Oh well- you can't win them all, right?
I spent most of the day lounging around with the animals trying to figure out what to get everyone for Christmas. About this time every year I feel compelled to get a head start on my shopping and try to find the perfect gift for everyone, only to still put it off till last minute. I think I know what to get everyone, except my sister, but now its just a matter of finding the best deal on everything. Which means plenty of waiting and scoping.
I also drank way too much coffee. But that's never a bad thing!
Did some yoga, pinned some things on pinterest, and added a few things to my mental 'crafts to do' list. Overall, pretty productive, yeah?
By the time mom got home and I had ran a few errands I was pretty ready to get started on dinner. Mom and dad were too. We've been picking off leftovers all week because with the amount we all love to cook, a fridge fills up pretty fast with only 3 people in the house. Pets not included :)
We've killed off most of them, but we still had a huge vat of pasta leftover from the weekend. I had planned on trying a new chicken recipe, but we decided the pasta should go first before any of us try to add anything to the fridge, except wine. I was craving squash for some reason, so mom and I decided to just throw a few things together from the fridge, and we got this:
It was a gloomy day filled with clouds and random snow showers, yes snow (I don't want to talk about it), so what better way to warm up than with a delicious pasta dish stock full of veggies and cheese?
The dish was very simple to throw together, and we just used things we had around the house. Here's what you'll need:
1 box of your favorite pasta
3 yellow squash (or zucchini, or a mix of both)
8 oz/ one small box of mushrooms
1 bell pepper
1/2 white onion
1 jar of pasta sauce
2 cloves of garlic
Handfull of fresh basil leaves
Splash of EVOO
Salt & pepper
As with all good dishes, you always start by chopping up the veggies.
The onion and garlic did not feel like being in this photo, but chop those up too!
Throw a pot full of water on the stove for the pasta, and break out that skillet. Put your EVOO in there and sautee the garlic, then throw in the rest of the veggies.
Once the mushrooms and squash have softened up a bit, add in the basil. By now your water for the pasta should've boiled as well, so if you haven't already throw the box of pasta in the water!
And when the veggies are almost done, dump that whole jar of sauce in there too!
Once the sauce has heated and the veggies are soft enough (we left ours a bit crunchy for the texture), throw in some salt and pepper, along with your favorite spices. I'd recommend some oregano- I didn't add any, but next time I definitely will.
Once your pasta is done and the sauce is seasoned to taste, drain the pasta and plate it. Throw the veggie sauce on top, sprinkle on as much fresh parmesan as you want, and dig in!
A seriously surprising gem of a recipe, and a great way to make something delicious out of what you've got laying around the kitchen!
I definitely didn't get around to the baking that I wanted to today, but this weekend is looking to be both cold and uneventful, so come back soon for a fall desert recipe!