A Magical Morning

It has been a great morning. My little baby bunny let me sleep until 6:20!!!!  Guys, this is a HUGE deal. We woke up had some breakfast and then went on a lovely walk in the park that is near our apartment. I brought her favorite squeaky red football thinking we would ensconce ourselves in the enclosed tennis court and we would play a rousing game of fetch. Much like most of my expectations with Evie, that proved to be false. When we arrived the entire court was covered fat white caterpillars that liked to curl up in a ball when Evie prodded them with her nose. Squirming caterpillars are apparently far superior to whatever mindless game of fetch I could come up with. Not only was there something smaller than her that she could bat around, the school nearby was starting and students were swarming the park.

Is was obvious that the tennis court was not going to hold her interest, so we made it past all the caterpillars only to discover the moths hiding in the grass outside. See the picture above for the bunny like pouncing that ensued.  Next to the tennis court is a large field where local soccer team practice in the evenings. I never knew she could run that fast! I would take off in one direction and she would rocket next to me to catch up. She is already about 6 inches off the ground anyway, but when she runs she gets even closer down and skims that grass. I think she thinks it makes her more aerodynamic. We ran until she could barely walk. She was even too tired to make new friends on the way home. 

I think this is her plan for the rest of the day. 

I am looking forward to a quiet day full of cooking so keep an eye out for new posts! 

Creamy Fig Pasta

Every Summer I wait with baited breath for figs. Figs, in my humble opinion, are purple and pink orbs of sweet perfection that should really be found more readily.
I found this recipe in Southern Living's Fresh Garden Recipes magazine that came out this summer. I highly recommend this magazine, if you can still find it, as it has recipes with simple, healthy ingredients utilizing the best of each season's produce.
So back to this pasta. Let me just tell you that it might just be life changing; yes, I will be so bold. It is creamy, meaty, and rich but the fresh fig and basil really makes it balanced with sweet freshness. Aside from the terrible fact that you can really only find good figs for about a month in the entire year, this recipe is a keeper.

Time: under 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6 and gets better the next day for lunch
Skill Level: Beginner

Ingredients:
16 oz. bucatini pasta- a nice and thick spaghetti style pasta that holds the sauce well. Spaghetti works too if you are in a pinch
5 oz. pancetta chopped. I had to ask the deli to slice this for me and I asked for 1/4 lbs cut thickly.
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan. Don't you dare use that nasty stuff that is in a bottle.  Get a nice wedge and grate it yourself.
12 figs, quartered
1/3 c fresh basil leaves, chopped

Have all your ingredients chopped, grated and minced ready to go before you start. Have your SALTED water boiling and ready to go.

1. Cook pasta in boiling water according to the package directions. Drain the pasta when it is done and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium. Sauté the pancetta, shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. The fat from the pancetta will be plenty so there is no need to add oil or butter.
3. Add cream and cheese and stir it together until the cheese is incorporated.
4. Add pasta and half the pasta water and stir. The starch from the pasta water will help the sauce adhere to the pasta and make it delicious.
5. Stir occasionally until the sauce is thick.
6. Serve the pasta in bowls and add the figs and basil on top.
Enjoy!

My little sous chef decided to help. 

Sweet Puppy Kisses

For graduation I received the most wonderful and stinky mess of a puppy who occupies most of my time these days. I named her Evanelle from character in a book called 'Garden Spells'. Evanelle was a batty southern old lady who knew what people needed and carried a huge bag of gifts around with her. I really loved naming my dog after a batty woman who gave presents so, that is just what I did.  Like I mentioned, she is a stinky mess but I love her dearly.

Since she occupies most of my time she will be a large presence on this blog and her adventures will just about be equal to mine.