Food! It's got to be about Food!

Well, maybe it does, and maybe it doesn't. I haven't been on for a bit, due to a busy life. Last week my busy life included teaching 3 - 6th graders in Vacation Bible School. It was a lot of fun, but wearying. We did some cool projects, including making pocket pals and tooling leather bracelets. Pastor Kevin did a great job on the bridge illustration during the opening session on the last night. It was a fitting finale. All in all, I had a good time, and I think the kids did, as well.
Now, back to the food. Between Norm and I, we're always trying different things in the kitchen. One of my recent attempts involved making home-made hummus. Yes, that includes starting with dried garbanzo beans. I've cooked dried beans at various times over the years, and am most familiar with the old "soak 'em overnight" method, but this time I tried something different that I read about here. I baked them in the oven for two hours without soaking them, first. They turned out great! I used this recipe for the hummus I made, substituting an equivalent amount of cooked garbanzo beans for the canned beans. Here is the finished product:

The true test of a new recipe at our house is how quickly it gets eaten up. This definately passed the test - it was gone the same day! Tune in again tomorrow to find out what else I've been experimenting with in the kitchen.

Bowtie Primevera

Sunday was a busy day as Norm and I worked on the garden, so I was looking to put together a quick meal. Having been to the Farmers Market the day before, there were plenty of options available. Since I was in the mood for pasta, this is what I came up with:

Bowtie Primevera
1 C. Bowtie pasta, cooked according to package directions
6 stalks asparagus, broken or cut in pieces
1 medium-sized fresh tomato, diced
1 T. dried basil
1/4 C. heavy cream
2 T. romano cheese
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
Half a fresh cucumber, cut into wedges for garnish
Leaf lettuce, enough to cover 2 serving plates

Cook the bowtie pasta according to package directions. A couple of minutes before it reaches al dente, add the asparagus to cook lightly. While pasta is cooking, arrange leaf lettuce on two dinner plates. When pasta is cooked and asparagus is bright green, drain. Return pasta and asparagus to pan. Add the diced tomato, dried basil, heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until slightly thick. Divide into two portions and serve on a bed of leaf lettuce. Garnish with cucumber wedges. Eat! Serves 2. Prep time: half hour or less

Verdict: this was a perfect spring meal, something warm, but still had the flavors of the fresh spring vegetables and went together quickly. This would be good with diced chicken or shrimp in it.