When we last talked I mentioned something about some free salad - so if you commented on that post send me your address (lunchbucketsATgmail.com)and I'll send you a coupon. You know, in a month or two. I know I've said it before, but blogging is hard you guys! 
1. sketti and meatballs
2. broccoli
I've had better and that's about all I want to say about that.
1. pasta with spinach and egg
2. strawberries
3. cheese and crackers
4. best banana bread ever
I was gonna post the recipe for the best banana bread ever - but I must have lost it. I've looked everywhere. Well, everywhere that I could look without actually, you know, getting up and looking. If I don't find it I'll be really sad - cause it really was the best banana bread ever.
**edited to add pasta "recipe"**
Pasta with Spinach & Egg
1 lb dried pasta
big pile of spinach
handful of grated parm
couple of garlic cloves sliced really thin
glug of olive oil
glug of cream or half & half or milk
4 eggs
Start the pasta water. Pour a glug of oil into a saute pan with the sliced garlic and bring to medium heat. When the garlic gets soft but not brown through in a big pile of washed and dried spinach leaves. Stir the spinach around until it wilts, slap on a lid and take it off the heat. Start the water to poach your eggs (I do one per person). When the pasta is done scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain. Dump the drained pasta back in the cooking pan and add the spinach/garlic/oil, a glug of your chosen dairy, and the parmesan and stir it around. Poach the eggs unless you're lucky enough to have sous chef to do it for you, in which case ask them to poach the eggs. Toss the pasta around with enough of the pasta water until it looks moist but not drippy, you probably won't use the entire measure. Serve the pasta with a poached egg on top with a little coarse salt sprinkled over and let everyone pepper to taste. When you pop the yolk it all melts down into the pasta and tastes better than anything so simple has a right to taste.
1. chard stuffed pepper
2. garlic noodles
3. raspberries
This started out as a way to use up all the bits before the next shopping trip and ended up being a pretty good meal. I had a little chard so I chopped up the stems and sauteed them with some onion and garlic, when they were soft I added the leaves and stirred them around until they wilted. I stuffed it in a par-cooked pepper half and grilled it until it had some nice charred lines then plopped onto some pasta that I had tossed with some olive oil, slivered garlic and toasted pine nuts. After it cooled I threw some grated parmesan on top, packed it up, took it to work and I ate it. I loved it. People that don't have excessive affection for chard would probably like it too.
Who's there? Leftover gnocchi that's who! Or what. Whatever.
We went to La Stalla so He could have his involtini di vitello and then make out with his plate. I like La Stalla, but I'm not in love with anything in particular so tonight, it was the gnocchi. Tomorrow, it will be the gnocchi. I added some bread, and a little container of peppered oil and packed it all up in my super cool aluminum lunchbox.
Oh! See that basil? From my basil plant. I know!
1. pasta salad
2. steak
3. cherries
4. tiny red bean filled cake
Honestly I love having leftovers for lunch - makes life just a little bit easier. I already know what I'm going to pack, and I already know it's going to be delicious. Win-win.
I have a habit of picking up different lunch containers as I come across them whether I really need them or not. This particular container is a two peice plastic "tiffin" made in India that I found at a local dollar store. I really like this set - it's perfect for this type of meal.
1. spaghetti with a giant halved meatball and shaved parmesan
2. green salad with dressing in the small bottle
Here's what it looks like all stacked up and ready to go.
There's still time to enter Haiku That Blog! v1.0
1. pasta salad
2. cheese
3. bagel chips
4. blueberries (under the cookie)
5. pink cookie with sprinkles
Well is it?
Me and Olive Garden used to be like *first 2 fingers twisted together symbolizing mutual tightness* that. When I lived in Arkansas and got tired of red hot dogs I would sometime drive 200 miles round trip to eat at the Olive Garden and thought it was totally worth it. I loved it. But over the years we've grown apart. It's been years since I was last tempted by unending salad and breadsticks. The love had died.
He was seduced by the commercial for lasagna rollatini. With chicken. He wanted to go. We went. I had cheese ravioli. It wasn't good.
The love remains dead.
1. leftover Olive Garden ravioli
2. snow peas and roasted yellow peppers
3. leftover Olive Garden bread stick made into croutons
4. complimentary Olive Garden mint candy
A lunch that was as delcious as it deserved to be.
Another stop on the quest for the perfect Mac & Cheese.
I'm really not a huge macaroni and cheese fan. But he is. So here's the latest rendition:
Perfect Mac & Cheese v.12
1/2 c milk
4 ounces of Velveeta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
black pepper
8 ounces elbow macaroni (boiled and drained)
2 T salted butter (melted)
1 cup bread crumbs
Melt the Velveeta in the milk over medium low heat in a 2 quart saucepan, stirring constantly with a whisk until smooth. Add the shredded cheeses about 1/4 of a cup at a time, stirring until smooth between additions. Add the garlic salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Dump the macaroni into the sauce pan and stir to coat. Empty into an 11x7 inch buttered casserole. Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs using a fork then sprinkle over the macaroni. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.
It was pretty good. Some people didn't like the ratio of crumb topping to macaroni, while others of us loved it. All agreed that it was a bit dry. I think we'll try this one again with about 1/4 cup more liquid and 1/2 the breadcrumbs. I'd also brown it a bit more if starving heathens can spare the time.
Dinner was way too late last night - at least there were leftovers! The italian chicken sausage was from Trader Joe's - it was okay - but not pork - enough said.
1. leftover pasta with chicken sausage and vegetables
2. hummus with a pepper lid
3. pretzels
4. grape tomatoes
5. baby carrots
The pepper top was leftover from making the pasta for dinner. I thought it was rather clever of me to use it as a lid. Of course I am easily amused.
1. dinosuar shaped chicken nuggets
2. pasta salad
3. container of ranch
4. grapes on a pick
5. 3 teeny apples
6. strawberry mochi
7. Babybel cheese
Check out my super complex pasta salad recipe here.
When Boy came home today, "I really enjoyed the pasta salad." Guess you had to be there.
1. dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets
2. lone tomato
3. crostini with goat cheese
4. pasta salad
5. grapes a on a pick
6. strawberry
7. container of ranch
8. tiny pear
Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is a great way to use leftover pasta. We're all mayonaisse freaks so I don't even fancy up the dressing - just drained and cooled leftover pasta with some chopped vegetables (carrot and celery this time) enough mayonaisse to make it shiny and salt and pepper to taste.
© Blogger templates Shiny by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
