Spaghetti es Goode, no?

Pasta o Cheape..

   
   I don’t know about you, but it is not a good idea for me to keep heavy cream around.  I am a certified lover of the stuff (How do you think I got my nickname?) and would probably be whipping cream and doing all kinds of nefarious things to it that is very, very bad. 

   So how do I even contemplate making a rose sauce without cream?  Cream cheese and 2% milk.  I don’t even know if that’s low fat, but it was quick to make, cheap and Gods help me, it was good. 

Pantry Rose Sauce (Serves 3 to 4)

2 tbs tomato paste

½ cup of dry white wine

1 heaping tsp of minced garlic

1 tsp of semi fresh basil? (I use the stuff in a jar)

1/3 cup of 2% milk

1 tbs of cream cheese

1 tbs of parmesan cheese (I used dried, don’t judge me)

1 cup of reserved pasta water

Fresh basil (garnish, but absolutely essential in my book)

Olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Saute the garlic lightly in olive oil and add tomato paste.  Add white wine and stir in jarred basil.  Season with a little salt, Italian seasonings and simmer medium low for 6 minutes  
2. Stir in cream cheese slowly to melt down with milk, simmer again for 3 minutes on low.  Season again with salt and pepper and a half a tbs of parmesan cheese. 
3. Turn heat to medium and add spaghetti noodles, and the remaining tbs of parmesan cheese.  Toss and when it starts to “tighten up” add the reserved pasta water.  
4. Serve immediately with fresh basil, roasted chicken and a drizzle of olive oil.  A last sprinkle of Parmesan can go on if you’d like.

Happy Things

Yummm in a bowl....

Tuna rice makes me happy for a multitude of reasons.  It is inexpensive with pantry items and herbs; adding to a buck and some change… maybe.  (I may be over guestimating the price of the pantry items.)  It is laughingly easy to make, you really can’t mess it up.

And it is delicious.  Crisp fresh herbs garnishing juicy chunks of fish on a bed of jasmine rice.  Dressed to perfection every time with soy sauce, siracha and sesame oil.   My perfect marriage of Asian flavors with the Americaness of Bumblebee Chunk Light. 

I can’t even feel guilty over something that good. 

Tuna Rice (1 serving or two if you're not stingy. I am :p)

1 ½ cup cooked white jasmine basmati rice

1 can of BumbleBee Chunk Light Tuna

1 stalk of green onions (scallions?)

1 palmful of chopped cilantro

1 wedge of lemon

1 tsp of Soy sauce, sesame oil

Siracha and pepper to taste

I won’t even insult your intelligence over the assembly.  Just enjoy :) 

   

Sometimes You Just Have to Say Something

                Do you ever want to just sit one of your girlfriends down and say “Girrrrl, we need to talk! ”?

                Sometimes I think we need to do that for ourselves first. 

                Don't get me wrong, I DO like myself.  I really do.  It took me a really long time to figure that out actually.  I am a STAR PLAYER, a diva, a darling, just an all around awesome person.

                But I just got to slap myself with the truth sometimes and buckle down to it.  I’m terrified to start my life.  I don’t want to send in my audition tape.  I feel fat.  So it is paaasst time I need to sit myself down, hand me a steaming chai tea latte and TALK.

               

              You are only 24 years old and JUST ARRIVING.  So roll out the red carpet and put on some LIPSTICK ON FOR GODSAKES!  Put your best face and shoe forward for your debut, now is NOT the time to waste!  Suck it in, put your breasts out and SMILE my darling.  Are you trembling in your stilettos?  TOO BAD!  Life is coming at you and if you blink you’ll miss it.  Stop eating garbage, attempt to exercise and stop shrinking back! Try to make it without faking it. The rest, we'll figure out together. Because this premier is for YOU only, and YOU are the one to look out for.  

           Sigh...
           I love me.