Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name

Today was a fractured, frantic day which included:
• a vase-breaking incident while at Primary Presidency mtg (guilty party: one mischievous, tow-headed toddler)
• the 3rd trip to the grocery store in 3 days...forgetting onions EACH time...will I EVER finish this blasted canning of salsa???
• running hither & yon for the fetching & ferrying of kids; school pickups, guitar lessons, etc.
• helping with party cupcakes and breaking Ali's hand mixer
• almost ruining frosting for said cupcakes
• sitting with vase-breaking toddler in the car for 60 seemingly endless minutes while waiting for kids in guitar lessons
• reading Cinderella to Mimi 3 times in succession (which I admit was fun)
• and...
•
•
• dropping into a chair at Chili's, surrounded by some of my favorite people on the planet, being served 2 Diet Cokes at once by our Best Waiter Ever Zach--whom, by the way, we set up on a blind date & successfully married off--
• and...
•
•
• laughing our guts out for 4 hours about life's various idiosyncrasies including, but not limited to: Bert & Ernie, facebook, kids, movies, books, Disneyland, weird people in the general public, tiki torches, near-misses, Thriller, missing teeth, mutual disgust of dogs, Christmas present cleverness, the Swedish subway, Beatles Rockband and husbands.

Thanks girls.

(please note my mandatory bowl of lemons &
2 simultaneously-served Diet Cokes.)

* Not pictured: Ali & Ann, who were late.

Sunday.

I got a few boxes of peaches last week and over the course of the week did a lot of peeling and cutting. And snacking.

...and lots of stirring...

...with a break to watch Jack pop peas in his mouth.

This was my first time making peach jam and the aroma was intoxicating! For some reason, the aroma reminded me of the old Strawberry Shortcake doll named Baby Apricot--remember her? Anyway, i kept leaning over the pot and inhaling deeply and my kids all thought I was weird.

I stopped to admire my new pot, which was a result of burning my first batch and fusing the boiling peaches to the bottom of the pot. I love the deep red color. It's just a cheap walmart pot, but it's HUGE.

And here is tonight's payoff! Why are kitchen activities so cathartic to me?

My weekdays are taking on a delightfully predictable routine and I'm finding I am snapping photos of the same moments of each day; kids launching off to school, morning hair-dos, Baby on our morning walk, naptime sweetness, etc. More on that tomorrow. And Mimi had a birthday; more on that tomorrow, also. Happy Monday tomorrow, everyone!

Oh, and also--I watched this video today and it lifted my spirit.

It's got a glimpse of the amazing Stephanie Nielsen in it, which brought the message that much more poignancy.

I'll be finding a way to load it on my ipod and go for some time alone up the canyon.

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." -Julia Child

Let's hear it for Chick Food! And being a chick myself, also a chick who is always on the prowl for new pasta recipes, I dove right into this one. I mean really; lemon, heavy cream & Barefoot Contessa. What could be better? Oh, I forgot to mention the parmesan shavings. How good is that?


Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

* In my opinion, this recipe doesn't need to broccoli; it weighs down the dish.

And below you see the damage. Take a breath. No really, take one. I did. The night I made this pasta dish I also brought dinner to a friend & emerged from my Kitchen Trance to see...this.


It took me 2 days to clean it up.
Signing Off!
Crystal