I have been cooking a lot lately but I've been relying on the old standbys and haven't made anything new in a while. I felt like I was rehashing the same baked chicken and pastas and, really, do you need another picture of that? I doubt it.

Then, last week, I got my November issue of Everyday Food, which is probably my favorite cooking magazine. I think the dishes are attainable, tasty and usually pretty quick and easy. I put a few on the menu for this week and last night made Tortellini with Broccoli and Tomatoes.

First of all, I have to say this is a really spectacular dish. It took me all of 10-15 minutes to make and it was absolutely delicious served with some nice toasted garlic bread. It reminded me a bit of a bruschetta with the garlic and tomatoes but the broccoli added a really nice crunch. This dish was just screaming for some thickly shaved Parmesan on top and, sadly, I didn't have any but I won't make that mistake next time.

I was a little surprised to find this in a November issue of Everyday Food because it really feels and tastes like the perfect summer dish--light, flavorful, quick to make so you don't have to heat up your kitchen. I suspect it would be even better with a really great heirloom tomato from the garden and some freshly torn basil leaves.

All in all though, it was supertasty and will probably be going into somewhat heavy rotation here as a quick easy meal after a long day.

Tonight is another new meal and tomorrow there is a new side dish on the menu! woohoo for new things!

Posted by fruitychick at 08:32 AM | Permalink

I love getting mail--especially when its fiber related! I got two packages this week: my Hello Yarn Fiber club and my Spunky Eclectic Fiber/Sock Yarn Club.

Spunky Eclectic:

I really love being a member of both the sock club and the Fiber club. I find it absolutely amazing how differently the same colorway looks in a sock yarn and a fiber. This fiber, by the way, is named Aspen after the colors of the region. Its and incredibly soft merino/tencel blend. Lovely!

Hello Yarn:

I couldn't capture all the lovely colors in a single shot, so heres two shots of the fiber. Its a Merino wool and its incredibly soft with rich colors. I can't wait to spin it! I'm almost a little sorry I started new spinning last night!

Speaking of--I'm playing catch up with most of these clubs since I'm only now getting a bit of regular spinning time. Right now, I'm working on the July shipment of the Spunky Club--named Celebration. When I first opened the box, I was, honestly, a little unimpressed. The colors just didnt seem to go and the large amounts of black and white in the roving just didnt appeal to me. But then I saw lots of other people's spun up and just fell in love. A real lesson in how an ugly roving can be a pretty yarn and a pretty roving can make an ugly yarn.

This is a little overspun but I'm ok with it. I'm either going to chain-ply it to keep the colors in tact or just run it through the wheel backwards and keep it as a laceweight yarn with very long color repeats. I wanted to mainted long color repeats either way, so I didnt split the roving at all down the middle. Its my first time doing it successfully and I'm really enjoying seeing the gradual color changes.

After finishing Munch's Hallowig, I realized I only had one real project on the needles--time to cast on for something new!

This is my second try with this yarn. The first attempt was just a poor pattern choice: it had eyelets and a little laceyness to it and the yarn was completely overwhelming. I really love the garter rib (from sensational knitted socks). I think it breaks up the colors just enough to have a nice mottled sock.

I also cooked up a little something last night--an old standby: Pasta Pizza.

And a little something special for dessert: Strawberries with White Chocolate Sauce (try #2):

Yum! Recipes are in the description over at flickr!

Posted by fruitychick at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is so easy, its ridiculous. While I do like to cook, I keep "emergency meals" on hand for us if I am just not feeling up to cooking. Usually its just a frozen pizza with some frozen veggies but I decided to try one of those bertoli frozen pasta meals (though I did balk at the sodium count in those things--holy cow!). Once I tasted it, I knew I could do better, so this dish was born! Its become a really nice pantry standby for us since I almost always have all the ingredients around.

You'll have lots of leftovers but its great the second day. We usually get about three meals for each of us out of it.

1 box of penne pasta
1 package of beef smoked sausage, cut into thin circles
2 cans of artichoke hearts, quartered
1 lb broccoli florets
1 can chopped tomatos
1 tblsp tomato paste
dried rosemary

You'll need two pots going at once: one to cook the pasta and one to cook everything else. You'll add the pasta to the everything else pot, so make sure that one is big enough to handle everything. Youll also need to steam the brocoli in the microwave while everything is going on. I know it sounds like a lot, but it all comes together in the end.

Start the pasta cooking in one pot and while thats happening...

In a large pot (this is the perfect job for my favorite le creuset cast iron pot), brown the sausage well. In a small microwavable bowl, steam the broccoli with a few tblsp of water.

To the large pot, add the can of chopped tomatos, rosemary and tomato paste, stir to combine. Add the artichoke hearts, steamed broccoli. Salt and pepper well. Add the cooked, drained pasta and combine.

Add some dried chile flakes for spice and some parmesan cheese for yumminess.

Enjoy!

Posted by fruitychick at 09:00 AM | Permalink