Pasta Love

(*Apologies for the pre-post that happened last night! Darn you blogger!)

I received an e-mail from E-Harmony about a month ago announcing a contest. [Yes, my husband and I met through E-Harmony.] Send in your "love story" for a chance to win a trip. I'm all about entering contests because "who knows?" ya know? So I started penning something in a word document only to realize that it was cliche and boring. If I wanted my letter to be chosen as one of the six finalists I was going to have to channel a creative writer and produce something worth reading.

I was getting ready to make one of our favorite dishes that day. As I pulled out the recipe I decided to just run with it. Here's the contest entry I ended up submitting the next day.

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January 16, 2012

Dear David,

I’m making “Fall in Love” pasta again tonight. I love that the penne and spinach dish will forever be known by that title in our home. As I pull out the recipe (by now, clearly committed to memory) I can’t help but think of the night I first made it for you.

It was November of 2009 and our fourth date. I couldn’t believe you had so readily and easily agreed to making the 105 mile round trip for one meal. You had no idea what you were getting yourself into. What if I was a horrible cook?And yet, you came.

I hadn’t expected to feel so strongly about you at so early in our relationship, and yet there I was, nervously excited as I pulled out the recipe my mom had written out for me years ago. It was just about a month since our match was made on E-Harmony. Who knew that signing up on a whim (and a promotional sale) on October 9^th would lead me to you just one day later? (By the way, have I thanked you lately for taking that first step and contacting me?) I loved seeing your name and picture pull up in my messaging list, and I anxiously awaited each and every step that took us closer to open contact.

You were the only match to receive my phone number.

You were the only match to take me on a date.

You were and are still the only man to hear the words, “I love you.”

Who knew that a pasta dish and some chocolate cake would lead to a kiss while we washed dishes? Who knew that a kiss would lead us to both realize that we were quickly and steadily falling in love? Who knew that God could use a website to connect two earnest and unique people and lead them into a love story so deep and so wide?

When we declared our wedding vows on October 17, 2010 we entered into a new journey that has been filled to the brim with blessing. I am yours, my dear, and you… you are mine.

Hurry home, husband. The pasta and your wife are waiting.

With love,

Ginger

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Fast forward another week and I received an e-mail from E-harmony letting us know we had been selected as a finalist. Awesome, right? In the end we didn't win, (that went to a couple with the saddest and sweetest story - they totally deserved it) but we certainly had fun with the process.

I'm becoming more and more at ease with telling our story. I think there were hesitations in the beginning because of some sort of social stigma surrounding on-line dating. But currently one out of eight marriages find their relationship starts on-line.

So I say who cares what method God chose to use, I'm just thankful He did. So my on-line dating advice: don't knock it until you try it. And even if it doesn't leave you with the ending you were looking for... you might just end up with an amazing story about laminated poetry or a very hungry police officer.

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RECIPE

Sausage and Spinach Penne Pasta (Fall in Love Pasta)

8-12 oz penne pasta 1/2 c chicken broth

2 T olive oil 1/2 c. dry white wine

3 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 c. oil-packed sun dried tomatoes (or 1/4 c sun-dried)

16 oz. sweet Italian sausage 1T fresh basil or 1 t dried

1 can diced tomatoes 2 t Tabasco sauce

salt, pepper, Parmesan to your liking...

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute til garlic is lightly browned. Add sausage and saute until cooked through (remove from casing and crumble). Add tomatoes (undrained), broth, wine, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and Tabasco sauce. Cook 5 minutes. Push everything to the sides and add spinach and saute until tender. (I usually just close the lid and let it steam for just a few minutes.)

Cook pasta while "sauce" is cooking. Remove from heat, add pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Great with salad, bread, and THIS RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CAKE!

Life and Recipes

I just spent 10 minutes searching the interwebs for a quote that would summarize this casserole of a post I'm about to serve you. But alas, everything was too poetic and far too full of itself. I was looking for something about pulling everything out of your pantry and turning it into a recipe. (I did this once, while living in Oxford. My friends lived to tell the tale of chicken with nutmeg, grape jelly, and mustard.) Anyways. This month...

-We celebrated Mother's Day with D's family.

Per usual we cooked too much, ate too much... and then ate dessert. It was lovely.

-We took a turn at parenting. Ok. We babysat for a few hours.

Puzzles, juice, diapers, pizza, wrestling, the Backyardigans... there wasn't ton of sitting but there was plenty of fun. D was in his element.

