Moving and angst are natural partners. We’ve been moving upstairs and emptying a storage unit this week — as in:
“I didn’t even know I still (or ever) had this!”
“Where the f**k did all this crap come from?”
“I have never seen a dust mouse that big. Ever.”
“Oh God, how am I going to get all this done before the semester starts on Tuesday?”
“Leandro please don’t run in front of: the moving truck/hand truck/person trying to move a big box up the stairs/me. ”
“Sweet Jesus, the moving guy just looked in that long-unopened drawer before I had a chance to remove the scandalous lingerie that I had completely (and sadly) forgotten about.”
…etc. etc. etc….
and add to that an aching, frigging back from said moving, ’cause the ten years that have passed since I last saw that stuff haven’t made me any younger. Heavy sigh.
So, our diet has not been virtuous – Chef Boyardee was on the menu more than once; reheated pizza, Cheese-Its, leftover Halloween chocolate, cheese and crackers, cheese and crackers, salty popcorn, basically a diet of shut-up food all in front of the T.V. and endless repeats of a Scooby-Doo video — where can I buy those Scooby Snacks, anyway, cause Lord knows they would fit right in with my current mode…
But within the frenzy, I have made some good food happen too, thanks to some of the very recipes you have seen here. The spinach sauce for pasta served for a couple of meals, especially because I used farfalle (bow ties), which Leandro really really digs (and which grip a lot of spinach).
I made the basic seasoned ground beef in a big batch, a third of which went into an impromptu pasta dinner for friends on Friday, another third into chili con carne with rice Saturday, then on tortilla chips with cheese today (Sunday) and another third is frozen for next week and the new semester.
I also roasted vegetables. This is something I do all winter (it’s too damn hot in the summer to turn on the oven) and then eat the vegetables all week in different formats. This is just one version (as I continue to crave asparagus in the off-season). It really is best with the linguine, but I was pressed for time and my son is not yet interested in this kind of dish, so I just served it to myself (several days running) with leftover rice and a dash of soy sauce. I also gave a plastic tublet to Leandro’s godmother (a teacher) for her take-to-school lunch.
Roasted Vegetable Linguine
2 packets (about 20 oz) baby bella mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 bunch broccoli crowns, separated into florets
1 red pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbs olive oil
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ cup white wine
½ lb linguine
½ cup torn fresh basil leaves or 1 Tbs dry oregano
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss all vegetables (except tomatoes and herbs but including red pepper flakes!) and oil into a large roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Get your pasta water on the boil and prepare pasta according to package directions. Save ½ cup pasta water when draining.
Add tomatoes to pan and roast 10 more minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl. Set pan on two burners on medium heat and add wine, stirring and scraping off burnt bits. Simmer for 3 minutes or so, until wine has cooked off then add reserved pasta water.
Return pasta to pot, add vegetables and liquid from pan. Warm to serving temperature and add herbs.
Tags: asparagus, broccoli, food, mushrooms, pasta sauce, quick roasted vegetables, recipe, roasted vegetables, spicy, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Hot, Cheap & Easy 
