

I’ll add that you should then mix it well and serve it with some wine. But that’s just me. 

Pea Pesto Crostini

I dunno if you guys are as bad as me, but I’m going to guess you are since you’re reading this. But blogs are addicting. Like, really, really addicting. It’s hard to do real work. I get so sidetracked. You know what has made it even worse? Pinterest. Ugh. It’s the bane of my existence, seriously. There are so many pretty pictures! I click them all. And then I’m stuck on these dang blogs that are captivating for whatever crazy reason and I can’t. stop. reading.

So this pesto. I found it on a blog. Cupcakes and Cashmere, you heard of it? If you don’t want to become obsessed, I’m warning you now, don’t click on the link. It’ll suck you in. You won’t be able to stop. People, I don’t even give a flip about fashion and I can’t. stop. reading. And I think part of it is that every once in awhile, (and let’s face it, when you’re stalking food blogs which is what I normally stalk.. it’s more than just once in awhile.) you come across something like this pea pesto. And you try it because, well, why the heck not you always have frozen peas in the freezer and you really don’t know what to do with them otherwise, and then you love it. And you know why you obsess over these things we call blogs. Because they’re awesome. They are a source of inspiration and a way to escape from your desk job and make yourself drool over fabulous looking food, and then maybe even go home and try it. Because hey, if they can do it, so can I, right? right.

So let’s try this. Let’s try this pea pesto together. Tell me what you think. I think you’re gonna like it.

*ps. I originally wrote this post for the Magic Bullet Blog. Check it out here!*

Pea Pesto Crostini (found on Cupcakes and Cashmere; recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentis of Food Network)

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup parmesan, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• A loaf or two of crusty bread; a baguette works best here, but you could really use any kind of crusty bread.
• olive oil for brushing
• A handful of cherry or grape (or other small) tomatoes; sliced into chunks

Procedure

1. In a blender or food processor, blend together peas, parmesean, salt, pepper, and 1/3 cup olive oil until smooth. Boom. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary (this will depend on how salty your cheese is).  Set aside.
2. Cut your crusty bread into slices; about 1/2 inch or so thick, maybe a little less. Brush on both sides with olive oil and grill or toast under the broiler on both sides. (if you do it under the broiler, watch them carefully! those suckers burn quick!)
3. Spread your toast slices with a hefty portion of the pea pesto, top with a slice of tomato and dig right in there! You should probably share, but I won’t judge you if you eat two or three before you bring the plate around..

Chimichurri

I’m going to tell you a story about chimichurri. Except I don’t know anything about it at all. Never even heard of it until Brett decided he wanted to make it.  So. Let’s have wikipedia tell us a story about chimichurri. Well. Apparently it is a sauce for meat, originating in Argentina, but also found in Uruguay, Nicaragua, Columbia, and Mexico. We ate it. Here in Hawaii. So now it’s come really far. And you know what, it was delicious. So I’m going to go ahead and insist that you try it, wherever you are, in which case the humble sauce of Argentina will travel the entire world. Wouldn’t that be thrilling?  I have no idea if this is actually a humble sauce. But it’s a delicious one.

You know what else is cool? It turns your meat green. Which, if you, like we, bring it to share at a BBQ, well it just might turn some people off with its hue. Which means you don’t have to share all that much at all. Not because you didn’t try or anything. Double win.

Well hey there, Puddin’!

Pudding. Puddin’. Awwww puddin’! Seriously though, who doesn’t love pudding? Apparently some people, actually. There are actual people who don’t love pudding. But I challenge all you non-pudding lovers: you haven’t met this pudding.

I was trying to make pudding for at least a month, maybe even longer, but every time I got excited about it and on the walk home announced “Today I’m making pudding!” I was greeted with a resounding “meh” out of Brett….Meh?? Seriously, meh??? How can you be ‘meh’ about pudding?! So finally, this weekend, I had just about had it. Plus I wanted something sweet and we had no eggs in the house. So hah. Pudding time. And you know what? He effing loved it. Apparently the only pudding he ever had was jello instant pudding. So I guess I can’t really blame him for not being as excited as I was about pudding. But now he’s excited. Which means I can make pudding a lot more often. Score.

Some Chili + Cornbread, baby!

So I realize that chili is different things to different people. And it’s one of those foods that gets people all riled up. Y’know, the kind of food that can start a fight. Because people, they love Their Chili. Not just chili. Their Chili. And they’ll get all up in your grill if you do/do not add beans/fresh chilis/ground beef/beef chunks/ veggies/tomatoes/doyagetthepicture? I guess you could call it  a contentious food, even. Well, I’m sure this here chili that I made is gonna get some of you all riled up (as will my cornbread, probably, since that gets people plenty riled too!). And I’m about to tell you something that’ll get you even more riled up..

      Not only was last night the first time I ever made chili… but up until, oh I don’t know, a couple months ago maybe, maybe as long ago as a year, I had never eaten chili. Seriously. Never. (Whenever it was chili night at my house growing up I ate cottage cheese. Like, people, I ate cottage cheese with crackers for dinner. What the eff was wrong with me?!) So clearly I am not of of those chili experts and I’m not gonna try and tell you what does and does not belong in a chili. But I will tell you this: this here chili I made.. it was fantastic.