& that's the way life goes

Fettuccine with Artichokes & Basil

(from my trusty Better Homes & Garden Cookbook I inherited from my mom)

25 Minutes/low fat

4oz fettuccine or fuilli

1 9oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed or one 14oz jar or can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained.

1 1/2 cups chopped red or green sweet pepper (2 medium)

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2/3 cup seeded & chopped tomato (1 medium)

1/4 cup fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook fettuccine 8-10 minutes or till tender but still firm.  Drain; keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, place frozen artichoke hearts in a colander under cold running water to separate.  In a large skillet cook and stir artichokes, sweet pepper, onion and garlic in hot il over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or till vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in tomato and basil.  Cook and stir about 2 minutes more or till heated through.  Add vegetable mixture to fettuccine; toss gently to mix.  If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

5 years ago today I met C.  I should tell you the story sometime.  I’ll think about it.  Anyhow we actually spent the day together running errands.  Fun stuff huh?  I felt like making something for dinner and this is what sounded good.

Note: I forgot to rinse the artichoke hearts…And I forgot to buy the tomato…And next time I’ll add more than 3 cloves of garlic

But it was good for us and tasty

I had ice cream for dinner.  And it wasn’t low-fat or vanilla.  It was full-fat death by chocolate.  And I refuse to feel guilty.

I told Naggy -  that’s what I call the part of my brain that makes me feel bad for eating good tasting things -  to shut the f*ck up for once.

Usually, to satisfy myself and not give Naggy too much room to complain, I’ll grab the smallest bowl out of the cupboard.  I’m not joking when I say it’s small, it holds one scoop of ice cream.  But last night, ohhh sweet, chocolately last night, I grabbed a “big boy” bowl and had 3 scoops plus a spoon full.  I sat down in the chair at the table and slowly ate my dinner.  It was all delicious until I bit into a hard part and had to chew the almonds that are in it.

Oh – wait- did I forget to tell you why I decided to eat ice cream for dinner?

Funny story…I was sparring with my dad.  It’s great sparring with my dad, he kicks me and I learn how to get the f*uck out of the way.  I’m sure later in my training I’ll be fast enough to strike back but for now it’s all about not getting attacked repeatedly (because pads or not, it stings a little).  One round kick, that was meant for my chest pad, caught me in the chin.  Yep, I must have leaned into it, not unlikely because I haven’t trained myself to automatically lean backwards yet.   Ok so my chin you’re thinking, “that must have hurt”.  Yeah I’m not going to lie it hurted a little but what really took the blow was the right side of my jaw :p  Hence, the pain when I had to chew the almonds of my yummy chocolate goodness.  I woke myself up last night, I must have been clenching my jaw or grinding my teeth, not sure which one.

Luckily, it’s feeling better today, I can chew at least.  I was worried because if it hurt to chew how would I eat?!  And eating is one of my favorite things to do!  And now I have until Monday to recover.  Phew!

Seriously, I recommend eating ice cream for dinner though…YUM

I got to catch up with a college friend tonight. It was a fabulous time and the food wasn’t bad either

Baklava, hummus, bread, falafel with hummus and tabbouli. Yum!

I have been talking about food a lot lately. I promise to broaden my horizons soon.

Mmmmmm…homemade green pepper and mushroom pizza. Nothing fancy but it’s delicious, especially with some beer. Cheers!

Now all I want to do is curl up with a good book.   Next reads:

• Kitchen Confidential (maybe?) -  Anthony Bourdain
• Bright Lights, Big Ass – Jen Lancaster
• Buddhism without Beliefs – Stephen Batchelor
• Buddhism Is Not What You Think: Finding Freedom Beyond Beliefs – Steve Hagen
  
• Gods behaving badly (fiction) – Marie Phillips

Yes, I am going to read books on Buddhism.  No, I’m not Buddhist.