Red Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

Yellow Onion
Bunch of green onions
Red peppers
Fresh basil (and other Italian herbs if you have them).
Garlic bulb (or more if you want to smell up the workplace the next day with your breath).
Salt
Pepper
Chilies (optional)
Italiano Seasoning (by Club House)
Any kind of pasta you like.
I used gluten free Rotini because I find 1) Gluten free food is healthier for me and 2) It has a better/firmer consistency.

Fry yellow onions, green onions and garlic in oil.



Add red peppers (I also used orange coz I ran out of red) and fresh basil. I often roast the peppers in the oven first. I was too lazy this time. 




When they are cooked puree them, but let them be a wee bit chunky.


Pour back into pan


Add cooked pasta of choice. 
Top with shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese on top.
Sprinkle some fresh ground black pepper and chili seeds.
Stir and scarf down.
Sorry about the lighting. As soon as I win the lottery. I'm going to run out and buy a decent camera and sign up for a photography course. 

A Tasty Breakfast Alternative

My version of Welsh Rarebit.
Take a slice of rye bread.
Toast it lightly in toaster.
Add a slice of black forest ham.
Add Dijon mustard. 
Add shredded cheese: I used Mozzarella, Monterrey Jack and Asiago. 
Slice red peppers on top. 
Broil in oven for a few minutes.
EAT.

I seem to be in a mad cooking phase lately.
Boredom? 
Anxiety release?
Creative outlet?
Cold weather?
Over Eater?
All of the above.

Tortilla Soup

A quick and lip-smacking recipe, if I do say so myself.
And I do.
And you will, too.
Don't let all the pictures scare you.
It didn't take much time at all.



Fry half cup chopped onions, 1 chopped jalapeno (remove seeds if you don't want it too hot) a habanero pepper (if you're crazy and or you want to follow the original recipe) & 2 cloves garlic in olive oil.


Add either (14 oz can, including juice) fire-roasted tomatoes or 2 oven roasted fresh Roma tomatoes (which is what I did).See? I'm not always lazy.


Add 1 box of liquid chicken stock (4-5 cups)before or after you transfer contents from pan into pot. Add crushed coriander, salt & red chilies.


You do not have to add avocado to the soup pot. You can add it as a garnish to your bowl later. I lost my mind for a second and forgot what I was doing. Not that it hurt anything.




Cut stale (or fresh) tortillas into strips. Fortunately, it's not difficult to find stale anything in my fridge.



Deep fry or pan fry a couple of minutes.


The reason mine are red is because I fried them in oil used to fry sweet potatoes. It made the tortillas taste sweet. Which my husband (who has a huge sweet tooth) loved.


Ladle soup into bow. Squeeze some fresh lime juice into soup. Garnish with tortilla strips, avocado and Monterey Jack cheese. Yum! Believe it or not, it doesn't taste too spicy because the garnishes absorb the heat. Promise. Don't raise your eyebrows like that!

St. Paddy's Day Table Decor

Confession time.

I've hosted many a dinner party, but St. Patrick's Day was not one of them. 

I suppose it's largely due to the fact that there are way too many decorated Irish pubs around.

I mean, why go to all that trouble when someone else has already. Am I right? I think I'm right.

But for those of you who are into hosting a hullabaloo-filled festive fete, then here are some ideas to get you into the mood.

TABLE SETTINGS: (Some subtle, some a little more fun, shall we say?)

For those of you with Depression Glass, haul it out of storage, dust it off and Voila!

Image from www.partycity.com

This one was from www.ivillage.ca