-We made my mom's recipe for Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries last week. Both were so tasty that I've decided to share the recipes with you.

Turkey Spinach Burgers

1 lb. ground lean turkey

1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out. (I subbed in fresh.)

2 T, barbecue sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c. chopped onion

1. Heat grill to medium-high and coat rack w/ cooking spray. (We cooked on our panini maker.)

2. Combine turkey, spinach, barbecue sauce, salt, pepper and onion in large bowl. Shape into four patties.

3. Grill patties 10-12 minutes, turning once, or until meat thermometer inserted into the middle from the side registers 165 degrees. Serve on buns w/ tomato & lettuce. (We chose to serve with more BBQ sauce, mozzarella, and tomatoes.)

Roasted Sweet 'taters

16 oz. sweet potatoes - washed

1 tsp. Olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt - coarse kosher is best

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. pepper - coarse ground

-Preheat oven to 425.

-Cut sweet potatoes into about 3/4 inch cubes (large dice). Leave the skins on removing only the hard knob at each end. Alternatively you might cut them in wedges or slice them in 1/2 inch discs.

-Combine sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients in a bowl (or plastic bag). Toss gently to coat. Place potatoes on a baking sheet (do not overlap); bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until very tender.

-I'm obsessed with a new podcast: WNYC Radiolab. It's a fabulous mixture of science, math, physics, literature, and everything else. I feel really intelligent listening to it at the gym. Don't ask me about what I've learned. All the magic will be gone when I say things like, "So there's this switch in our brain that flicks on and scientists can see it in an EKG or um... in a brain scan, I guess and anyways..." Just listen to the experts (not me) and feed your brain.

-I watched Adele's music video for "Someone Like You" and didn't breathe the entire song. (Or maybe just once.)

-I'm going home in ONE MONTH! It's big doings: Dad = retiring. Grandparents = 60th Anniversary. Father's Day = Mother's Day. (We are celebrating Mom and Dad on the 19th. We have lots of surprises in store.)

-Next month I'm going to the Grand Canyon for the FIRST TIME EVER. I've been in Arizona for five and a half years. I KNOW!!

-I need to go and make my dinner. I don't think I'm going to use a recipe. You are welcome to join.

P.S. posting photos through blogger is exhausting. I had more but it's not worth it. Anyone with me?

The Cream Gravy of Reality

I was all set to write a normal, this is about something, grown-up-like blog. But my mind was not really cooperating.

Then I started talking to Joey. (We decided that we were going to buy a big hotel or some sort of building and we’re going to live there with all our friends and cool people.) And then I never stopped laughing and my mind REALLY turned off. It ended up being more like Joey doing stand-up and me being the laughing audience member and less of an actual conversation.

So forgive me, but I am now resorting to list format.

1. Saw “Despicable Me” over the weekend- loved it. My friends and I were the only ones laughing at the witty references to "Annie" and "The Godfather." Why is that?

2. Glee is in reruns right now. Man that show used to be SO good and funny and witty. What happened, Mr. Shue??

3. Community is in reruns right now. How did that show not get a SINGLE Emmy nomination? RUDE.

4. My cousins and I have been plotting our appearance on “Family Feud” for a while now. We’re talking about who in the family gets to play and who is out. Because let’s be honest: there’s only so many buzzers, people. We’re pretty cut-throat.

5. I’ve recently been DVR-ing “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and watching it while I get ready for work in the mornings. I had forgotten how HILARIOUS that show is. And you probably have too. It’s airs late on ABC Family, people. Look into it.

6. Joey just said that someone we know is “the cream gravy of reality.” Am I sure I know what that means? No. Did I laugh anyway? Yes.

7. I spent a good portion of this evening baking and preparing snacks for the media summer staff at work. Last time I told them there was unicorn eyelashes in their dessert, and this time it’s going to be fairy tears. Man, people will believe ANYTHING!

8. I hadn't been sleeping very well recently and I think I managed to trace it back to watching some pretty dark episodes of Veronica Mars as I was falling asleep. I’m back to Gilmore Girls now, though, and resting easy. Murder before bed? No thanks. A thousand yellow daisies? Yes please!

9. I’ve been going down to my pool nearly every day for the past few weeks. Okay maybe not THAT often, if you’re going to be all ACCURATE about it, but… a lot. And I love it. It’s what you have to do to survive the summers in Texas!

10.Tomorrow is FRIDAY. Wait… do you hear that? Is that… Why yes, I do believe it IS the hallelujah chorus.