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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
We have been getting storms lately and I have to say that it is very nice indeed! Tonight I saw lightening shoot across the sky as we left a friend’s house and thought how fantastic God’s creation can be all the time. This really makes up for the week so far. Somehow my days feel so long and laking energy as I get back to my routine of eating how I normally eat at home and exercising like I had been. Vacation sure does take a toll since vacation tends to sound numerous activities and not my usual.
I was glad when the Zumba instructor realized I had not been coming to class. I like when people notice when you are gone because it makes me feel good. I also had a friend come join in the class which personally made for a much more entertaining time! Must get back into my exercise routine… At least racquetball has been happening with my husband the last two days, so I am happy.
Today, I received a fun package in the mail! I had forgotten what all I had left from the prizes I won from The Raw Cafe. Thanks Terilynn for hosting such a great day of giveaways! Here is what I got:
Yeah!! I am so excited. Even though alot of the food we eat is raw, I have been excited to see what more I can do with raw foods. The pictures are amazing and the recipes SO creative and even very time consuming, but I am not going to let that get in the way!
IF you have a dehydrator, what kind do you have? The Excaliber is just way too expensive, but if I want to buy a more economical one, which is the next brand I would buy? Please leave your comments. Thanks! 🙂
Yesterday I made a quick dinner consisting of baby portabellas, lots of garlic, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, red peppers, and LOTS of basil from my pot. HOw exciting it is to use one’s own herbs! PUMPED!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Anyway, the key to this dish is the lemon zest, olive oil and the garlic. There can never be too much garlic, in fact, when I made it it still lacked garlic. Don’t be afraid to used what the recipe states since the garlic is sauteed with mushrooms and olive oil and will not be strong the the taste. We again enjoyed our dish with a huge spinach salad.
Ryan picked out the Mostacholi pasta since this pasta used to be one he ate growing up when he was living in Palatine, Illinois. Mostaccioli is another type of penne pasta and resembles a mustache. How great! It was delicious with each bite and convinced me to use it more often. Thanks honey for your pick!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Summer Garlic Mushrooms and Mostaccioli
serve 4
2 1/2 cups dried Mostaccioli pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
10-12 garlic cloves, cut in half
1/2 red pepper, julienned
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in water and chopped
1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed and coarsely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
Bring 6 to 8 cups of water to boil in a large pot.
Meanwhile start on the vegetable mixture. Slice and preapre all the vegetables. Heat 1/8 cup olive oil and saute’ onions, garlic, mushrooms and pepper for 5-7 minutes.
Start cooking pasta at this point according to package directions.
Rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes by covering the tomatoes in water for 10 minutes prior to sauce preparation. Drain liquid, when ready, and chop and add to onion mixture. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the basil and the rest of the spices with the remaining olive oil. Cook for another 5-7 minutes.
After pasta has been cooked al dente, drain water and bring pasta back to large pot. Add the vegetables and toss the lemon zest.
Serve on each plate and drizzle with a little more olive oil and use Parma if you like. ENJOY!
Summer Garlic Mushrooms and Mostaccioli
