dinner last night and breakfast this morning

Baked Pasta Casserole Recipe
March 13, 2008 | by Heidi |

i made a quarter of this recipe, used kale, caramelized the onion and it worked perfectly:

a relatively healthy pasta casserole (well, it had me stumped for a while) - like the pasta salads we've talked about before - everything just has a tendency to get so uber-starchy, drowning in too much sauce or cheese, and out of balance. Anyways, on the casserole front, this is my attempt to rein it in a bit, and still have it taste delicious.

A slice served with a citrus-dressed side salad is a nice lunch. Nibbles from the pan first thing in the morning are also hard to resist. Hint: go for the crusty, golden corner pieces where the sides of the pan meet the bottom.

Baked Pasta Casserole Recipe

I use whole wheat shells here, but feel free to experiment with other short pasta. If you are in a pinch for time forget the baking all together and just toss the cooked pasta with the spinach skillet, and sprinkle with the mozzarella before serving.

extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound whole wheat pasta shells
sea salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups well-chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
zest of 2 lemons
8 ounces mozzerella, shredded or torn into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter/oil a large casserole dish or baking pan - something roughly equivalent to 13x9-inch pan.

Boil the pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain pasta, toss with a glug of olive oil. Set aside.

In the meantime, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute the onions with a couple pinches of salt for a few minutes (or if you want a bit more depth of flavor until caramelized). Stir in garlic. Stir in spinach. Cook for just about 20 seconds, until the spinach collapses a bit. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the almonds and 1/2 of the zest. Add to pasta and stir and stir - mixing extremely well, a minute or so.

Now sprinkle the bottom of baking dish with the rest of the zest. Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the baking pan, now sprinkle with some of the cheese, add more pasta, then more cheese. Finish with a layer of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly and melty. Serve sprinkled with the remaining almonds.

Serves 8.

an omelet sandwich for the pea

three green onions sauteed in olive oil
add four eggs combined with half and half
let cook till partially set over low heat, letting uncooked egg run under cooked part
add arugula, sliced roma tomatoes and parmesean with salt and pepper

flip and cook
flip and cook some more

divide omelet into three pieces

between two slices of five grain toast, sandwich a third

serve to diana

she is happy

eat the other two yourself

xxoo

bo-ring?

but still. here's what i had for dinner, sitting alone in my kitchen.

i went to the y and it kicked my ass. it was that ultra work-all by traci who everybody knows smiles while she tortures. i can't go tomorrow, or wed, or thurs, or fri. so i had to go today.

crusty and dishevelled, i looked at the 1/4 of tilapia and did a search on the trusty epicurious. this looked simple. so i went with it.

made some chile lime butter with 1/2 T butter, lime juice and lime zest and salt and chopped shallot. to top the tilapia that i browned in a smidge of hot olive oil. sorta like elliot spitzer. i wish i could have given his poor wife some. she looked like she was either hungry, or going to throw up.

i microwaved a couple of baby potatoes, quartered them and topped them with a little sour cream.

had some cheap (french) table wine. after i ate i had some arugula with olive oil and balsamic and pepper.

then, something i didn't need but wanted. a double chocolate biscotti. by this time, it's countdown with keith olbermann.

another glass. more water.

goodbye.

Skittles soup

Recipe: Red Lentil Soup With Lemon


Published: January 9, 2008

Time: 45 minutes

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste

1 quart chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup red lentils

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.