A long night last night, and an even longer day today. Nicholas had a nightmare last night, that concluded with him shouting out, “Oh my goodness!” It was very cute, even if it WAS 3 am! Then, when he woke up this morning, he was complaining about his stomach hurting, which he never does, so I kept him home from school today. That was hard for him, because he REALLY wanted to go, but I won!
Since we had an appointment at the house tonight, I kept dinner nice and easy. Nicholas has been requesting spaghetti since Monday and tonight I promised him he would have it, and have it he did! He barely came up for air as he shoveled strand after strand into his mouth. He was one happy camper. Although he has a penchant for Bleu Cheese and Kalamata Olives, he loves, loves, loves plain spaghetti with red sauce. I even cheated and used jarred sauce (I know – gasp!). Hey, even I can take help from a jar every now and then. Our current favorite is a Cabernet Marinara from Classico. If you’re going to go the jar route, this one’s worth a try.
Was all set to make Lemon Poppyseed Muffins tonight, but I seem to be out of poppyseeds. I know I had them, but I think when relocating my spices, it was one that got re-evaluated and then subsequently pitched. I can’t recall ever using them in a recipe and probably bought it because it was a simple basic that I was sure I’d need someday. Of course, with today being that day, I didn’t have any, and the muffins will have to wait.
So with absolutely no new recipes to report on today, we’ll just have to talk about cookbooks … another favorite topic! There are a bunch of new ones coming out next month, so you might want to start making a list. For Rachael Ray fans, she has yet another new cookbook coming out next month, in addition to another new show on Food Network and her very own cooking magazine. The girl sure doesn’t rest much, does she? I saw an interview with her yesterday and she said she only sleeps 4-5 hours a night. I can see why!
For Sandra Lee fans, she has 3 new cookbooks coming out next month, and lastly for Michael Chiarello devotees (me! me!), he has a new one out in September as well. You can head on over to Amazon to get the scoop on all of these, and even pre-order them. Am I missing any?
OK, lunch report. The Herbed Zucchini Soup was very good, and it felt really healthy eating it. With 3 zucchinis in the soup, we definitely got our daily allowance of veggies in, that’s for sure. The Southwestern Pasta Chicken Salad was a big, fat NO. It has orange juice in the dressing which, to me and 3 others, quite frankly, made it taste weird. Definitely not recommended. But all was not lost, because lunch ended with those No Bake Cookies, which are always a winner. When in doubt, end with chocolate.
And on that note, I’m off for now. Having company for dinner Friday, so I’ll have to start thinking up a game plan. Think I have some ideas, though nothing final yet. Tune in tomorrow to see what develops. Until then…
Nicholas isn’t alone. I’m a spaghetti addict too!
It is so bad I don’t even make spaghetti anymore because I know I won’t be able to stop once I start!
I never liked pasta or any kind growing up (weird, I know) but as an adult I have really grown to love it.
Thanks for the notice on MC’s new book – I really enjoy his style of cooking.
Sandra Lee has 3 new cookbooks coming out? What is this world coming to? She’s a train wreck.
I know what you mean about the poppy seeds. Bought ’em, stored them for years, never used them. I might have pitched them too, but now I’m really not sure.
The Herbed Zucchini Soup sounds delish!
two comments: 1) poppy seeds go rancid pretty quickly, (sesame seeds, too) they should be kept in the freezer. 2) Rachael Ray is the devil. You know that, right? She’s the painfully perky brunette evil twin to Martha Stewart… who is the Mother of Lucifer. Not that I feel strongly about either of those two women. no, not me, not at all. >:-)
Jennifer – three plates later, Nicholas was quite content!
Joe – how can someone NOT like pasta? WOW! The Husband won’t eat tortellini, which I truly don’t get either. Men are strange creatures for sure.
Anon – yeah, Sandra Lee caters to a different type of audience, but she does have her place. Her newest books all have the headline “Nothing Made from Scratch” on them and while I understand not everyone cooks from scratch, I thought it was an interesting marketing tactic to scream out.
Chef Joanna – haven’t “seen” you in awhile! ;) Didn’t know that the seeds should be kept in the freezer – thanks! And yup, Rachael Ray is definitely ultra-perky and while I’ve made a lot of her recipes and have no complaints, I wish FoodTV with either spread the love with their show line-up or find new personalities to add to it. I think 4 shows for one star is a little overkill.
Mmmmm Michael…
I love his foodtv show, though I get the impression that its a couple years old (like his website!). I guess I like my shows fresh (no comment about how I like my men…)
I totally agree on the RR overkill. Foodtv did the same with Emiril. It’s odd too since seeing the choose-the-next-star show I’ve really come away with the sense that Foodtv has huge gaps to fill and the talent is out there. Where are the vegetarian/vegan shows? Where are the black chefs? Where are the shows for people not afraid of cooking?
Grrr… now you’ve got me going. Should blog this one someday…