For some, taste is personal...

...for others, it's in their mouths. And so it went tonight as it often does: Adults give dinner a thumbs up; Lads eat as much as they have to in order to respectfully ask to be excused.

The amusing thing is that Dill kvetched only about the veg, and yet he left the pasta in the bowl...go figure. At least he was feeling better, even after fistfuls of Cheez-Its, strawberries and other assorted snackies that I'm guessing were the hors d'oeuvres. Sheesh! I even threw the croutons he requested Sunday onto the pasta.

Jere, on the other hand, just wanted to get back to his homework. The guy has priorities.

As for mine - priority, that is - I coulda used a bit more sauce...but I liked it. And John, well, he rarely meets a plate of food he doesn't find the bottom of.

Details?
Here goes:

-Start salted water to boil for 1lb whole wheat spaghetti and heat large non-stick skillet.
-Saute about 4 slices applewood smoked bacon that's been cut into half-inch pieces, add about 2t olive oil then 4 large minced garlic cloves, half onion cubed (leftover from last night's dinner), pinch salt and nice grind of pepper and saute until translucent.
-To this, add half a cubed apple, 1 and a half t chopped rosemary saute then add 3 cups chopped fresh kale, 2 splashes white wine (the chardonnay in the fridge), 2 splashes chicken stock, more salt & pepper (more p than s!) and a nice grate of nutmeg...just before tossing with the pasta, add about 2 and a half T cream.
-Top with grated parm & leftover croutons - gotta get rid of 'em somehow!

All in all, it was an OK dinner...dealt with leftovers, didn't have to defrost anything, mixed together crazy stuff...a typical night. Not the hit my young friend Evan was in his school play, but not a flop either. (Maybe that's why my Beloved Blueshirts lost in OT to Cindy, who knows?)

Righetti Spaghetti

Remember that?
K, so it's not Wednesday...but Thursday was pasta night. It's my go-to meal anchor when I can't recall what's in the freezer so the protein bubbles come up empty.

Driving home, I (mentally!) ran through the pantry (and fridge) options: Canned diced tomatoes, check, oooo and they're fire roasted too...when did I get those?; canned artichoke hearts, check; bacon, check; capers and anchovies, check...

What I didn't have was actual spaghetti! Half box of this, half box of that. Who didn't eat those nights?

OK, penne'll have to do. Oooo, what's that? Golden raisins! A little sweetness to balance the salty, smoky stuff...Score!

Details?
Here goes:

-Started water for pasta with a *lot* of salt...Yes, I find it *does* flavor the pasta.
-Into a saute pan with about 2T of olive oil went four minced garlic cloves, and a large minced shallot. And when I realized I didn't start the bacon before the aromatics, I got it out of the freezer and lopped off the equivalent of about two slices of the applewood smoked kind and tossed it into the pan. To keep the aromatics from burning while the bacon defrosted, I added about a quarter cup of water.
-As the water cooked down, added about four anchovy fillets. Sssshhh, don't tell Jere...he doesn't do food that lives in water. With a little wooden-spoon mashing, they 'melted' into the bit of water and the oil. Added the drained capers, about 1T.
-Added a 15oz can of tomatoes with juice and a good handful of the raisins...a bit more water -- gotta have a sauce afterall! -- and then the drained artichoke hearts which I halved. Ground some pepper on top...didn't need salt with the capers, anchovies and bacon.
-A pound of pasta into the water; sauce simmering...
-Put the drained pasta into the sauce and all into a big bowl...parm on top...

Family happily fed...and no leftovers.